Which race will be axed next?

[Hawkmoon]

2006 saw the last races for Imola and Suzuka. 2007 sees the end of Magny-Cours and Indianapolis.

Who's next?

Silverstone is perenially in Bernie's bad books so it might finally get the axe. Spa has been on dodgy footing for a while now and has been on-again-off-again over the last few years. There's been talk of Melbourne having to put on a night race of get the boot.

Maybe Bernie should just move the whole circus to Asia and the Middle East. He seems to like it there. :mad:

[grassrootsracer]

Silverstone
Spa
Whichever track refuses to pay Ecclestones exorbitant fees next

Soon it will be an all Middle East/Asian series. At that point, I won't care any more. There are other racing series to follow.

[Amadeus]

Silverstone
Spa
Whichever track refuses to pay Ecclestones exorbitant fees next

Soon it will be an all Middle East/Asian series. At that point, I won't care any more. There are other racing series to follow.

Easy...the OZ GP is next...

In all honesty, if we are to go down under, I wouldn't mind it being South Africa...

Spa just signed a 3 year contract which will see the race run through atleast 2009...and most likely longer...

Lewis Hamilton has all but guaranteed that the British GP future for decades...but you're right in suggesting it may not take place at Silverstone...

Magny Cours won't really be missed...it's hard to find anyone in the F1 fraternity who like it...I think we'll see a French GP back in 2009 in Paris...

[JPMfan]

Unbelievable, that something historic as the French GP is gone next year, just as demolishing Hockenheim and dropping Suzuka.

F1 is acting like an auto-mutilating psycho, trading in it's history for a fast buck in Asia.

Adding more street races to the mix, for what???

So Bernie when do we see F1 cars on ovals?

F1 has to be the ultimate road-course challenge, but Bernie wants it all.

By adding more street courses, he tries to undermine the potential resurgence of champcar, thereby securing his OW monopoly in the world.

Well I'm going to watch champcars in Assen this year, instead of my usual trip to Spa.
I can walk in the paddock, sit all weekend on a grandstand seat for the same price as rolling trough the mud all weekend at Spa.


As for the next GP to be axed, I think it will be Australia, which would be a pity.

[ShiftingGears]

Yeah, I think Melbournes gonna get boned. Thanks to his arrogance in wanting it run at nighttime (Sunday night when housing is around mind you) so Europe can watch it will quickly make the grand prix overly unfavourable.

HOWEVER - A $680 MILLION Tilkeodrome is being built in Queensland around the Gold Coast area. Thats a bloody lot of money to spend if F1 isn't going there, and it is designed by Tilke, whos company Bernie has a share in... so I'm guessing the OZ GP will go there. I think I'll scream if its another track with primarily medium/slow speed corners with hairpins preceding and following long straights.

[fan-veteran]

How many millions ?!? - 680 million$ ?!?, it can not be.....

I think I'll scream if its another track with primarily medium/slow speed corners with hairpins preceding and following long straights.

Well, i think that if the track is not very fast (like Monza or old Hoki), then the cars will have i high rear wing where .... :) ...will be a huge advertising inscription ... :) , so i guess the high (and big) wings are required :)

[ShiftingGears]

How many millions ?!? - 680 million$ ?!?, it can not be.....


Well, i think that if the track is not very fast (like Monza or old Hoki), then the cars will have i high rear wing where .... :) ...will be a huge advertising inscription ... :) , so i guess the high (and big) wings are required :)

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21500521-5012789,00.html
I didn't believe it either :p :

[JPMfan]

Yeah, I think Melbournes gonna get boned. Thanks to his arrogance in wanting it run at nighttime (Sunday night when housing is around mind you) so Europe can watch it will quickly make the grand prix overly unfavourable.

HOWEVER - A $680 MILLION Tilkeodrome is being built in Queensland around the Gold Coast area. Thats a bloody lot of money to spend if F1 isn't going there, and it is designed by Tilke, whos company Bernie has a share in... so I'm guessing the OZ GP will go there. I think I'll scream if its another track with primarily medium/slow speed corners with hairpins preceding and following long straights.

Is this a tactic to lure the V8's over to run a double header together with F1, instead of Champcar?

If this were to become reality, Champcar will be hung out to dry in Australia and the Surfer's event will cease to exist, bravo Bernie!!!

[AndyRAC]

Who governs F1, is it the F1A (and World Motorsport Council) or is it Bernie?
Because it seems as if he runs it, I thought he was in charge of Promotional Affairs, but not the running of the sport. It's about time the FIA reigned him in, they should choose which countries get races, then leave it up to him to promote them. Not him dictating which countries get races, Dave Richards was reigned in by the FIA over the WRC. Alonso was right, it's not a sport, but a business, run for the benefit of Bernie.

[V12]

I can tell you which race WON'T be axed next - Bahrain, Malaysia, China or Turkey.

I would guess Silverstone or Interlagos. They are both based in a traditional motorsport country, are fast, challenging and exciting circuits, and don't have space age facilities, hence ticking all the wrong boxes with Bernie.

[fan-veteran]

Melbourne will be next. Bernie wants an evening race there - and this is impossible. So an excuse is found :) .

Silverstone? - i don't think, where else - a roval at ...(well i have forgotten) and Brands Hatch?

Hochekneim is a Tilke designed facility.......
Spain is modern a we (they) have Alonso
Interlagos? - but there are no other tracks in Brazil to hold a F1 race, and i found throwing a Brazil from the schedule to be quite impossible.
Canada - this is the another probable 'victim'.

[luvracin]

Melbourne.

- It's losing money - Allegedly :p : - and it's contract is up soon, and the Aus market is small.

I WILL be pretty p'd off if I am proven right.

My tip is the race will go to Zimbabwe, seeing as it fits the current criteria of : - Country run by a megalomaniacal despot,
- Common people downtrodden,
- Corrupt as hell, &
- Similar timezone to Europe.

[truefan72]

Melbourne.

- It's losing money - Allegedly :p : - and it's contract is up soon, and the Aus market is small.

I WILL be pretty p'd off if I am proven right.

My tip is the race will go to Zimbabwe, seeing as it fits the current criteria of : - Country run by a megalomaniacal despot,
- Common people downtrodden,
- Corrupt as hell, &
- Similar timezone to Europe.


LOL good one!

[V12]

There may be no other "suitable" tracks in the UK or Brazil, but I'm sure Bernie would sleep very easily indeed if either country held no race at all! (and to hell with the fact that the two countries have produced 19 World Champions between them)

If France - the country that spawned the sport in the first place - is expendable, then anywhere is, seems to be the message lately.

Maybe I'm being overly cynical, but still...

[Stuartf12007]

Personally i think interlagos has the worst facilities on the calender, a track layout thats mostly boring with many slow turns with only one exciting part, the climb up to start/finish.

So dump the Brazillian GP.

[Erki]

Personally i think interlagos has the worst facilities on the calender, a track layout thats mostly boring with many slow turns with only one exciting part, the climb up to start/finish.

So dump the Brazillian GP.

I see the comedown was pretty hard on you. :p

Nürburgring, any given day. :)
Barcelona
Bahrain
China

[schmenke]

...
Canada - this is the another probable 'victim'.

I wouldn't be surprised. It came close a couple of years ago :mark: . It was only a last minute, and controversial, injection of tax-payers' money that saved it.

[andreag]

I think they will retire Hungaroring.

(And it would be a good idea, just if they re-enter the GP on rainy years).

[Stuartf12007]

I see the comedown was pretty hard on you. :p

Nürburgring, any given day. :)
Barcelona
Bahrain
China

Sorry i dont follow, In english please.

[truefan72]

It is all together sad that a central topic in 2007 is which one of the tracks will get axed. I say keep em all and add the 2 new tracks for a total of 22 races. The season starts in April and ends in November.

If Nascar can hold 34 races with drivers spending an average of 4 hours in the car, then certainly F1 can host 22 races whiuch usuall don't go for more than 90 minutes. With all the money these guys make and the increased exposure for sponsors, a 22 race season is more than justified.

And it isn't a hardship on the drivers IMO. They may have to cut down on the appearances and use a bit less downtime but they should be able to manage. There used to be a time when F1 drivers used to drive that series, enter into LeMans, sometimes drive other series in the off season etc.

For such a high profile sport, it seems a bit vacant to only have 18 races in the given time frame. There are at least a couple of 3 week breaks.
Do more back to backs, keep the circus going, increase the testing again, do away with the 2 race engine rule and we might see more threads on the races and action and less off these topics.

... wishing this would happen.

[Timber]

Unbelievable, that something historic as the French GP is gone next year, just as demolishing Hockenheim and dropping Suzuka.

F1 is acting like an auto-mutilating psycho, trading in it's history for a fast buck in Asia.

Adding more street races to the mix, for what???

So Bernie when do we see F1 cars on ovals?

F1 has to be the ultimate road-course challenge, but Bernie wants it all.

By adding more street courses, he tries to undermine the potential resurgence of champcar, thereby securing his OW monopoly in the world.

Well I'm going to watch champcars in Assen this year, instead of my usual trip to Spa.
I can walk in the paddock, sit all weekend on a grandstand seat for the same price as rolling trough the mud all weekend at Spa.


As for the next GP to be axed, I think it will be Australia, which would be a pity.

you are absolutely correct in what you are saying . For the good of F1 and racing Bernie has to go , he is selling F1 to fill is pockets ! . He and MAx have made F1 one of the most boring form of racing , where races are decided in the first corner or in the pits , with very few exceptions !!!!!

[ShiftingGears]

Is this a tactic to lure the V8's over to run a double header together with F1, instead of Champcar?

If this were to become reality, Champcar will be hung out to dry in Australia and the Surfer's event will cease to exist, bravo Bernie!!!

Maybe it is a tactic...

However the V8's also race at Queensland raceway, which is on the outskirts of Brisbane, not that far from the proposed track. And Queensland raceway IS a truly awful track. And the Indy 300 is a massive success, I dont think the V8s would want to leave. Hopefully.

[FIA]

German and Aussie GP, wich would be sad.

[Easy Drifter]

72: It would be h--l on the poor mechanics. I know NAPCAR has more races but most are far less than a days drive from home. Look at WOO. Most crew men last only a year or two on the road and the same is true for many drivers.
The current F1 schedule is rough enough and the crews have basically no home life. It is hard on singles but on married people it gets too much. Read Steve Matchett's books to get an idea.

[KILOHMUNNS]

Any circuit that doesn't pay Bernie Ecclescake his huge fees or he doesn't like!! I don't think the FIA will do anything about it as I feel he has too much influence on them. Every other major motorpsort has to work around F1 - why has he sort of monopoly on OUR motorsport??

[ioan]

I think they will retire Hungaroring.

(And it would be a good idea, just if they re-enter the GP on rainy years).

I think they signed until 2011 or something like that.

[Bezza]

It is all together sad that a central topic in 2007 is which one of the tracks will get axed. I say keep em all and add the 2 new tracks for a total of 22 races. The season starts in April and ends in November.

If Nascar can hold 34 races with drivers spending an average of 4 hours in the car, then certainly F1 can host 22 races whiuch usuall don't go for more than 90 minutes. With all the money these guys make and the increased exposure for sponsors, a 22 race season is more than justified.

And it isn't a hardship on the drivers IMO. They may have to cut down on the appearances and use a bit less downtime but they should be able to manage. There used to be a time when F1 drivers used to drive that series, enter into LeMans, sometimes drive other series in the off season etc.

For such a high profile sport, it seems a bit vacant to only have 18 races in the given time frame. There are at least a couple of 3 week breaks.
Do more back to backs, keep the circus going, increase the testing again, do away with the 2 race engine rule and we might see more threads on the races and action and less off these topics.

... wishing this would happen.

Your forgetting that F1 is a global sport, with races in all over the world. NASCAR is purely glorified banger racing solely in Northern America. If they had a 34-race schedule which went all around the world I doubt they'd be too happy.

I think around 19/20 is the limit, any more and you get overkill. This season has been great so far, for it to run for 22 races would be too much.

[jso1985]

while I'm not defending Bernie's tactics let's see...

Indianapolis.- Crap Track
Hockenheim.- crap track
Magny Cours.- even bigger crap track

Suzuka was an excellent track but be honest shouldn't be all of us be happy that poor boring tracks are out of the calendar?

and yes Bernie is afraid of Champ Cars :rotflmao: and GP2 also!

[markabilly]

Indy was the only place willing to put the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and more$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ in the usa,but then it gets burned one year because of tires.....the next year michael is gone, but DO NOT KNOCK IT.

Why? Unlike almost all the other F1 tracks, there were two places where one might even pass another car other than in the pists.

Of coure there is Laquana seca, which has got to be one of the best tracks in the world in turns of a challenge to the driver down through the corkscrew, but it has the worst entry and exits, a mere 60k fans are a massive overload as demoed by motogp, and there are not much places where any passing would occur with a current F1 car..............and SCRAMP ain't about to throw up burnei ernie kind of bucks for his pockets and children......so bye bye, technonerd racing...probably never be missed by most....

[call_me_andrew]

I'm pulling for Silverstone to get dropped next. C'mon Silverstone!

Considering half the races are still in Europe, the travel doesn't seem that bad. Plus, travel outside of Europe shouldn't be that harsh either. You see they've recently developed such a device for going from one place to another place that's far away in a short amount of time. Maybe you've seen one of them.

http://organizingla.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/sas_airplane.jpg

[Hawkmoon]

while I'm not defending Bernie's tactics let's see...

Indianapolis.- Crap Track
Hockenheim.- crap track
Magny Cours.- even bigger crap track

Suzuka was an excellent track but be honest shouldn't be all of us be happy that poor boring tracks are out of the calendar?

and yes Bernie is afraid of Champ Cars :rotflmao: and GP2 also!

The replacements aren't all that great either. All these new Tilke circuits have a "cookie cutter" feel about them. It's looks like he use a "cut and paste" methodology when he's designing a circuit.

Throw in the fact that Bernie seems to have a hard-on for "street" circuits at the moment and the future of grand old circuits like Silverstone, Spa, and Monza doesn't look all that rosey.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I think Bernie would run f1 cars in a prison camp, if the dictator that owned it paid him the dough. He doesn't seem to care about the actual layout that much, as long as the private boxes, pit/garage structure and press facilities are fur lined. The proof in this is the abortion of a layout at Magny Cours or many of the Tilke layouts. He also stays in some sub par facilities, such as the Interlago's circuit, while holding a gun to Silverstone's head, and leaving Indy, Spa and maybe Montreal soon......

There is no rhyme or reason, just what makes sense to fill Bernies pocket and ego....

[markabilly]

I think Bernie would run f1 cars in a prison camp, if the dictator that owned it paid him the dough. He doesn't seem to care about the actual layout that much, as long as the private boxes, pit/garage structure and press facilities are fur lined. The proof in this is the abortion of a layout at Magny Cours or many of the Tilke layouts. He also stays in some sub par facilities, such as the Interlago's circuit, while holding a gun to Silverstone's head, and leaving Indy, Spa and maybe Montreal soon......

There is no rhyme or reason, just what makes sense to fill Bernies pocket and ego....
Unfortunately all too right.....anyone stupid enough to think bernie really cares anymore about the sport itself...HHHAHAHAHA :eek: :mad: