F1

5 year contract for Rome street race

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  • #128037
    invoke
    Participant

    Just noticed this through the BBC gossip column, apparently it could appear as soon as 2012!

    source: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-rome-inks-five-year-formula-one-race-contract/

    There was talk of this a few months ago, anyone have any more information?

    #144325
    matt88
    Participant

    some days ago it was reported also by the Italian media. luckily, it shouldn’t substitute Monza as the Italian GP (it would be a shame!).

    However, i don’t know whether they’re going to kick Valencia off the calendar or they want to create a “Mediterranean GP”.

    #144326
    James_mc
    Participant

    Get rid of Valencia….please!!!

    #144327
    wasiF1
    Participant

    It will be a good replacement for the race in Valencia. But still don’t like the idea of one country hosting more then 1 race. Instead they should go places where there are no F1 races.

    #144328
    David-A
    Participant

    Instead they should go places where there are no F1 races.

    Like France.

    #144329
    wasiF1
    Participant

    I am not sure about the condition of San Marino but I think they can bring it back my modifying it.& as Red Bull is becoming a force to reckon with I think Dietrich Mateschitz should force Bernie to get back Austrian GP in A1 Ring or built a new track.

    #144330
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    Imola needs an upgrade. While the removal of the Variante Bassa chicane before the start/finish line has made the circuit faster, the kink on the main straight has caused some problems in the past, particularly at the start of the race. AutoGP and the WTCC have both seen huge accidents on the line because of the kink. The problem is that there’s no space to change the circuit – there’s a creek running adjacent to that section of circuit that means there is no way to straighten the kink out, and the hill on the other side would need to be xcavated and the grandstands demolished and moved backwards. It would be a very expensive undertaking.

    As for the A1 Ring, there has been some work done on restoring the pit complex and main grandstand. But Mateschitz has already shot down the prospect of the Austrian Grand Prix being revived there several times – including once when popular rumour tipped it as a replacement for South Korea.

    #144331
    GeeMac
    Participant

    Imola currently (in its rejigged form as described by PM above) only has an FIA ranking which would allow it to hold an official F1 test. So no chance of going back there without more upgrades to the track.

    I’m all for new races, but they should be in countries which don’t already have races, and regional coverage should also be taken into account. For example, as someone living in Dubai it’s easy to get to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, so the Middle east shouldn’t get another race, but Africa has no races and is miles from anywhere, so it should get a race (this is a WORLD championship after all). I don’t see why Spain and Italy should get two… I really don’t. I suppose Italy is a spiritual home for F1 because of Ferrari and Nuvolri etc so it’s fine that Italy gets 2 races. I am not sure Spain deserves two races. Even when F1 wasn’t big in Spain (pre the Alonso era) it would occasionally get two (when Jerez was used) They have had plenty of races, let’s move on to somehwere new! ;)

    As an aside and speaking as a South African I’m all for bringing back the SA GP, but there is currently no politcal will for it so raising funds could be tricky.

    #144332
    Icthyes
    Participant

    If Italy deserves 2 races than Britain deserves about 5! Luckily that will never become a problem because the Government was so unwilling to invest in even one, and the other attempt failed because they had someone at the helm that made Del Boy look like a business oligarch.

    #144333
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    “If Italy deserves 2 races than Britain deserves about 5!”

    I think even with just Ferrari Italy probably brings more to F1 although I do think Britain ‘deserves’ it more than Spain based just on what it gives to the sport now. However, Italy and Spain could actually organise two and Britain was in a pickle just sorting one not so long back :P Of course Rome could always turn into a shambles but I hope not!

    I don’t mind Italy getting two or any country having two if they have contributed a lot to F1 but I would prefer there was just one in each country and GeeMac’s ideas that it should be more spread out to be a proper world championship but things are certainly improving on that front.

    #144334
    matt88
    Participant

    Actually, in Italy there is some concern about holding 2 races. The director of the Monza Circuit thinks that a new GP in Rome could have a negative impact on the expected attendance at Monza.

    But this is also a political issue, local authorities believe that this is a move to bring money to the Capital and ‘steal’ it from the northern provinces.

    I’m not an advocate for the “one nation – one GP” principle. I think that it’s better to have two beautiful GPs in a same country than blank GPs in new countries, where attendance is close to 0 and circuits lack of every emotion (Bahrain is the most perfect example).

    #144335
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    It’s just Monza jealously guarding what they believe to be theirs. It’s going to look really bad if Ferrari win the Rome Grand Prix, but not the Italian.

    #144336
    GeeMac
    Participant

    I will fiercely defend Bahrain and Abu Dhabi’s rights to host GP’s for as long as I live in the middle east! ;)

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