Ecclestone wants two more races in America

F1 Fanatic round-up

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In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone says he wants two more American rounds of the world championship.

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U.S. goes from F1 wasteland to land of promise (Reuters)

Bernie Ecclestone: “The Americas are probably big enough to have five or six grands prix. We’re trying to get something sorted out in New Jersey/New York, we’ve had a lot of requests. Maybe we can do something in LA (Los Angeles) in the future.”

P2 ‘will be a joke’ – Webber (ESPN)

“I think first of all the left hand side of the grid will be a joke; you want to be on the right hand side if you can. So on pole, third or fifth, something like that. That’ll be the first thing and then I think the first corner is a bit like La Source at Spa.”

Alonso defiant over Red Bull pace (BBC)

“The important thing is to score 11 more points than [Sebastian Vettel] in these [final] two races. We are still convinced we can do it. But we are not surprised when they are first and second in practice and qualifying.”

United States GP – Conference 2 (FIA)

“Q: I was talking to Mr Ecclestone yesterday asking about the Mexican Grand Prix and he said that it’s hard because Texas has set a new standard. He said that no other country can run a Grand Prix if it has a facility that is less than this one that we see here in Texas. According to the world economic climate I would disagree but I would like to have your opinion on that.
Martin Whitmarsh: Well, I think you’ve just got to ask the same question this time next week!”

Tavo Hellmund has F1 dreams stretching beyond Austin (Austin-American Statesman)

“He envisions a race day crowd as big as 250,000, and he thinks arrangements can be made to get a Mexico location on the 2014 Formula One calendar. Getting on the Formula One racing circuit isn’t easy because there are always cities competing to be chosen and there are big financial hurdles to clear.”

On track: Sochi F1 circuit to be completed in time (RT)

“The construction of the Sochi Formula 1 track is developing according to plan and will be ready to host Russia’s maiden Grand Prix in 2014, says German architect, Hermann Tilke.”

F1 doesn’t stand a chance against NASCAR (The Globe and Mail)

Jeff Pappone: “Most US fans will probably switch off the U.S. Grand Prix an hour into the proceedings on Sunday when the Cup finale gets underway at 3pm – and that’s only if they bother to tune into the F1 race at all.”

New US race can live up to the hype (The Telegraph)

David Coulthard: “Everyone out here is getting pretty excited as the weekend approaches; downtown Austin is buzzing, the team’s hospitality units are groaning and the marketing men are salivating almost as much as the drivers. I can see why: the Circuit of the Americas looks mouth-watering.”

Raikkonen convinced Lotus will be quick (Autosport)

“We know our car and we can keep changing it but 95 per cent of the time we end up in the same place. We know that it’s more the circuit and the tyres that are not working well for us.”

Jenson Button: I was misquoted over ‘worst’ McLaren remarks (Daily Mail)

“What I said was this car probably doesn’t suit my style as much as the previous two years. I’ve found it more difficult to be consistently quick throughout the year.”

Red Bull’s F1 dominance is talking point of US Grand Prix paddock (The Guardian)

Damon Hill: “Adrian Newey [designer] will say it’s not just him; it’s his team. But it is hugely him. And you have to say that Christian Horner [team principal] has put this whole thing together and motivated the team and chosen Adrian and the other people, including the drivers. So Christian, too, must go down as a very key player in this and the whole Red Bull success.”

American dream: Lewis Hamilton ponders move to the United States (Mirror)

“Beckham moved here for his career, I’d just be moving for the weather and the lifestyle. It’s so nice. The cars are all big, the roads are big. It’s just a nice, relaxed lifestyle.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

@RBAlonso was one of several readers unhappy with the change in the DRS rules.

DRS should remain as it is or ban it.

In qualifying the driver should be on maximum attack and given full use of his equipment. In the race it should be limited for obvious reasons. But to limit it partially on grounds of safety is a nonsense. It is an optional tool to save lap time. If you feel you can not use it then don’t.

To say it is dangerous on an empty track means it is unsafe. But to limit it to a point where opening it is no challenge means that it is purely a push-to-pass system. This concerns me. Far better would be to use it only in races which have problems overtaking.

But in reality, every fan sneers at a DRS pass. I had hoped that we had learned from the start of the season, that tyres are the way to go to improve racing, and ditch this concept completely.
@RBAlonso

From the forum

Happy birthday!

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On this day in F1

Contrary to his enthusiasm for racing in America today, one year ago Ecclestone was certain the Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas was not going to happen:

Image © COTA/Rizzo

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Keith Collantine
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71 comments on “Ecclestone wants two more races in America”

  1. Sonoma in 2015?

    1. davidnotcoulthard
      17th November 2012, 1:38

      I still prefer calling it Infenion. Anyway, what about Laguna Seca?

      1. Yes, Laguna Seca. Technically, is there any reason that Laguna Seca would not be a worthy circuit.

        1. Well, there’s a total lack of pit facilities. There are virtually no spectator grandstands. The circuit doesn’t comply with safety regulations for Grade-1 circuits, particularly when it comes to run-off. Access to the circuit is very limited. And it could probably do with a resurfacing, too.

        2. I’ve heard in the past when this topic’s come up that given how low the cars are and how steep the corkscrew’s drop is it’d be unfeasible to race F1 cars there as they’d just be scraping the floor (more than usual) lap upon lap.

          1. They’ve had F1 cars run there before just fine, Ferrari has held events for VIPs and customers. They ran several f1 cars and the events are held at Laguna Seca. Champ cars have run on that track. So have the LMP cars that are low to the ground as well.

            Either way, I think more than 2 races in the U.S. is annoying. And I rather see Nascar or V8 Supers there before F1. We only need two races at the most a year.

          2. They’ve had F1 cars run there before just fine, Ferrari has held events for VIPs and customers. They ran several f1 cars and the events are held at Laguna Seca.

            Those cars were not set up to race specification.

            Champ cars have run on that track. So have the LMP cars that are low to the ground as well.

            ChampCars and LMP do not have the same regulations regarding minimum ride height as Formula 1 cars do.

        3. I’ve been questioning this whole business model for a while. It can’t possibly be cheaper/easier to find investors to build a brand new, unproven facility from scratch than adapting a track with a proven record. If I had lots of money, I’d listen more to a proposal to improve the pit facilities and safety concerns of Road Atlanta than building a whole track from the ground up with only conjecture of its success.

          I wonder if this is all a relic of Indianapolis, where the track was adapted only for F1 to leave after a couple of years. In that instance, I’d point out that Indy has made good use of it, and it would have been worth investing in its infield regardless of F1’s involvement.

          As towards F1 cars being too low for Laguna… I was under the impression that this was the greatest racing car formula in the world, with the best designers, engineers and manufacturers in all motorsport, and adaptable to any and all challenges thrown at the, no matter what the circuit. Except the banking at Indianapolis.

      2. Sonoma/Infenion is outdated (for F1 standards), and Laguna Seca is a wonderful motorcycle and touring car track, but unfortunately it is not fit to host a F1 GP.

        What about an Alaskan Grand Prix?

        1. I’ve always thought a Hawaiian street circuit would be neat, but I’m basing that off of one of those Cruisin’ USA arcade games haha.

  2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    17th November 2012, 1:36

    “I think first of all the left hand side of the grid will be a joke”

    No, Mark, it’s you the one who makes a joke at the start… all the time

    1. No, he means that there is absolutely no grip on the left side of the grid, so everyone who qualifies in an even-numbered grid position will have a much harder time getting away. The drivers were commenting that there was virtually no grip when they arrived at the circuit, and while the racig line has rubbered in, it doesn’t go anywhere near the left side of the grid, and so there is no rubber there. The drivers who qualify in even-numbered grid positions will only have one chance to lay down some rubber before the race starts – when they take off on their formation lap.

    2. Didn´t Button said that 2nd was the place to start in this track????

      1. He felt that it was a better place to start than first, because first is on a greater incline. There is more for the driver in pole position to juggle in terms of his throttle and clutch than if he was starting on a flat part of the circuit.

        Button did not, however, say that second place was a better place to start than third. My understanding is that pole position is the only grid spot on an incline, so Button is saying that if he was given the choice between starting first or second, he would give serious consideration to second. Third doesn’t come into it, because third isn’t on the front row of the grid.

        1. So 3rd could week be the best place to start. That bodes well for Alonso, as its likely either he or Hamilton will be 3rd. If its him he could easily take the lead into T1 or if its Ham that does that it could hold up Vettel.

        2. I believe there’s a similar dip on the grid at Interlagos, and the FIA love to find new ways of closing up the field artificially – but still, if that’s true about pole being on a incline, that’s unbelievable.

          It would be better to move everybody back a row. At the moment there’s a chance that one or more HRT may not qualify (so there’d be no last-minute painting to do on the track).

          Otherwise, the best places to start will be 3rd, 5th and 11th…

  3. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    17th November 2012, 1:42

    And about Hamilton moving to the US, does it have anything to do to be closer to Nicole again?

    1. It’s probably just Hamilton telling the American press what they wanted to hear. When Michael Andretti joined McLaren in 1993, he insisted on living in America and commuting to Europe, which caused no end of headaches for Ron Dennis.

    2. Although girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger calls Los Angeles home he hasn’t ruled out other cities in the world’s biggest democracy.

      So, India then?

      1. Nice one : )

      2. Exactly what came to my mind when reading that @scalextric!

  4. If Bernie really wants to make F1 popular in the USA he should do what most businesses do when they move into a new market and that is discount prices, gain customers and brand recognition before looking for profit once established in the market profits will come from reduced costs and greater sponsorship/marketing. Bernie however wants every red cent fans spend so he can keep both the teams and CVC happy. If the USA gets 3 races I see the AusGP being dropped.

    1. Traverse Mark Senior (@)
      17th November 2012, 2:16

      If Bernie really wants to make F1 popular in the USA he should do what most businesses do when they move into a new market and that is discount prices

      The problem with that strategy is that it would create a precedent going forward and every new tracks would expect the same discount treatment from Monsieur Ecclestone. It could also pose an issue for Bernie when the time comes to renew the contracts for current circuits like Silverstone, as I’m sure they wouldn’t want to pay through the nose while new American track get a generous discount (especially when you consider that despite the world wide recession, America is still the richest country on Earth and still boasts the worlds biggest economy).

    2. If Bernie really wants to make F1 popular in the USA he should do what most businesses do when they move into a new market and that is discount prices, gain customers and brand recognition before looking for profit once established in the market profits will come from reduced costs and greater sponsorship/marketing.

      That’s not how it works at all.

      Price penetration – the practice of entering a new market with drastically-lower prices to undercut the competition – does have its benefits, but it also has one major flaw: you’re stuck with it. If you enter the market at a lower price, and then try putting your prices up, you’ll start bleeding customers faster than you can count. And when you’re dealing with a finite product like grandstand seats, you run the risk of setting your prices so low that you never actually make a profit through volume, at which point you’re stuck with a broken model that just feeds off itself. You can’t raise the price because you’ll lose customers; you can’t keep it down, because you won’t make any money.

      Furthermore, Bernie cannot afford to do this, because entering America with a price penetration strategy will only serve to undervalue the sport, and will likely drive customers in other markets away. Although the effect of this will be minimised by the way America is quite some distance from Europe and Asia, the fact that it can happen at all makes this strategy far too risky.

      On top that that, you’re assuming that sponsors will want to be involved because of discount prices. But because those discount prices undermine Formula One’s image, you’ll lose sponsors in Europe and Asia who can afford to cross the Atlantic or the Pacific (or both), so while the United States Grand Prix will look good on paper, it will come at the expense of every other event on the calendar.

      Bernie however wants every red cent fans spend so he can keep both the teams and CVC happy.

      Yes, heaven forbid that every decision he makes is designed to make the sport’s two major stakeholders happy when an unhappy stakeholder could be catastrophic for the sport.

    3. Bernie wants a French GP same day as Le Mans, he wants a German GP at a track that’s bust and in another breath he says Europe will lose 3-4 races in the near future.

      What Bernie says is worth nada

      1. Bernie wants a French GP same day as Le Mans,

        Which he is clearly using as leverage. He’ll give the organisers a more-favourable date if they agree to his demands.

        he wants a German GP at a track that’s bust

        The Nurburgring has six months to sort out its financial problems. And if they don’t, Bernie has made it clear that the race will default to Hockenheim.

  5. The United States, just as every other country, does not deserve more than one grand prix. Considering how many countries would like to get on the F1 calendar, there is not any room for 3 US races. I could accept New York/Jersey as a temporary venue, and maybe even a Mexican GP (in addition to Austin and Canada), but not 3 GP in one country.

    1. Drop Valencia!
      17th November 2012, 3:20

      You do realise that Canada and Mexico are not in the US? And that the 50 united states only deserve one race, by that logic the EU states also only deserve one race….

      1. Uh, the 50 US states make up one nation. The states of Europe are each independent countries

    2. “Deserve”? Who decides who deserves races anyway? Finland probably deserves a race, but that’s irrelevant. I’d certainly like the western hemisphere to have more races wherever they are so I don’t have to set my alarm clock so many sunday mornings, but that doesn’t solve the logistics, and if we’re apportioning races by continent, North America’s fair share will have to double up somewhere. But that’s not how it works.
      Anyhow, if Ecclestone actually thought the US should have 3 races, he would have made sure there was at least one the last 5 years. He’s just saying it to put pressure somewhere (who knows where) for someone to give him more money. Maybe it’s to convince investors in New Jersey that he’ll let that race go forward, maybe it’s to extort the Sochi investors by threatening to walk away. Or maybe it’s just a whim that will be forgotten when he’s hobnobbing with all the South American aristocrats in a week. Don’t worry, there won’t be 3 American races any time soon. But not because anyone deserves anything.

  6. I wouldn’t worry about a slight overlap with the Nascar race, the first 2 hours of the race will be pretty much meaningless as usual, and it will take almost no time to catch up by skipping commercials.

    1. I don’t even think it’s gonna be that big of an overlap.
      F1 Start @ 2pm Eastern
      NASCAR Start @ 3:15pm Eastern

      F1 race is 56 laps at lets say 1:40 a lap that would be roughly 100min in total race length which would mean only about 30min of race overlap + another 15min or so for the Postrace coverage. So at the most total it’d be an hour overlap with the NASCAR race.

      1. An American Nascar friend of mine says, contrary to the press’ panic about timing blunders, he thinks it’s brilliantly timed.

        In essence, he thinks most avid Nascar fans will have booked the day to watch racing. The Nascar race starts at 16:00 (he said, but @fisha695 obviously says 15:15 – that could be coverage with leadup?), F1 at 13:00. So for those fans, just tacking on an hour and a bit before sitting down properly for Nascar, will give them at least a taste of F1 where otherwise they would have probably given it a miss altogether.

        And being racing fans, why would they not be at least a bit intrigued? Some targeted exposure (ie. at race fans albeit a different category) surely is better than no exposure and as evidenced by the attendance for Friday practice, it’s not as if there’s a complete lack of interest in F1 to begin with.

        1. Or it could be a different time zone.

  7. Thank You for the COTD @keithcollantine! It is a good way to start a very difficult weekend!

    On another note, I think we should be wary of too many races in America. Without doubt, there is a huge market and willing investors but given the history I think we should wait 5 or 10 years to develop the market before committing to the USA. I say this because previous races there have shown great promise, yet F1 has left with its tail between its legs.

    Sacrificing the European races will see a lot of history leave the sport in a very short time. This year will probably be the first time a champion wins a race without winning in Europe.

    Brand exposure should not come at the cost of heritage.

    Even mainstays like the Australian GP would be sacrificed, which I don’t like the idea of because there is a proven fan base there.

    If the American races have similar turn-out to Turkey or Korea, even India then this American adventure might face the same fate as it predecessors. I hope not though.

    1. I’m all against trading mainstay races for new and indifferent countries, but the US has a pretty strong car racing heritage, even if F1 hasn’t figured out how to tap into it.

      1. But isn’t that the same sort of heritage the US have with ball-sports? American football differs very much from football (soccer) and rugby.
        It’s a different audience with different desires: cars need to be big instead of good handling, entertainment needs lots of short build ups and climaxes (because of the gargantuous amount of commercial breaks) and I think that’s heritage/culture which fits nascar but not F1.

  8. The Grand Prix will not get a killer rating not because it overlaps with the NASCAR race but because it overlaps with NFL and it is on SPEED which is not network TV nor is it on all standard cable packages. Nonetheless nothing touches NFL ratings in this country.
    Usually F1 races are on in the early morning. I DVR them, casually wake up, skip the commercials, and get to watch IndyCar, NASCAR, or NFL as I normally would. Tomorrow will be a challenge. My Browns at 1:00, F1 at 1:30, and Cup at 3:15. The remote will be busy.

    1. Why do people seem to think that the ultimate success or failure of the United States Grand Prix depends on the race’s ability to attract a large, new audience?

      For one thing, the race has been a sell-out. Almost every single grandstand ticket has been sold, and most of the general admission tickets have been as well.

      Secondly, since 2007, one of the major arguments for Formula 1 to return to the United States has been that there is a large enough fanbase to support the race. We are already seeing this in ticket sales, and doubtless the race will attact viewers across the country.

      Finally, there is already a large external audience worldwide, especially considering that this race could decide the 2012 title.

      And yet, some people seem to think that the United States Grand Prix will only be a success if it matches the Superbowl for audience figures. Why?

      1. Why do people seem to think that the ultimate success or failure of the United States Grand Prix depends on the race’s ability to attract a large, new audience?

        because its too far to travel for Europeans, so if in year 2 it doesn’t get American support, it will be half full.

        1. @thejudge13 – Only if you assume that the event will lose all of its spectators from one year to the next. In which case, I draw your attention to the second point of my argument:

          Secondly, since 2007, one of the major arguments for Formula 1 to return to the United States has been that there is a large enough fanbase to support the race. We are already seeing this in ticket sales, and doubtless the race will attact viewers across the country.

          If supporters of the United States Grand Prix claim that there has been a strong enough audience in America to justify a race for the past five years when there has been no race, why, all of a sudden, will that audience disappear a year after they get the race that they claimed was justified in the first place?

          1. @prisoner-monkeys, as in your answer to my above comment re price penetration, you ignore 1 highly important fact and that is that the income for the circuit owners is derived from ticket sales AFTER paying 20-50 million dollars to FOM. If the circuit can’t make enough money to survive year after year there will be no race, no track sponsors , no local interest and no growth of the TV audience in that potentially lucrative market.

          2. That still doesn’t make price penetration a viable strategy. At all.

  9. Identical quotes from Tavo and Bernie. Odd.

    Hellmund said a grand prix in Mexico wouldn’t necessarily hurt Austin’s race in future years.
    “The Americas are probably big enough to have five or six grands prix,” Hellmund said.

    and

    “The Americas are probably big enough to have five or six grands prix,” Ecclestone told reporters. “We’re trying to get something sorted out in New Jersey/New York, we’ve had a lot of requests.
    “Maybe we can do something in LA (Los Angeles) in the future.

    1. They should stop hanging around together right?

  10. “The important thing is to score 11 more points than [Sebastian Vettel] in these [final] two races. We are still convinced we can do it. But we are not surprised when they are first and second in practice and qualifying.”

    Unless Ferrari are sitting on something massive that we don’t know about, Alonso’s optimism is beginning to sound more and more like delusion.

    1. He can do it, sure. He just needs Red Bull to screw up a little.

      1. Well, yes, but as he said yesterday, he can’t rely on them making mistakes all the time. I was willing to bet on a strategically-timed technical protest from Ferrari, but with the FIA finding that the RB8’s “flexing nosecone” in Abu Dhabi was down to the camera mounting coming loose when the pit crew member removed it, I seriously doubt there is anything Ferrari can protest, and if there is, then one has to ask why they didn’t launch it sooner.

        No, I’m betting Alonso is playing mind games again. Jacques Villeneuve’s comments about Vettel being imamture seem to have rung true, and Vettel has never really ben under pressure in the title fights before. With predictions of a messy first corner in Austin, I think Alonso is looking to pressure Vettel into a mistake.

        1. Makes sense. No doubt Alonso is mentally tougher than Vettel, and it’s too late in the day to do anything about the cars.

          1. Ferrari have been bringing bespoke upgrades to each circuit since Korea. They just haven’t really worked. He’s made some progress – the races in Korea and India were similar, but Alonso was closer to Vettel at the finish in India than he was in Korea – but that progress has come so slowly that he’s not going to catch Vettel any time soon.

            He’s probably thinking that he can rattle Vettel’s cage by being calmer that Vettel, when by rights Vettel should be calmer because he knows he has the better car. As impressive as his drive in Abu Dhabi was, he made several mistakes as he pushed to climb his way up the order. Alonso is probably looking to exploit that. Vettel has always been at his best when he controls the field from the front, but even when he is controlling the field, he can’t shake Alonso, even when Alonso has the weaker car. I’m guessing Alonso is going to make his move in the opening stages of the race, probably because everyone will be very uncertain going into the first corner and there isn’t enough space for Vettel to build up a substantial lead before the braking zone.

  11. I like the idea of 6 GP in the Americas. That’s a full third of the season we can watch at a reasonable time!

    Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and American. Make it happen, Bernie!

    I’m assuming everyone who’s okay with the European GP (or the San Marino and Luxembourg GPs) will be fine with the US holding a second race for “the Americas”, yeah?

    If not, well… how about a European night race?

    1. I think six is a bit optimistic. Argentina seems to be a pipe dream for the time being, and with Russia joining the calendar in 2014, a Mexican Grand Prix might be difficult to work out. Especially with the race in Austin so close to Mexico, therefore making it easy access for Mexican spectators.

      1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
        17th November 2012, 9:15

        Not nearly as easy as one would think for Mexican spectators to come visit.

      2. You do realize there is 1300km between Austin and Mexico City (the most likely spot for a Mexican GP) right?

  12. What’s that twitter link?

  13. Damn it! Thanks for the Globe and Mail article. I knew that the Sprint Cup finale was going to be on TSN, but I had forgotten about CFL playoffs. I don’t think I get CTV 2! How am I going to watch the race now? Damn it!

  14. In short, Webber’s telling Grosjean to be VERY careful.

    1. I think you’ll find he’s likening the first corner at Austin to the actual La Source corner, and not to the events that took place in the Belgian Grand Prix.

      And I think it’s very unfair to assume that Grosjean is somehow being warned by this, as if he blindly and blithely careens into the corners without thought for anyone around him.

  15. more than anything the jeff article makes americans seem pretty simple and not to clever with his comments about hi tech this and nerdy that…which certainly isnt the case. i think what most of the Nascar preachers dont realise is that F1 isnt trying to bully its way passed NASCAR’s popularity..its jus trying to make a presence felt and build on from there. Also quite narrow minded the way he makes NASCAR driver personallities seem better than F1. Clearly a case of commenting without much research.

    1. But hey, in nascar they pick their own songs! And even make fun with it!
      Forget aerowake, Tilkedromes, DRS! We need songs per driver to spice up the show!!

    2. I agree, the article if anything generalises most NASCAR fans as simple-minded people who only watch the NASCAR races for crashes, which I can almost guarantee is not the case for many.

      Also, his utter ignorance of other nationalities is quite appalling. His comments about the pronunciation of Vettel’s name are both completely irrelevant and one could say also have a hint of racism about them by making a mockery of the German language.

      All that article achieved upon me reading it is reinforce my distaste for NASCAR and those few Americans who seem to think they are the centre of the world, when in actual fact China took that gauntlet many years ago. I will continue to watch “nerdy” F1 and what has so far been a thrilling championship battle between two of the worlds best drivers (yes there are other countries barring America that have racing cultures).

      1. I agree, the article if anything generalises most NASCAR fans as simple-minded people who only watch the NASCAR races for crashes, which I can almost guarantee is not the case for many.

        worth pointing out that attendance plummeted at bristol when they changed the track & it stopped been a single file crash-fest & turned into a track where drivers could actually race.

        also the crowd goes nuts when theirs ‘the big one’ at daytona/talladega & if there isnt a big one the fans nearly always call the race boring.

        i used to be a nascar fan but got fed up with them trying to make things too artificial & also got fed up with my fellow nascar fan so stopped attending races.
        hearing pretty much everyone hurling abuse & throwing stuff on the track when jeff gordon dared win at talladega a few years ago to beat dale snr win record made me embarrassed to be a nascar fan.

    3. Also, F1 is proving very popular so far. The attendance figures of 65,000 in practice are pretty impressive, and the numbers are only going to keep going up as the weekend progresses. Few other races have recorded such good attendance figures (notably the Asian rounds) so to say F1 “doesn’t stand a chance” against NASCAR is a delusional, pathetic and stupid comment to make.

  16. Jalopnik had an amusing post today.
    An Animated GIF Guide To Selecting Your Favorite F1 Driver
    http://bit.ly/Q0DcgN

    1. @eastman – I actually find the last part rather offensive: calling the drivers in lesser cars “****” is completely unjust, especially in reference to Ricciardo. Sure, the rest of them aren’t showing much promise but I could guarantee they are much faster than the person who wrote the article (who comes across to me as a bit of an idiot).

      1. I don’t think you should get offended by something as trivial as someone who doesn’t follow F1 fully calling the backmarkers ****.

        In all honesty, I think the article was written just for fun and should be looked as such. I very much doubt that was his serious analysis on all the drivers and it certainly made me chuckle.

        1. @davef1 – I understand it is a joke article for non F1 fans (as is highlighted by me not mentioning anything about the author’s fondness for Räikkönen who is drunk frequently!) or Grosjean and Maldonado being the first-corner calamities, but calling driver’s **** for having slow cars is quite offensive in my opinion!

          The rest of it made me laugh until I read the last part.

  17. Just reading that article on the Sochi GP circuit and it’s a little disconcerting that Tilke designed and built 9 of our current circuits. I’m not bashing Tilke at all, I like his circuits and I understand that he is one of a few who can work comfortably within the FIA’s regulations but what does bother me is the sheer lack of anybody putting up some competition to him. I don’t wanna think F1 circuit design is a closed book. What about Populous? They did a good job at Silverstone. Would they be interested in giving it a go?

    1. There’s no mention of Tilke in the recent plans to update the Hungaroring.

      Maybe the stories just didn’t mention him, but it could be that other circuit designers are beginning to get a look-in. Sochi’s been planned for years now (and delayed at least once) so it’s not the very latest proposal.

      I hope the hairpins give us some decent racing tomorrow – that’ll encourage designers to put more of them in at street circuits (such as the LA idea), instead of the stupid chicanes at Valencia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

  18. Open letter to Bernie!

    Never mind about more Grand Prix’s in USA! You want it to be a World Championship, but it isn’t, why you may ask! Well How able including the whole world, continent . Africa is the only place where there is now Grand Prix, apart from Kyalami, there is a proposed track layout for Cape Town, but we keep hearing promises of a future GP but no results. You know from the past, that the F1 has a huge following here. It’s well over due! We want one and soon!!!!!

    Avid F1 Fan – Cape Town.

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