F1 leaving Britain would be madness

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The Turkish GP - almost half as many spectators as British GP practice

If Donington Park isn’t up to scratch by 2010, there won’t be a British Grand Prix.

That’s Bernie Ecclestone’s insistence – and it is complete and utter folly. At a time when F1 spectator figures are taking a hammering, the last thing F1 should be doing is turning its back on one of the best-attended races on the calendar.

The effect of the recession on ticket sales is clear when you look at crowd figures for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Spanish Grand Prix crowd sizes, 2007-2009 (click to enlarge)

Yes, part of the drop-off in ticket sales will be down to the fact that Fernando Alonso is not in a winning car. That said, going into this year’s Spanish Grand Prix he had won two of the last eight races, so I think that is part of the explanation but not the whole reason.

While previously popular European races are seeing a decline in attendance, some of F1’s newer venues have embarrassingly small crowds:

Malaysia and Turkish Grand Prix crowd sizes, 2008-2009 (click to enlarge)

So poor was the size of the crowd at the Turkish Grand Prix that even the drivers commented on it:

I think when you come here and you see in the city that there are massive fans around, and you come here and see that there is nobody then you know that it is just too expensive. So we have to make it cheaper. We prefer to race at a track with cheaper tickets but a lot of people inside, because if they put down the price of the tickets it would be full.
Felipe Massa

Inevitably lower ticket prices might mean more sales but it might not improve the track owners’ profit margins – and they have Bernie Ecclestone’s hefty fees to pay. As Ecclestone’s income from the races is not linked to how many people show up, he can charge sky-high prices and leave it to the track owners to worry about whether anyone will actually show up.

Of course, it is terrible for F1’s image for the racing to take place in front of near-empty stadia. That isn’t a problem at Silverstone:

British Grand Prix crowd sizes, 2007-2008 (click to enlarge)

Silverstone was a sell-out last year despite having recently added an extra 2,500-seat grandstand. More than twice as many people watched Friday practice at Silverstone last year than say the race at Istanbul this year.

I have nothing against Simon Gillett’s plans for a British Grand Prix at Donington Park. But we have to be realistic and admit that in a recession there are difficulties to financing such a large construction project and paying Ecclestone’s fees.

If Donington Park can’t hold the race next year, Silverstone should be offered the opportunity. For more than half of F1 teams it is a race right on their doorstep, and hence is the most cost-effective to attend. It packs in the crowds, and has never been off the world championship calendar.

Leaving the British Grand Prix off the 2010 F1 calendar would be madness.

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F1 fans at last year's British Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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69 comments on “F1 leaving Britain would be madness”

  1. There should be two GPs in Britain, considering 6 teams are based here.

    And the British GPs have something a GP in the desert where 500 people turn up: atmosphere.

    1. Just about to say the very same thing.

      Spain has two GPs following Alonso’s fanatical home following. In Britain we have both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button who have thousands upon thousands of supporters.

      So why not have two races at Silverstone and Donington each year?

      1. Bigbadderboom
        16th June 2009, 14:59

        Agreed, why can’t we at least have the european every 2 or 3 years? We have the most commited and arguably best informed supporters. Rather than Bernie threatening no British GP he should be looking for opportunities for a second! And base his income from the gate and merchandising, it’s always going to be a sell out!!

        1. I have to say that the supporters in Japan could easily support two races as well. But as we’ve seen, commitment means nothing. Only the mighty dollar draws Bernie’s eye

    2. My personal feeling, as spanish fan, is that Valencia is going to fall from the F1 calendar after this year. Last year was the worst race of the season, and I don’t think is going to be better this time.

      Probably Portimao will take the place of Valencia.

  2. I`m not even sure Bernie`s fee is linked to whether there`s even an event at all?
    He may get his money even if a GP doesn’t go ahead Keith.

    1. Wow, sad state of affairs isn’t it persy (if I can call you that!?) And to think he’s part of the gang trying to “cut costs for the benefit of F1” with Max’s budgie cap (and no it’s not a typo!)

      1. lol – you may call me anything you like, al_amana. Hopefully, it will be among the better names I get called ;)

        F1 needs a new broom. There’s too much dust left in the corners with the worn out ones.

        1. coucou-banana
          16th June 2009, 18:02

          And that broom should be called Ron Dennis

          1. No. We need someone totally uncontroversial. Just don`t ask me who! ;)

    2. Hasn’t the GP been secured by Donnington for nearly the next 20 years – if the track isn’t finished it’s hardly Bernies fault – however he probably did push to get them to commit to the fee this year else they wouldnt get the whole package.

  3. ComeBackMontoya
    16th June 2009, 12:25

    I agree completely.

    Lets just hope the FIA don’t manage cause a breakaway series, F1 loses it’s appeal and Donington get left high and dry.

    Silverstone isn’t perfect that’s for sure, but as an event it’s fantastic. Last year they made an extra effort with entertainment zones keeping fans amused during breaks in on track action.

    Even the rain last year couldn’t put a dampener on the event. It was without doubt the best GP I’ve attended at Silverstone.

    I must admit, I feel that as with the current political situation between FOTA and the FIA, the whole Silverstone row is more about personal disputes between Ecclestone and the BRDC, and as usual it’s the fans that suffer for it.

    I do hope that Donington has better toilets and P.A System than Silverstone, it took two hours to find a usable toilet last year.

    1. I do hope that Donington has better toilets and P.A System than Silverstone, it took two hours to find a usable toilet last year.

      How did you hold it in?

      1. This is a major issue at the British GP with so many fans attending. Basic facilities like this should be much better catered for.

        It was hard to tell who held it in last year, when so many were soaked through due to the wet weather. :)

        Best thing is to scout out and plan your toilet stops. Like get a loo stop in during a support race and then don’t drink too much.

        I saw plenty fans emptying themselves behind any small building last year due to the length of the queues.

        1. Best thing is to scout out and plan your toilet stops. Like get a loo stop in during a support race and then don’t drink too much.

          Words to live by.

        2. I remember in 2006 queing to go behind a tree!!!!

  4. I agree, there should be more than one British GP. However, the FIA is not known to make logical decisions. Furtunately, if there were to be a break-away F1 series, one of the best F1 circuits with massive spectator numbers will be available to support it.

  5. Quite extraordinary that it’s even being considered. Taking everything together: proximity, attendance, history, costs, etc. I would think Silverstone would easily beat some of the newer venues. Sure Silverstone may not have the best or most modern facilities, but how much difference does that make really?

    1. Apparently quite a lot if Bernies previous comments are anything to go by.
      So every circuit on the F1 calendar has to pay a fee to Bernie, build new stands and facilities to suit Bernies tastes, then charge extra high ticket prices to claw at least some of this money back again.
      They won’t even see a percentage of the TV or sponsorship money, and if the teams have a right to some of that, don’t the circuits have just as much right too?
      And in Silverstone’s case, its not as if Bernie has said at any point, ‘that’ll do for five years chaps’. He appears to want extra money spent every single year. Why on earth have the BRDC put up with it for so long when he doesn’t appear to worry about say Bahrain or Monza…..?

  6. The problem with F1 going to all these new countries is that they don’t have the support to justify it, this isn’t helped by Bernie charging sky high fees so tickets aren’t cheap for the local fans. During the Turkish GP the commentators mentioned that it was the only time the circuit is used all year, which I find quite amazing.

    Unless Donington are being charged cut price fees from Bernie just to spite Silverstone I can’t see how they will make a profit especially with all the major changes they need to make, even with a long term contract.

    I am against countries having two Grand Prix simply because of all the places left off the calendar.

    If a country has two good circuits one solution is to alternate between the two. Or how about the location of the European Grand Prix changes each year so in some years a country will have two Grand Prix, like in 1993 with the British GP at Silverstone and the European GP at Donington. I don’t know if there are problems with only hosting a Grand Prix every other year or more, which would prevent this from being feasible though.

    If Donington isn’t ready for 2010 and Silverstone isn’t used it will be because of issues Bernie has with the BRDC who own Silverstone.

    1. During the Turkish GP the commentators mentioned that it was the only time the circuit is used all year, which I find quite amazing.

      Absolutely agreed, its crazy. But that is not Bernie’s fault, it is bad marketing to the other race series that could visit there. The problem is also the apparant lack of local race series in Turkey, any series visiting the track would need to be at WC level.

    2. There are now so many circuits available in Europe, there is not really a need for a ‘European’ GP. It was only created at a time to fill a gap in the season, as far as I remember.
      Why does F1 visit circuits where it is the only race in the year? If thats the only reason it was built, that must be a sure sign of lack of a motorsport history, and greediness on somebody’s part.
      Although I agree F1 should lead the way to opening motorsport to new countries around the world, isn’t it just practicle to go where the Marshalls might know what to do?
      It would be great to see F1 back in places like South Africa, Argentina, Mexico…. with cheap tickets there would be huge crowds…

  7. Save McLaren
    16th June 2009, 13:20

    Well, I don’t ask for much but …

    Please sign up:

    http://www.savemclaren.com/

    1. “perition”?

      1. Haha very professional :D

  8. Reading this post it makes me think that it is Spain we should have more Grand Prix in. Why?

    Well, according the the statistics you’ve chosen to show here, Catalunya attendance at its lowest is still comparable with Silverstone in what should have been high British interest seasons.

    What would be interesting, and I couldn’t quickly find the stats, is a line-graph showing Silverstone attendance over the last 3 decades to determine the pattern. For me there is no argument here for keeping a British GP over most other venues (Turkey excepted).

    …and all Turkey proves is that the ticket prices are too high and insufficient marketing had been done.

    That said, it would be sad to see the British GP go, and I hope that Donington pulls through. I don’t really care where it is, Donington, Silverstone and even Brands (with some development) are all great circuits.

    That said also, I can’t afford to regularly go to Grand Prix races and it would only be a small handful of times in my lifetime, and if I had to choose a race to attend (all costs considered) I would definitely visit mainland Europe often (probably Monza first) before any British race.

    1. But it said Silverstone was sold out. Spain had more people mainly because it has more space I guess.

      1. As Matt says, I think that’s more a question of total capacity. I don’t know what the reasons are for Silverstone not having greater capacity but I’d take a guess that logistics, cost and probably safety regulations are limiting factors.

        1. Having visited the Circuit de Catalunya I can say that ultimately its location is not all that dissimilar to Silverstone. The difference is that the Spanish (and most European countries I’ve visited) have a fantastically integrated transport system, so although the train stopped a 30min walk from the circuit, the journey without car was very simple… and only 3€ return.

          Try getting to Silverstone without a car. Without the rail network the Circuit de Catalunya would have the same issues as Silverstone. Not just that, but the management of people leaving the circuit by car/train is managed very professionally. Almost like herding cattle…mooooo!!

          Almost 90,000 attended the MotoGP and I can only say I was totally impressed with the ease of getting there and away. Silverstone needs a rail link, mass transportation is the only answer. Park and Ride only works if the buses have a different route than the cars, but to do that you compromise the cars. Its all about balance. But, more than anything Silverstone needs a rail link.

          Honestly, I wouldn’t give Britain a GP, the government can barely organise a pi55 up in a brewery. Yet they will spend billions on the b0ll0x that is the Olympics, and spend nothing on a sport that brings enormous revenue to the country in tourism year after year. Fortunately, we already have a GP and long may we hold on to it. Not that we deserve it of course, not compared to mainland Europe.

          1. Yes, I agree,
            There seems to be a completely different attitude in Europe to that in the UK & transport is a good example.
            Monza has free buses running between the station & the circuit which are an experience in their own right.
            Special trains (some of them free to Monza spectators) are laid on from Milan & even some of the Milan-Como/Como-Milan Inter City trains make special stops at Monza during the race weekend to allow those staying further afield to get to the track without cars.
            If Silverstone had a train link it would be good. I doubt we`d ever get GP transport FOC though.

          2. Arthur Fowler
            17th June 2009, 9:15

            Without a GP at Silverstone, a rail link will never happen now.

          3. “Not that we deserve it of course, not compared to mainland Europe.”
            Why are we undeserving? Surely cars are part of the spectacle. Now that’s a thought for Max, mo more antsy team owners.

  9. Arthur Fowler
    16th June 2009, 13:26

    Ecclestone is a disgrace. The guy is so wealthy, he’s just totally out of touch with the average guy. The British GP means soooo much to the people of Britain, but he has shown a total disregard for us. You’re not welcome here anymore, Ecclestone.

  10. HounslowBusGarage
    16th June 2009, 13:37

    Bernie couldn’t give a monkey’s about the numbers of spectators at Turkey or Silverstone. He makes his money from the track by means of the fee he charges to actually supply the race – nothing to do with spectator figures. His major interest though, is the sale of the TV rights. And he makes a lot of money from that.
    TV viewing figures mean much more to Bernie that trackside spectators do. He really wouldn’t care if the stands were completely empty as long as the organising authorities had paid their $25 million or whatever, as he earns from the volume of TV audience instead.
    So if a track like Turkey says to Bernie “We lost loadsa money last year, so we don’t want to pay so much this year” Bernie will say “On yer bike” and scoot off to another country eager to project itself into the limelight for the price of a second hand plane for the national airline.
    It doesn’t matter two hoots if Silverstone packs in a million spectators or just one; Bernie’s not interested. Actually, that’s not true. Bernie would use the British GP success as a method of wheedling more millions from all the other GPs next season.

    1. Bernie has a 5 year lease on the Istanbul track, so I do think he has interest in the success of that race, however, placing a F1 race in a country with a low GDP (low compared with the country it replaced on the calendar, Canada) and leaving prices the at the average levels is pricing out the locals.

      Oh well, Britain should have a GP, that is obvious, well, for race fans it is obvious, not so much for evil business men. ;)

  11. Well, I also think that countries with a strong racing heritage (UK, US, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, among others) should have their Grand Prix preserved… it would be the same as scheduling the Beach Volleyball World Circuit without Brazil or the United States, countries where the sport was invented…

  12. It’s funny how places like Montreal, Canada, which is sold out year after year, get’s the boot, when Istanbul can attract 30,000 people.

    1. Bernie charges the same amount, sold out or not. The only losers are the race organisers

  13. I can’t agree more with the title of this article, and the many supportive comments left here regarding the future of the British GP. The British public has contributed so much to Formula 1, in every possible manner, that it would be a disgrace for the nation not to have a Grand Prix. Under any circumstance, the future of the British GP should never, ever be in doubt.

    As for Britain hosting two races a year, that’s a very good idea, but i’ve always thought let the country host one race, and then alternate the second with another country every year. Perhaps keep Silverstone and let Donnington alternate with Imola or another circuit.

    In any event, here’s to the future of the British GP- long may it continue in all it’s glory :)

    1. The problem with alternating is that the quality and safety required for F1 these days implies some very expensive facilities. Without a GP every year it’s extremely difficult to justify spending out on such upgrades (it’s not Bernie wanting 24 diamond-encrusted hot-tubs, it’s also the medical equipment, space in the pit lane for mechanics’ safety, run-off space, etc etc).

  14. theRoswellite
    16th June 2009, 15:13

    F1 is very popular around the world. (the US always being the aberrant monkey)

    f1 could draw enormous crowds anywhere if the PRICE of attendance was just REASONABLE.

    The commercial structure of F1 is controlled by BE, and is thus designed to MAXIMIZE his profits. His interests and the LONG TERM interests of fans, participants, and the sport in general, are not necessarily similar.

    This is an important question we should be asking. Why is the FIA, in the person of Mr. Mosley, so concerned about limiting the cost of participation for the teams…because of the long term sustainability of such a structure, and NOT CONCERNED about what is happening to the historic relationship between many tracks, to include their national fan support.

    It could certainly be argued that Mr. Ecclestone has established an itinerary of races that are operated and sustained by financial support OTHER THAN WHAT CAN BE RAISED BY LOCAL FANS ATTENDING THOSE RACES, and the remaining limited commercial rights.

    Is it in the long term interests of the sport to drop races from the traditional locations, the locations which have grown and nurtured the sport, only because of the present commercial demands of Mr. Ecclestone?

    The FIA’s “concern” for the financial viability of F1 seems sadly misdirected.

  15. The flipside of Spanish GP attendance being down because of Fernando Alonso not being in a winning car would be that Silverstone attendance is up because of Lewis Hamilton being competitive the last two years and this year Button.

    1. Of course its a moot point. It would be ludicrous if there were no British GP in 2010!

      1. They need to keep classic tracks and not just go drive around in empty deserts!

    2. You are wrong. A really high percentage of tickets sold lasts years in Spanish GP were to F1 fans out of Spain.

  16. schumi the greatest
    16th June 2009, 15:45

    Strictly speaking you could call britain the home of f1, so many of the teams are based here.

    the thing is ecclestone has been moaning about silverstone for years. He keeps saying it should be government backed but the government have spent too much money buying themselves swimming pools and chandeliers lately.

    F1 needs a massive change in direction in terms of finance and organisation. Although ecclestone can be credited for making f1 the international spectacle it now is he can also take the blame for ruining it too!

    The circuits are as much a part of f1 as the teams.

    my opinion is that this should be done:

    Revenue’s from f1 split between the following:

    Teams
    FOM
    FIA
    Circuits

    Im not saying the circuits should have the same as the teams but i think they should get a percentage of the tv deals and be able to sell their own sponsorship.

    the ticket price situation is a direct result of the crazy fees circuits have to pay to host a grand prix. Obviously when they do the sums they work out that they need to put the price of tickets up and then that in turn drives away fans and loses the circuit more income that would have been earned from merchandising food etc etc.

    its a vicious circle but 1 that will continue to go round and round until bernie either has a massive change of heart or goes. (why does he need to stay there??? hes a billionaire for god sake go and live the rest of your life in luxury!)

    the less said about max’s facist dictatorship of f1 the better!

    im going to the grand prixx this weekend and its fair to say it will cost me an awful lot of money and thats not the circuits owners faults its bernies

  17. Silverstone has been a problem for years & the blame can be shared by several people, IMO.
    The BRCD must take some blame.
    Yes, the facilities are well below par. Does anyone know if they ever put in for permanent planning permission for the main grandstand?
    They spent a fortune on a new BRDC club (no T-shirts, muddy clothes or baseball caps allowed) while neglecting things like toilet facilities etc.
    The Government could be said to have stood back & allowed a facility important to our national motorsport industry to decline for want of a few bob (They don`t have 2 pennies to rub together now but they did a few years back).
    Bernie charges ridiculous fees.

    As with so much in F1 it`s time for a complete overhaul & rethink, I feel.
    I can`t see things changing under the present set up, though.

  18. That Barcelona graph is quite depressing :( Alonso really shouldn’t be at the back of the field

  19. F1 needs a massive change in direction in terms of finance and organisation. Although ecclestone can be credited for making f1 the international spectacle it now is he can also take the blame for ruining it too!

    Clive have a good piece in his blog with the same opinion:

    http://f1insight.madtv.me.uk/

  20. Anyone find the “Visit England” advert a bit cheeky? Telling people to come visit the F1 but England won’t pay to keep it!

    1. England won`t pay much to Visit England, either, so they`ll know how Silverstone feels ;)

      1. It’s a shame F1 is completely ignored. It’s clear from these stats its good for the country.

        The money to help the British GP could have been used from the amount of money spent on the stupid Olympics logo.

    2. Is that an advert on here somewhere?

      1. No on TV. It advertises visiting England and shows the F1 as one of the things to visit.

      2. It`s what used to be the English Tourist Board, Keith.

  21. Less than 40,000 in Turkey? The US wants its race back.

    1. Yea I know, Bernie complained only having 100k…

      Kinda sad though, Turkey is a great track, and one of like 5 in F1 that’s actually worth watching.

  22. I’d bin Turkey for a Canadian or USA race

  23. Keith,
    I’d like enquire about the stats you have on Sepang, I suspect that it may be incorrect. I’m pretty sure that there were way more than 40,000 spectators over the 3days at Sepang this year. The official raceday figures released in the local media was around 90K, I think I can believe that. I suspect that there were more people this year because of the Jamiroquoi concert and post race party. Quite a number of the people just went for the concert and not the race, which is sad.

    Asia in general doesn’t understand Formula racing. Yes, they get huge crowds for the Japan GT and whatever other drifting series. For most, F1 is “isn’t it better to watch from home?”. Its sad to watch the Asian races and see the stands empty. The price of tickets is always a factor. Take Sepang for instance, where the general hill stand ticket start at RM 100 (which is a less than 20 quid), and that is considered pretty cheap for the locals. Yes the granstand tickets rise exponentially, but even the cheap hill tickets never ever get sold out!

    This is got to do with interest, there just aren’t enough people who are interested. You cannot force people to get interested in a sport, they have to pick it up on their own accord and preference. Football will always supercede any sporting event in the Asia Pacific region, same can be said of cricket in the sub-continent.

    If F1 wants to sell in Asia, which seems to be F1s next big target area, they need to actually have a go at selling it properly. They have to set standards for marketing and boradcasting the sport. Everyone has been privy to the dismal quality of the Asian Broadcast, so how do you expect the common man to take interest in the sport when Football and Cricket broadcasts and marketing are so much more better?

    You know, since we’re talking broadcasters again, its funny how the football and cricket pundits are all established professionals in their field, unlike F1! ESPN Star gets the likes Steve McMahon, Gerry Armstrong, Paul Walsh, Lee Sharpe etc for football, Ian Bishop, Geoff Boycott, Tony Greg, Ravi Shastri etc for cricket….why can’t they do the same for F1? We get Alex Yoong!

    1. The best way to make F1 popular in any country is to have successful driver from that country.

      An article on this site a while ago showed a lot of us here got into F1 due to Mansell mania. Before Alonso came along F1 wasn’t that popular in Spain, even though they had had F1 drivers in the past, I remember people saying you could always get tickets for the Spanish GP as it was never sold out, now Spain has two Grand Prix. And most recently look at F1 popularity in Poland since Kubica.

      While it is always good to have expert analysis in the media from people who were involved in the sport, it is easier for sports such as Football and Cricket to do this just due to the number of people involved. In Football there will be hundreds of players each season in the English Premier League alone, whereas in F1 you have 20 race drivers each season. And then the really successful in both sports may just decide to retire totally when they give up playing/driving, as they are multi-millionaires and don’t need to work again.

  24. Well look at it from here in Canada, The Canadian Grand Prix was sold out every year I went (4 in the past 6 years) Hotels aroud Montreal were booked solid at a 3 night minmum at $1000 or more for the weekend…. So attendance, great venue , great fans and even being in North America means nothing to F1 leaders so why would the UK or anywhere else be different? If not for my trip to London, I doubt I care much for F1 and with next years rule changes it looks more like Indy Racing and I can watch that here at a normal hour……..

  25. Another reason sometimes overlooked…

    Silverstone is a bloody good track!

    What’s wrong with judging a circuit on its racing merits and its favourability with the drivers sometimes?

    F1 is dead. Let’s start our own series, get Silverstone on board for 2010, and raise our middle fingers in unison to Bernie, Max & Tilke.

  26. I think they should alternate between donnington and silverstone, giving equal chance for the two venues to improve.

  27. Few sporting events can match the glamour and excitement the Formula One Grand Prix Season. First Serve are market leaders in organising top quality Tickets for all the Grand Prix circuits both at home and abroad

  28. If Donington Park can’t hold the race next year, Silverstone should be offered the opportunity. For more than half of F1 teams it is a race right on their doorstep, and hence is the most cost-effective to attend. It packs in the crowds, and has never been off the world championship calendar.

    Can’t agree more. Although new places do present a refreshing change, good established GPs should always feature in the calender.

  29. Maurice Henry
    17th June 2009, 20:30

    Bernie’s major problem with the Canadian promoters was that he felt they had not kept up with their payments and owed him over US$20 million from 2007. Unlikely support for Bernie’s position came from Ron Dennis after the teams were briefed on the situation on 19th October 2008, at the Chinese GP. By the time October 28th rolled round Bernie’s final contract offer to them was US$143 million over 5 years guaranteed by a bank or government. As we know this was simply too high for the promoter to take.

    Alternating the British GP between Silverstone and Donnington is not an option as you can see from the Canadian GP’s experience I just outlined. Bernie has signed a 17 year deal with Donnington because he really does not care aboutF1 fans. The primary motivation is money. The only reason they started alternating the race in Germany was to halve the cost of the franchise fee paid to FOM. At the start of 2007 Hockenheim was US$35 million in debt and so the prospect of two GPs in Germany could no longer be entertained. The other point to make is that Hockenheim receives no govt contribution to the FOM fee, whereas, Nurburgring does. This did not mean that Nurburgring could afford to sign a new contract with FOM to run the German GP every year. Hockenheim’s contract expires after the 2010 race and there are rumours they are not in a position to go beyond that. To put this in perspective the newer GPs are paying absurdly high fees US$40 million (Valencia)- US$50 million (Abu Dhabi) all funding courtesy of govt coffers (local or national). Please note that, contrary to popular opinion, Bernie does have a heart. Monza only pays FOM US$3 million in fees.

  30. Maurice Henry
    17th June 2009, 20:33

    P.S. Keith – Malaysia’s attendance figures for 2008 broke down as follows:

    Practice – 9,310
    Qualifying – 40,000
    Race – 126,690

    Source – SportsPro magazine March 2009

  31. Silverstone should definately be considered as one of the venues for the European GP as it will definately be a venue that will be missed on the F1 calendar!

  32. For the chart on Sepang and Istanbul, did you mean three day attendance or attendance on the third day?

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