Spa to retain support for F1 race until 2018

49 comments on “Spa to retain support for F1 race until 2018”

1. 

   OmarR-Pepper (@)
   8th January 2015, 0:18

   Those sneak pictures are as useful to make a guess as watching the bricks at the factory in Woking.
   How come Christian doesn’t get old?… he even looks older in the right photo.
   1. 

      DR
      8th January 2015, 1:08

      I think you need some corrective lenses then ;-) he sure looks ten years older on the right to me. Good on you for your politeness, but its ok to call a spade a spade.
      1. 

         DR
         8th January 2015, 1:09

         lol I meant to say ten years older on the left, oops.
      2. 

         OmarR-Pepper
         8th January 2015, 1:59

         left and right hahahaha
   2. 

      ColdFly F1 (@)
      8th January 2015, 9:14

      @omarr-pepper,
      check out ‘the photo‘ of Horner.

      Clear candidate for Caption Competition.
      1. 

         Nase (@)
         8th January 2015, 9:49

         @coldfly: loooool
2. 

   @HoHum (@hohum)
   8th January 2015, 0:26

   Engine madness! When are these guys going to learn that when Bernie points to a hole in the sky and says “Look, Look, the sky is falling” the hole is not there brcause the sky is falling, the hole is there because Bernie sold that piece of sky to one of his associates.
   1. 

      BasCB (@bascb)
      8th January 2015, 6:39

      Bingo @hohum
   2. 

      M Stanfield
      8th January 2015, 21:51

      Great comment.
3. 

   Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
   8th January 2015, 0:34

   I agree with COTD. I get the same feeling… we’re getting less and less, while getting more and more, ironically. We know more about F1 than we have ever known, we have live coverage of everything imaginable, and we can reach any kind of video or photo we like (to some extent), yet watching the real thing live is harder and harder.

   Thankfully, streaming works like a charm and I can enjoy it without paying it. Otherwise, I’d be out of my passion.
   1. 

      Carlitox (@carlitox)
      8th January 2015, 0:52

      Being south americans, the real thing live is, apart from expensive, annoying ;) Having a Sky Sports livestream is the most pleasant way to watch, heh
      1. 

         Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
         8th January 2015, 2:04

         @carlitox indeed… plus you get that special “extra” of being able to correct all your friends that watch the south american broadcast and have no idea what happened in the race :P
         1. 

            matiascasali (@matiascasali)
            8th January 2015, 3:57

            Tornello and puente should learn english or learn to shut up, and don’t make up whatever they want when the pit-driver radio is on… they’re sooo annoying and so indulgent with any latin american driver, even when they don’t deserve it
   2. 

      @HoHum (@hohum)
      8th January 2015, 20:26

      @fer-no65, Small correction re knowing more, in the 1950s and 60s magazines often had very precise “cutaway” drawings of the cars chassis and engines, nowadays it’s all top-secret despite some excellent spy-shots and analysis.
4. 

   RogerA
   8th January 2015, 0:41

   the problem i see is that having more power, more noise & cars which some think look better does nothing for the racing.

   for all the whining last year the actual on track racing was some of the best, most enjoyable racing i have seen in f1 for years. drs was not as big a factor as it had been the 3 prior years & neither were the pirelli tyres so the racing was more competitive, more hard fought & far more enjoyable. we saw lots of close racing, lots of great closing fighting, lots of good competitive overtaking & a genuinely interesting championship fight between 2 guys in the same car with no team orders.

   we had around 1000bhp & really loud engines when we had the v10s & v8s yet the extra power & noise didn’t do a thing for the racing.

   the primary focus should always be on the racing, not the show, not the spectacle… just the the racing.
   the best looking cars, most powerful & loudest engines in the world will mean nothing if the racing is rubbish.
   1. 

      DR
      8th January 2015, 1:25

      ‘the best looking cars, most powerful & loudest engines in the world will mean nothing if the racing is rubbish.’

      Unfortunately F1 used to be about the best most powerful and loudest engines but now is merely a side show rather than the pinnacle of motorsport. Hey why not just put them all in billy carts, I’m sure we will get exciting and close racing then, and an even greener carbon footprint! That’s what F1 is all about now right?

      #notthepinnacleofmotorsportanymore
      1. 

         Forza F1
         8th January 2015, 1:48

         Actually, making the engines more powerful will probably increase the racing quality, more power means more speed creating bigger braking zones leading to more chances overtake… However F1 had to get with the times so V8/V10’s just aren’t the answer any more. Counter that with the fastest F1 cars being from 2004, who looks back on that year with any fondness, was frankly boring 2014 was brilliant hopefully with a few more years development on the PU the cars can be a little faster and have great racing.
      2. 

         drmouse (@drmouse)
         8th January 2015, 10:39

         F1 used to be about the best most powerful and loudest engines but now is merely a side show rather than the pinnacle of motorsport

         It has always been about the most powerful engine allowed by the regs. It has never been about the loudest engine: That was only ever a byproduct. Noise means nothing to the F1 teams, or designers (or me for that matter). The object is to make the fastest car possible within the rules, not the noisiest.

         Also, to be the pinnacle of motorsport they need to be using the most advanced technology, too. Anyone could produce a 600hbp engine with no restrictions. With a 10l engine it would be pretty easy. But it needs to keep up with the times. Nobody wants to be pushing the boundaries of dead technology, so the regulations have done that. We now have 1.6l engines putting out similar amounts of power to last years’ 2.4l. Next year will be even better.

         If you want noise, go to a rock concert. If you want thrilling racing between the best drivers in the world, in some of the most advanced machinery in the world, watch F1.
         1. 

            ColdFly F1 (@)
            8th January 2015, 12:16

            +1
         2. 

            @HoHum (@hohum)
            8th January 2015, 20:37

            @drmouse, exactly, though may I point out that the “small-block V8” from the 1950s American family car as used in Nascar produces circa 750hp. from less than 6L. and lots of noise to go with it, however I suspect they use a little more fuel than todays equally powerful F1 engine.
      3. 

         Neel Jani (@neelv27)
         8th January 2015, 18:50

         Plz explain how F1 is no more the pinnacle of racing.
      4. 

         grat
         8th January 2015, 20:26

         Noise is just wasted energy that could have gone to making the car faster.
5. 

   Atticus (@atticus-2)
   8th January 2015, 0:42

   Re: COTD

   Wow, if BT Sport wins the rights from 2018, then @keithcollantine might be in for something (if his recent commentary duties there for FR3.5 mean something around the channel).
6. 

   Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
   8th January 2015, 1:03

   It’s easy to understand why the belgian gp is thriving now. there’s an old dutch name on the grid.
   1. 

      BasCB (@bascb)
      8th January 2015, 6:42

      I think you misunderstand @peartree. The Belgian GP is NOT thriving at all, its going down in visitor numbers for the last couple of years and less and less dutch go and visit, because its just so horribly expensive (mostly the reason I hear).

      The reason the govenment of the region agrees to support it is because of what it brings for the region, not for it being a successfull venue for them recently.
      1. 

         anon
         8th January 2015, 7:24

         I was under the impression that the attendance figures for the Belgian GP had improved fractionally over the past few years, if only because more recent poor figures meant that they had cut the prices close to the event itself.

         @bascb, Mind you, the circuit owners have been struggling for a long, long time – their target for ticket sales is normally around 50,000 for race day, and even then they’ve struggled (when the economy took a severe hit a few years ago, attendance dropped to around 30,000).
         Even the economic impact for the area is pretty limited – an assessment a few years ago determined that the event had the lowest economic impact of any race on the local area, mainly because very few people actually stay in the area around Spa itself (they tend to stay in the larger towns much further away from Spa).
      2. 

         Asanator (@asanator)
         8th January 2015, 12:39

         The Belgian GP is probably the cheapest around, certainly for me in the UK, I can go to the entire race weekend including travel and camping for less than the British GP!
         1. 

            mark adams (@sepulhead)
            8th January 2015, 23:55

            Nurburgring is slighly sheaper. I think they should switch spa and hungary. The distance betweenSpa and Nurburgring is only 100 km. You could watch both for the same price as Silverstone
      3. 

         Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
         8th January 2015, 18:41

         @bascb I think you misunderstood my comment… As said in the round-up, a new deal was signed for SPA, meaning that the GP is thriving now, rather than on life support, at least from a financial perspective.
         1. 

            BasCB (@bascb)
            8th January 2015, 18:44

            No, that is wrong. The race is NOT thriving, its bleeding financially. But the regional government sees it as important enough to make up the losses / pay FOM fees anyway @peartree.
            I would say its very much on life support, it would be immediately bust if the infuse was not pooring in a lot of money from the government.
   2. 

      Patrick (@paeschli)
      8th January 2015, 7:46

      Glad to see my government keeps sponsering the GP despite making budget cuts everywhere else.

      On the attendance figures, I have no idea. But they have invested heavily in the past years to attract the 18-28 age group. It’s nice to see that some people are interested in the young fans.
7. 

   lockup (@)
   8th January 2015, 8:46

   The engines aren’t too quiet, it’s just that everyone involved has hearing damage ;)
   1. 

      mateuss (@mateuss)
      8th January 2015, 14:32

      @lockup I don’t know if the comment was intend as a joke about Bernie’s age or not, but it most certainly has a lot of truth.

      I’ve heard a lot of stories from F1 personnel and ex-drivers about how they can tell their hearing is compromised after years of noise in the pit-lane and in the car.
      1. 

         lockup (@)
         8th January 2015, 14:52

         @mateuss Yeah it was a jokey comment about reality. Not about Bernie specifically, I think most people in the pitlane have impaired hearing from the noise, and I’m sure it must affect their judgement now.

         And for fans, having to watch a sport with earplugs was ridiculous. Once you’ve put the earplugs in you might as well have had the engines quieter to start with!

         Also earplugs attenuate high frequencies more so the whole sound was dulled. Now we can hear everything, including tyre squeal and extra driver whingeing. I love it.
         1. 

            anon
            8th January 2015, 19:41

            I know that Anthony Davidson has certianly mentioned that he suffers from severe hearing damage – he was once given a medical exam and told that he his hearing was comparable to somebody in their 70’s, which gives some idea of how far and how rapidly his hearing has degraded.
   2. 

      Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
      8th January 2015, 18:44

      @lockup I’ve experienced the V10 era live, the assault to the senses was mesmerising, that’s the sole reason to go to a GP to feel the atmosphere, otherwise I rather watch F1 at home.
      1. 

         lockup (@)
         8th January 2015, 19:22

         I get the atmosphere issue @peartree but it’s not just about the decibel level. Right now I’m watching biathlon and the crowd is having a great time with no engine noise at all :)

         I’ve been to V10/V8 F1 too. You could hear it several miles away, then one time for example at the circuit a dad in front of me hadn’t given his little boy earplugs so the lad burst into tears in pain as soon as the session started. It was a ridiculous level of noise, damaging and quite pointless once everyone had earplugs in. IMO there’s a certain amount of macho about it now, together with pretty much everyone in the loop having damaged hearing from it, so they’re not really in a position to judge any more.

         I suppose we learn an association between open exhausts and motor racing, but I think we can unlearn it too. Ultimately the noise is a by-product, not the sport itself.
         1. 

            Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
            9th January 2015, 2:40

            @lockup one car was bearable without earplugs, 20 is inane, who would’ve think of not using earplugs, but that’s not my point.
            I just shared my experience from the V10 era, I was not speaking of noise alone, assault to the senses was where I was at. My first point is that watching an F1 car go past a breaking area is mind boggling, it looks impossible, appreciating the speed is also unbelievable and also the aesthetics. My conclusion is that all of the V10 era sensations seem to be dulled out, but I still watch F1 as much as I can, it means much more to me than just it’s form and the racing has been better lately coincidently from Pirelli onwards. Speaking of the newer gen, I’m much more of a fan of the newer gen than the 09-13 in particularly the period between 10-13. All things considered, besides the atmosphere you can’t really follow the race on the scene, and that’s my second point, I’ll watch it home better.
            1. 

               lockup (@)
               9th January 2015, 9:35

               Ah, I see @peartree. Like @robbie I haven’t been to the track in this new era but I think it’s a great era.

               It’s a curious human trait that motivation rises as we get nearer to a goal, and so the better F1 gets, the more frustrated we feel about its remaining shortcomings!

               Anyway on TV I like the sound, especially since FOM improved the microphones or something last year. I spent the cost of attending a race on surround sound amp and speakers instead, and it’s been well worth it.

               Maybe I’ll attend the Silverstone Friday this year.
      2. 

         paulguitar
         8th January 2015, 19:25

         @peartree

         Me too, strictly a TV sport for me now. In the v10 era the spectacle was so immense that you felt okay about the effort and huge cost of an F1 weekend. Now it is just not impressive live.
         1. 

            Robbie (@robbie)
            9th January 2015, 0:22

            I didn’t get to Montreal last season to hear the new power units in person, but having been there in the ‘loud’ era I find it hard to imagine that the atmosphere was gone last year just because of a quieter and different sound. There is still a sound, many even preferring it, but there is so much more to an F1 weekend that I’ve got to think it is a very small minority of people that consider the atmosphere is now gone completely. The night life, the vendors, the food, the crowds, the cars, the drivers, the anticipation, the racing in anger…just seeing it live…methinks the majority of the minority who consider the atmosphere gone, are also not fans of the Mercedes domination and are just disgruntled in general. Yes F1 has it’s problems that need addressing. Has it ever been perfect? One person’s ‘perfect’ would not be everyone’s ‘perfect’ anyway.
            1. 

               paulguitar
               9th January 2015, 10:15

               @robbie

               It is true that there may be some disgruntled people out there due to Merc dominance. I am a Lewis fan though, so that’s not the case for me.

               I have to keep reminding myself that I suppose I am from a different generation to many current F1 fans. I first went to a GP in 1987, and also have attended hundreds of club races. My memories of races are mostly from sitting on a bank or pressed against a fence in awe as amazing machines thundered past. These days, many fans are as focussed on a chart on an ipad as I was on the visceral thrill of the cars, so it is fundamentally different.

               I suppose what saddens me about the current cars, great as they are on TV, is that in person they are simply dull. The things you refer to – The night life, the vendors, the food, the crowds, the cars, the drivers, the anticipation, the racing in anger…just seeing it live’ are all there, of course, but no amount of discussion can change the fact that f1 cars currently simply do not have the ‘wow factor’ that they did in the past.
            2. 

               Robbie (@robbie)
               9th January 2015, 13:18

               @paulguitar Fair comment. For you it is the cars themselves that don’t have the wow factor that they did in the past, and no amount of discussion can change that for you. Fortunately the only thing constant in F1 is change, and there is a faction that agrees there needs to be more wow factor. I’m fine with how they are and can only assume with confidence that I wouldn’t be disappointed if I went to a race in this era, and of course I wouldn’t have an issue with more wow either. After all, nobody was asking for quieter cars…that just came with the PU change…and they really should have known well in advance what they would sound like and for BE to have heard a few cars in initial winter testing and been disappointed and stated thus, which set the tone and the debate from the getgo, has always felt a bit silly to me. I do wonder what the level of debate would have been had BE not set such a tone…one which he retracted, too late, once he heard them all together racing in anger.

               I think in a way for me now any change to bring in more noise just for the sake of noise is just going to be as phony as DRS, which is for me one of the biggest diminishers of wow, along with incessant conservation of tires, fuel, and parts to the point of drivers only getting to race when they are told they can from the pits.

               But back to the cars themselves though, I am certainly always wowed by the technology that goes into them and for me it absolutely feels right that they be doing what they are doing in terms of energy recovery work and doing just as much or more with 30% less fuel at a time when we know what we have been doing to the planet environmentally speaking. So…more noise? Ok ya bring it on…but let’s keep them sipping gas too and continue that trend at least, and I don’t mean drivers/pits constantly monitoring their fuel gauge. I’d have them unconcerned about fuel consumption as it would only take a few more liters for them to be able to race for 2 hours rather than pace for the bulk of the time.
8. 

   frood19 (@frood19)
   8th January 2015, 12:59

   Re. COTD – wimbledon is a prestige sport so would have to be on terrestrial tv in some way or other (unless there is a change in legislation). i guess that means the beeb are more likely to off-load F1…… :(
   1. 

      GT Racer (@gt-racer)
      8th January 2015, 13:38

      It is a prestige sport however a nightly highlights show through the 2 weeks of play & the final live on a FTA channel is all thats needed to meet that requirement.

      What was been talked about with Wimbledon was BT Sport showing everything live throughout the 2 weeks with the BBC showing a nightly highlights show (As they do currently with there ‘Today at Wimbledon’ show) & BBC/BT simulcasting the mens/womens finals.
   2. 

      JerseyF1 (@jerseyf1)
      8th January 2015, 15:56

      I don’t think that the BBC is required to show any part Wimbledon – it could choose not to (though it is unlikely that it would do that). As I understand it the rights to live coverage of Wimbledon and other listed sporting events have to be offered to the BBC (or another free to air broadcaster) on the same terms as a pay-broadcaster but the BBC (or other free to air broadcaster) is not obliged to buy those rights.
9. 

   Jo Sakhov
   8th January 2015, 14:15

   Ferrari and Renault say changing the engine is “good for the sport” simply because they are behind Mercedes.

   Lauda says that “we should wait” because it is “good for the sport” simply because his team Mercedes is dominating the field with their power unit.

   Nobody is actually speaking the F1 or the fans, they are just speaking for themself
   1. 

      drmouse (@drmouse)
      8th January 2015, 15:41

      Certainly true, but it has always been the case.

      The teams are competing, wanting to be the best. It is natural that they will oppose anything which they think could disadvantage them.

      The people at the top see only money, and how to extract the most out of it. They will oppose anything which will loose them money.

      In fact the fans are often equally guilty. They push their own agendas as well. Some push for getting rid of the new engines, because they don’t like the noise, in spite of the fact it would (IMHO) damage the sport. They complain about dominance of a team, about tracks, about whatever they, personally, dislike about the sport. I am not criticising them, just pointing out that everyone is in this for themselves.

      What we need, IMHO, is a strong benevolent dictator. Someone (person or organisation) who has complete control, rules with an iron fist, but who has only the best interests of the sport in mind. The current setup doesn’t work. Letting the teams run it wouldn’t work. I see no way that a “democracy” could work with so many interests pulling in different directions. I can think of no other way.
   2. 

      grat
      8th January 2015, 20:29

      Lauda is talking more sense than anyone– Making Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari eat the cost of the engine development, without having the engines around for several years to allow them to recoup the R&D costs, is not how you drive down costs in formula one.

      It’s how you bankrupt formula one, which might be Bernie’s goal– if he can’t run it, no one can.

Comments are closed.