Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021Formula 1

[barak181]

I said planning doesn't cost anything, which is inherently true.

Everything costs money. With an event as large and as complicated as an F1 event, planning out a contingency of postponing an event takes a lot of planning and a lot of time. Trust me, if you've ever seen an organization of this size do anything, you'd understand that nothing is simple, easy or inexpensive.

 

[PaMu1337]

Wow, you guys are making a simple concept way more complicated. Yes, if it happens, it will cost more. Asking people when they volunteer if they can show up on Monday, doesn't cost. They already make the forms to sign up, processing, etc. Now, if you want to get pedantic... yes, it costs the extra ink on the form and a small amount of time documenting who the alternates are.

You seriously lack a basic understanding of how much goes into planning an event like this. Having some kind of contingency plan for a one day delay is ridiculously expensive, even if it doesn't happen. And really not worth it if it nearly never happens

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

@Dennisch got to see the full race on Saturday.

 

[McLaren]

All that for running 2 laps, something they could've done hours ago and called it, then.

What a dark day for one of the most iconic motorsport venues.

 

[Fat Tyre]

At least have some decency and don't celebrate like that on the podium.

I hope people get their money back, I'd be livid if I'd be there.

 

[Dennisch]

@Dennisch got to see the full race on Saturday.

I just said that to my dad. I've seen the cars more than the people today. And I had slightly better temperatures, and I had a couple of dry moments.

 

[Veinz]

F1 will use this as an excuse to run more sprint qualifying weekends.

 

[Jubby]

You seriously lack a basic understanding of how much goes into planning an event like this. Having some kind of contingency plan for a one day delay is ridiculously expensive, even if it doesn't happen. And really not worth it if it nearly never happens

How much? You guys keep telling me "it's expensive" but no one says how much. Simple question. I provided a solution that is simple and inexpensive and folks say I know nothing.

 

[andrea]

Max's hair the real winner today.

 

[toastet]

Does anybody know when that rule changed? It was 50% race distance half points, 75% full points and not that 2 lap ******

 

[Northstar]

Wow, you guys are making a simple concept way more complicated.

Probably because it is complicated. On top of the people needed to make the actual on-track stuff happen you have security, concessions & hospitality, lodging, facility maintenance, people directing fans, medical staff and I'm sure quite a bit more.

And that's before getting into whether running the race on Monday is even allowed by local/noise ordinances.

How much? You guys keep telling me "it's expensive" but no one says how much. Simple question. I provided a solution that is simple and inexpensive and folks say I know nothing.

Funny, you expect us to know an exact dollar amount but you haven't provided one yourself.

 

[Roo]

Wow, you guys are making a simple concept way more complicated. Yes, if it happens, it will cost more. Asking people when they volunteer if they can show up on Monday, doesn't cost. They already make the forms to sign up, processing, etc. Now, if you want to get pedantic... yes, it costs the extra ink on the form and a small amount of time documenting who the alternates are.

Read my comment above, please. It's not a lack of understanding.

OK. Let's assume you ask the volunteers if they can show up on Monday, as you suggest. What do you do if (when) you can't get enough volunteers? If there aren't enough able to stay until Monday, you can't expect others who might be available on Monday to book accommodation/flights/travel just in case they're needed.

 

[Liquid]

@Jubby

Mate, just accept defeat on this one. Racing tomorrow was never going to happen, no matter how many vapid, fatuous comments there were from interviewers and commentators about it.

 

[MSZ]

According to Forbes, hosting a F1 race weekend would costs around 850 million dollars.

 

[Jubby]

Probably because it is complicated. On top of the people needed to make the actual on-track stuff happen you have security, concessions & hospitality, lodging, facility maintenance, people directing fans, medical staff and I'm sure quite a bit more.

And that's before getting into whether running the race on Monday is even allowed by local/noise ordinances.


Funny, you expect us to know an exact dollar amount but you haven't provided one yourself.

You're absolutely right. With thousands of people being planned for. That planning already exists, so does identifying the contingencies for races, Including everything you mentioned and more. This would be no different.

Neither of us can identify an amount, which is my point... so we're going to be at an impasse. Have wonderful rest of your Sunday.

 

[OutlawQuadrnt]

This being an official race is one the biggest farces in motorsports I've ever witnessed. That was not a race. Period. Event should've been canceled. No points should've been awarded. Fans should get a refund. The rule about 2 laps needed for race classification needs to be changed immediately.

 

[Roo]

At least have some decency and don't celebrate like that on the podium.

I hope people get their money back, I'd be livid if I'd be there.

Right now I'd be annoyed because I'd be soaked, but once dry I'd be pleased to have "been there" for the shortest ever F1 "race".

 

[Fat Tyre]

Probably because it is complicated. On top of the people needed to make the actual on-track stuff happen you have security, concessions & hospitality, lodging, facility maintenance, people directing fans, medical staff and I'm sure quite a bit more.

And that's before getting into whether running the race on Monday is even allowed by local/noise ordinances.


Funny, you expect us to know an exact dollar amount but you haven't provided one yourself.

Well it should be somewhere in the regulations that if Spa can't be run on the day of the event, a procession race inducing Tilkedrone will be scrapped so Spa can be rescheduled there.

To think we'll have to sit through the never ending crap of Abu Dhabi and weren't able to enjoy the best track of the season.

 

[barak181]

How much? You guys keep telling me "it's expensive" but no one says how much. Simple question. I provided a solution that is simple and inexpensive and folks say I know nothing.

Probably in the millions.

You're talking extra wages for people that are paid and not on salary. You're talking extra fees for all of the gear on site - if you want them available for an extra day "just in case" you're paying something to reserve it for another day. If you're building that extra day into the contract of the people and companies providing and using that gear, they build that cost into their quote and the overall cost of the event goes up just for the added contingency of needing to rain delay an event by a day - something that might happen every 10-20 years or so.

There's the logistical cost of keeping everything on site for an extra day and shortening the turnaround to the next event by a day. That's a lot of people working extra hours because the already tight turnaround of moving the team's cars, garages, pit wall booths, communications, VIP and corporate lounges, and probably a bunch of other things that I'm not thinking of, has been shortened by a day. Losing a day in production like this is massive.

I've already lost my train of thought around all the things involved in an event like this but trust me, when the word expensive is thrown around in this world, it's insanely expensive. I've seen NFL teams throw around tens of thousands of dollars without blinking an eye. Something like this gets them blinking both eyes rapidly.

 

[C-ZETA]

Well, if the points are gonna come from qualifying, at least it's from an actual session of it.

Today has been the thick end of a wedge that was at its thinnest when races were first started under a safety car for rain. If anything, it's actually quite surprising it's taken this long for this sort of thing to happen, really.

 

[PaMu1337]

You're absolutely right. With thousands of people being planned for. That planning already exists, so does identifying the contingencies for races, Including everything you mentioned and more. This would be no different.

Neither of us can identify an amount, which is my point... so we're going to be at an impasse. Have wonderful rest of your Sunday.

While we don't know the exact amount (because we don't know exactly how many people are involved and their exact costs, nor do we know the exact costs of facilities), we do know with 100% certainty that it is a very high amount, likely in the tens of millions

 

[Jubby]

Probably in the millions.

You're talking extra wages for people that are paid and not on salary. You're talking extra fees for all of the gear on site - if you want them available for an extra day "just in case" you're paying something to reserve it for another day. If you're building that extra day into the contract of the people and companies providing and using that gear, they build that cost into their quote and the overall cost of the event goes up just for the added contingency of needing to rain delay an event by a day - something that might happen every 10-20 years or so.

There's the logistical cost of keeping everything on site for an extra day and shortening the turnaround to the next event by a day. That's a lot of people working extra hours because the already tight turnaround of moving the team's cars, garages, pit wall booths, communications, VIP and corporate lounges, and probably a bunch of other things that I'm not thinking of, has been shortened by a day. Losing a day in production like this is massive.

I've already lost my train of thought around all the things involved in an event like this but trust me, when the word expensive is thrown around in this world, it's insanely expensive. I've seen NFL teams throw around tens of thousands of dollars without blinking an eye. Something like this gets them blinking both eyes rapidly.

I've already given up my argument, (see above where I packed it in) so I'm not responding to that.

But... consider the cost of having an outcome like this. That'll cost big money, too. Just look at OutlawQuadrant's comment.

 

[Roo]

...all assuming the weather tomorrow will be any better.

 

[-Fred-]

Van de Merwe with DOTD?

 

[barak181]

I've already given up my argument, (see above where I packed it in) so I'm not responding to that.

But... consider the cost of having an outcome like this. That'll cost big money, too. Just look at OutlawQuadrant's comment.

Likely the entire reason they ran a farce of a race was to make it classified as a race to legally fulfill a lot of contracts. I would guess that it would have been much more expensive for them to outright cancel the race.

 

[Roo]

Much like the 2005 US GP, with the circumstances today I don't think there was any result that would've been satisfactory. There was no correct answer today, so whilst I'd like to have seen a race, Masi and the FIA made the correct decisions.

 

[Jubby]

Likely the entire reason they ran a farce of a race was to make it classified as a race to legally fulfill a lot of contracts. I would guess that it would have been much more expensive for them to outright cancel the race.

Yeah, it is. The track will likely take a bath (pun intended) with losses and the FOM gets to keep their contract money. It's sad.

 

[barak181]

All this talk about the cost of an F1 event got me thinking:

I understand what Lewis Hamilton was saying when he said he hopes that people get their tickets refunded but he probably unwittingly just poured fuel onto a fire that's going to make some poor box office worker's day miserable.

If F1 is anything like sporting events in the US, the venue handles ticketing with F1 getting a sizeable chunk of the gate. Now that F1 technically completed a race, they're going to demand the full ticket revenue from the track management. And they're legally to have the right because a race was technically completed. If Spa refunds any money, they're going to owe F1 their portion of those tickets anyway. And some poor ticket taker is going to have to try to deal with a bunch of drunk, wet and angry race fans...

 

[kungtotte_]

According to Forbes, hosting a F1 race weekend would costs around 850 million dollars.

That would be the full weekend though with setup, Friday sessions, Saturday sessions, Sunday race, teardown, and probably all of the support races and such as well.

There's no way the GP race alone costs $850 million, so postponing the GP to Monday wouldn't cost them another $850 million (but it would still be infeasible).

 

[Blitz24]

That would be the full weekend though with setup, Friday sessions, Saturday sessions, Sunday race, teardown, and probably all of the support races and such as well.

There's no way the GP race alone costs $850 million, so postponing the GP to Monday wouldn't cost them another $850 million (but it would still be infeasible).

I'd have to imagine it would cost over 9 figures to extend one day. Some of the costs could be mitigated for tracks known to have problematic weather with proper planning, but that's a discussion for contingency plans for 2022 and beyond.