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British Grand Prix axed

I

iGav

macrumors G3
Original poster
Mar 9, 2002
9,025
1
Such a shame, if not at all surprising...

What's annoying is that year in year out Silverstone offers up some of the best racing found ANYWHERE on the face of the planet, yet Hungary which every year is the easily the worst race, has a contract for several more years renewed straight after what was possibly one of the most boring (but spectacular demonstrations by Ferrari) ever. :rolleyes:

Will it be saved like Canada was at the 11th hour?? I doubt it... :(

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3703350.stm

Now lets hope Ken steps in with a back up plan for the London/European GP, otherwise for the first time EVER in the history of the Formula One World Championship, F1 won't be racing on our shores! :( :mad:
 
That's a sad story but not altogether unexpected. Silverstone has been needing investment for a long time now and it has only been compounded by the introductions of the Chinese and Dubai circuits.

This might be the much needed impetus to sort something out, whether it's Silverstone or a London GP. Silver linings and all.
 
Ecclestone needs his head checking, I don't know what game he's playing but what with a stupidly over active design rules it seems that the bureaucrats have taken over the soul of Formula One.

I hate it when the people organising get to be more important than the whole point of being there. It's like the NHS having more Managers than Beds, Doctors/Nurses.

Now the UK does more meddling than Motor racing.


:mad:
 
Hey Bernie, here's a suggestion. If you want better facilities at Silverstone (or Donington, or wherever you think the British GP should be held), do something about it other than bitching. Bug the government to help out (not like it'll work...) or, barring that, use some of your somewhat-ill-gotten billions of dollars/pounds/pesos to BUILD THEM YOUR ****ING SELF YOU GREEDY PRICK! :mad:
 
I don't believe this, bringing it into the public domain is just a negotiating tactic.

From what I've heard, there almost certainly WILL be a British GP at Silverstone next year. I understand the negotiations are always a but like this, the only difference this year is that they haven't agreed it before the provisional calendar was published.

The final calendar will be ratified in about 2 weeks and I think we'll find that an agreement is found before then.

They're only talking about 2-3 million pounds shortfall in the deal, and I think either Eccelstone, the Government, or the local businesses and council won't allow it not to happen for that amount. I think they are all smart enough to realise that the British GP and its fans are worth more to them in the long run than the 2-3 million they're looking for here.

I'll eat my hat if there isn't a British GP next year :D
 
Counterfit said:
How about running a lap of Silverstone nekkid? It would be just as entertaining :D
Click to expand...

Isn't the whole streaker thingy getting kinda old?
Cheers,

Ahmed
 
AhmedFaisal said:
Isn't the whole streaker thingy getting kinda old?
Cheers,

Ahmed
Click to expand...
Probably, but that's not what I was going for. There was a British journalist that said he would run a lap of Silverstone absolutely butt-nekkid if McLaren won a race this season. The more the merrier.... :D
 
They'd better sort it out or I won't be able to go to see the race next year!! Seriously though I can see both sides. Silverstone is pants compared with many circuits - I mean, portaloos for pete's sake? Not to mention the muddy mahem a few years ago. But then, surely Bernie could cough up a bit? It would be in the government's interest (for the £14 million local economic benefits of the race) to pay up too, although what then about all the football teams that are facing bankrupcy?

Maybe we'll have London street circuit next year instead? It's closer to me :D I just hope we have something..
 
Ecclestone is such a greedy little sh*t, the man is worth billions, he wouldn't even notice if £3m left one of his many bank accounts :mad:
 
It's interesting to read all the negativity about Bernie, and yet no one has mentioned the BRDC and how little they actually do to try and find solutions to help solve Silverstones current condition.

Obviously Bernie isn't entirely free of blame, but I'd lay more of it at the door of the BRDC's nice and shiny, multi-million $$ club house than at the feet of Bernie.

Example... is it fair to other countries that host races that Bernie should significantly reduce the fee for hosting a race just because it's the British Grand Prix?? I don't think it is. I'm really surprised that Bernie has offered to split the difference, all the BRDC have to find now is the £1.5 million to host the race, will they?? hmmmmmm.... now this is after all a club made up of many, many multi-millionaires will they dig deep??

Fair enough Bernie is worth billions and billions but it's not his role to bale out an elitist club that really has done very little for Silverstone except spend their profits on their own lush club house at the circuit, at the expense of the facilities for normal folk, anyone who has relatively recently frequented the track will know exactly what I mean.

But the bigger issues is that at the moment Silverstone isn't getting squat in terms of redevelopment that would allow it to compete with the newer circuits, so in a way, unless that redevelopment starts soon, we'll ecounter the same issues every year until eventually the facilities won't be any longer good enough and the race will be dropped.

Something NEEDS and HAS to be done, and I don't think the BRDC will pull it's head out of its arse to do anything unless they get hand outs from anybody other than themselves.

Remember Bernie offered to do the work and redevelop it to the standards required by the worlds most expensive sport, on certain conditions (that I think were pretty good to be honest), yet the BRDC didn't want to know....
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the government stepped in last minute, like the Italian government seems to have bailed out Imola (another great circuit). This is despite what the sports minister says. Mind you, the whole sport stinks of too much money - they need to try to shed that image and this isn't helping.
 
johnnyjibbs said:
I wouldn't be surprised if the government stepped in last minute, like the Italian government seems to have bailed out Imola (another great circuit). This is despite what the sports minister says. Mind you, the whole sport stinks of too much money - they need to try to shed that image and this isn't helping.
Click to expand...

Blair did a lot by getting the trunk road to Silverstone built in record time after the disaster of the mudbath a few years back. Ecclestone threatened then, as he did with the tobacco advertising ban, and Blair moved and shook each time.

So there could be something in your remark.
 
johnnyjibbs said:
Mind you, the whole sport stinks of too much money - they need to try to shed that image and this isn't helping.
Click to expand...

it's always kind of had that image in the modern era (since the excesses of the 1980's) it's difficult to see how that will or indeed can be changed, I've yet to read even one viable solution for reducing costs, that wouldn't infact significantly increase the big teams spending.

I'd be miffed if the Government do step in... it's not their place to do so, but also wouldn't actually help solve the problems facing the future of the British Grand Prix... namely the BRDC.

They need to hand control of Silverstone to Bernie and FOM and allow him to spend the tens of millions the circuit urgently requires.
 
Whilst there is still a glimmer of hope, albeit very slim with an additional 18th race necessary, this saga is only souring the fans to a sport that is in need of support. By this mess is sorted out, via a government bail out, the damage might have already been done.
 
I'm just sick of Bernie. He's a leech. The teams and promoters (well, iGav disagrees with regards to the BRDC ;)) do all the work, and yet they lose money at each GP. The teams get next to nothing, the promoters are almost always bailed out a bit by the gov't (with some exceptions), and yet Bernie makes how much per year?
 
Counterfit said:
I'm just sick of Bernie. He's a leech. The teams and promoters (well, iGav disagrees with regards to the BRDC ;)) do all the work, and yet they lose money at each GP.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong... Bernie is a filthy whore when it comes to money :p but when it comes to the British Grand Prix, it's failure to be included lies squarely at the feet of the BRDC and that's it, not Bernie.

What has the BRDC done to Silverstone other than build themselves a fan-fookin'-tastic BRDC Paddock, grandstand etc etc where only the rich and aimless can go? oooh, they put some tarmac on the mud a few years ago....

The BRDC with all it's hugely wealthy members could easily stump up the extra $$$, but refuse to do so, instead wanting discounts and handouts from everybody else, that's a poor way of doing business.

Until the circuit owners and management are restructured, every year the same debate, discussion and row will raise its head like it has done for the last several years and Silverstone will just fall further and further behind until eventually it will be banished for good.

As for the teams receiving very little of the income the sport generates, that is very true.... but they ALL signed the Concorde agreement in 1998, and they ALL knew the way the income of F1 is distributed when they signed it, so none of the teams have a right to complain about it.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of the Bernie Vs. Banks episode though, that could really turn things on it's head.

The GPWC looks more and more appealing by the day though...
 
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