The Formula 1 calendar development threadFormula 1 

I can't believe Greece has the nerve to make preliminary moves to host a GP. Just unbelievable after the chances they've been given and the chaos they caused globally. I can't wait till Germany repossesses everything they have.
 
They cannot simply not spend. That's no way to fix the economy. They need to stimulate growth, and they evidently think that a construction project and long-term sporting event might be able to do just that. It's a risk, of course, but going by the article, most of the money involved is private. The public funds are just there to give the government some presence and let the benefits trickle down into the public sector.

But I wouldn't go hoping that Germany "repossessed everything they have". That will pretty much spell financial doom for the entire continent.
 
RTSolvalou
I can't believe Greece has the nerve to make preliminary moves to host a GP. Just unbelievable after the chances they've been given and the chaos they caused globally. I can't wait till Germany repossesses everything they have.
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No, what is chaotic is trying to spend money on something that doesn't give the country a reasonable rate of return.

But that is irrelevant to the topic, and I would be more than happy to take it to PMs if you wish to discuss further.
 
The inaugural New Jersey gp has been postponed until 2014. I can't link as I'm on my phone, but it's currently one of the headline stories on autosport.

I'm really disappointed with this news. I hope the race does eventually happen. The track looks great.
 
Here's a link to the Autosport article: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103529

And one from ESPN: http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/92259.html

I can't say I'm surprised. And I'll even go a step further. As much as I would like to see it happen, I don't think this race will EVER happen. Proclaiming a delay to 2014 is just delaying the inevitable. (I'll quote myself from another thread, about a month ago...)

jjaisli
I hope so, as the Port Imperial race is practically in my own back yard, or at least let's say, a 45 minute hop and skip, but I wouldn't necessarily count on it happening. At least not in 2013. I don't have any special insight, but from the outside, looking in, things appear in disarray.

After the huge fanfare surrounding the announcement last October, the race is less than 9 months away and yet:

There's construction in the port imperial area with a paddock and garages but it seems to have stalled. The last time I was there a few weeks ago, it looked no different than it did in the late spring and there didn't seem to be any active work taking place. (This is just my own subjective observation)

It's on the provisional calendar but with an asterisk next to it. And two months ago, Bernie Eccelstone himself made comments to the effect that he didn't think it would happen in 2013. (See here: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/100659/

There is no official website for the event, only a few fan made sites and facebook pages. And there hasn't been any sort of announcement or promotion. By now, things should be in full swing.

There is an official twitter feed but it's been silent for almost 10 months.

In August, Grand Prix of America President, Tom Cotter stepped down and there's been no announcement who's replacing him.

I'm familiar with those roads and major repaving work needs to be done if this race has any hope of taking place. Granted that could, and probably should be done next spring. But by now, there should already be a full on marketing campaign in full swing. There should be announcements, news stories, full banner ads, billboards--anything to draw attention to it. It's less than 9 months and that time will fly by.

I was doubtful of this race from the very beginning. I found it nearly inconceivable that they'd be able to properly cordon off the area and be able to push something like this through with the amount of closed minded NIMBYers in the area. Almost half the track is on roads that transverse a residential area. But when I saw the governor on TV last October, giving his stamp of approval, I began to believe it. I revised my opinion and thought it might really happen.

Unfortunately, the utter silence since that announcement, has given rise to little other than doubts. The fact that it's on the provisional calendar does leave me with some hope. But if I had to place a bet today, I'm sad to say, I doubt it's going to happen.
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If I was a betting man, I'd be raking it in now. :lol: Actually, no, there's not much to be happy about. :grumpy: I really wish I HAD been wrong.
 
This is bad news for Port Imperial. There's a decent chance that there will never be a race here.
 
The only official source I red saying it's postponed is Bernie and he..well he says a lot of things which turn out to be different. I remember him saying that last years Bahrain GP was DEFINITELY gonna happen and that this years USA GP was DEFINITELY not gonna happen. He sometimes tends to speak to early.
 
It was already confirmed last night by the mayor of Weekhawken NJ, one of the two towns the course would pass through.

Maybe 2014. But trust me, there's not a chance in hell it's going to happen in 2013.
 
jjaisli
It was already confirmed last night by the mayor of Weekhawken NJ, one of the two towns the course would pass through.

Maybe 2014. But trust me, there's not a chance in hell it's going to happen in 2013.
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It was confirmed. The more worrying comments are what I'm reading from Twitter, like Will Buxton suggesting that its going to be replaced by another US circuit.
 
:lol: I wouldn't put much faith in Buxton's tweets. While the US has a sizable, knowledgeable, and devoted F1 fan base, it's still small relative to the size of it's population, and the number of people in the country who consider themselves motor heads or motorsports fans. And with the upwardly spiraling costs of F1 since the early 90s, it remains to be seen if the US can sustain even ONE profitable F1 race, long term, let alone two.

F1 is a money gobbling circus that will pitch it's tent wherever the FOA/FOM can collect the most sanctioning fees. Over the last decade, that trend has been in emerging economies like Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, India and South Korea, where they enjoy the added benefit of government assistance in building circuits or paying sanctioning fees. Aside from the IMS, which already said goodbye to F1 after what turned into a tumultuous relationship, I don't think there is another permanent circuit in the United States that meets the unique criteria of FIA certification, located close enough to a major population center and wealthy urban area, and large intentional airport.

If Buxton thinks there's another circuit in the running, I'd like to know which one he thinks it is.
 
jjaisli
:lol: I wouldn't put much faith in Buxton's tweets. While the US has a sizable, knowledgeable, and devoted F1 fan base, it's still small relative to the size of it's population, and the number of people in the country who consider themselves motor heads or motorsports fans. And with the upwardly spiraling costs of F1 since the early 90s, it remains to be seen if the US can sustain even ONE profitable F1 race, long term, let alone two.

F1 is a money gobbling circus that will pitch it's tent wherever the FOA/FOM can collect the most sanctioning fees. Over the last decade, that trend has been in emerging economies like Bahrain, Malaysia, Singapore, India and South Korea, where they enjoy the added benefit of government assistance in building circuits or paying sanctioning fees. Aside from the IMS, which already said goodbye to F1 after what turned into a tumultuous relationship, I don't think there is another permanent circuit in the United States that meets the unique criteria of FIA certification, located close enough to a major population center and wealthy urban area, and large intentional airport.

If Buxton thinks there's another circuit in the running, I'd like to know which one he thinks it is.
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He thinks Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Road America should be looked at.
 
Since the actual circuit is almost complete, maybe another sires could take the initiative and use the circuit. Although given that most groups have already released their 2013 schedules, I don't really see that happening.
 
Blitz24
He thinks Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Road America should be looked at.
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The Glen and RA are both beautiful, flowing tracks in picturesque, rural settings. Great driving tracks. 👍 But neither are currently up to modern FIA safety standards and it would take untold millions of dollars in capital improvements to get them there. I mean, have you seen the pits at Watkins Glen? They're old, dilapidated, falling apart, just like central NY State itself. That track has been in and out of bankruptcy for years. And to put it bluntly, they're both in the middle of bloody nowhere. This isn't the 1960s anymore. The sanctioning fees being what they are, nobody is going to spend $500+ to camp out like a sow in the mud and watch a race from a grassy knoll. And neither of those tracks could possibly afford the sanctioning fees, let alone the money to get themselves in shape for an F1 race to begin with. And for that matter, the teams are not going to schelp that much equipment 200+ km from a major airport. It's just not going to happen.

Sonoma is a great track. But it's already a joke for Indycar racing. And talk to the people who live in the area. Access even with 70K people is a nightmare--narrow two lane roads, rolling hills in wine country. It's too constricted.

I would LOVE to see F1 cars around any of these tracks, not to mention countless others in the States. But best save it for historic events. Buxton is dreaming or thinking out loud, or both.
 
Watkins Glen is the single best racing circuit on the entirety of the East Coast. I'd say the full version with the boot is one of the best in the country.



And Formula 1 will never, ever race there again. Nevermind the pit complexes. Nevermind track access. Nevermind the licencing fees. Nevermind the financial stability of the track owners themselves. The track is simply not conducive to modern Formula 1 racing, and no one who would want to see F1 there would want to see it Hockenheim'ed in order to make it so it was.
 
Speaking of thinking out loud, what about Sebring? Too bumpy for F1 cars? I'm assuming it has some sort of FIA certification, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have Grade 1 status; how much work would it take to get it there?
 
If COTA has a brilliant race this year, hopefully it will renew interest. Was really looking forward to this race.:(
 
Akmuq
If COTA has a brilliant race this year, hopefully it will renew interest. Was really looking forward to this race.:(
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I don't think it is dependent on COTA. They couldn't get the track ready in time according to Eccelstone.
 
Blitz24
I don't think it is dependent on COTA. They couldn't get the track ready in time according to Eccelstone.
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Here's what I don't get. It's a street circuit. Granted, a lot of corners & curbs need to be re-profiled. And probably some general repaving. (At least, I would assume so). And during the days leading up to the race weekend, like at any street circuit, there's an enormous amount of work constructing barriers, armco, catch fences, pedestrian walkways, etc. A particularly daunting task considering what a busy commuter hub the Port Imperial area is.

But the roads and most of the basic infrastructure are already there. The race is taking place on EXISTING roads. If the organizers hit snags, what were they? Lack of funding? Local ordinances and red tape? Legal issues? One would think they would have had most of this worked out before holding the press conference last year and receiving an endorsement from the governor and both mayors.

And yet, living in New Jersey, and I'm assuming it's the same for you Blitz24, I've heard absolute diddly about the race. And as a big motorsports fan, I've been actively seeking such news. The delay and cancellation of the 2013 event was announced on network news this morning. But I'm sure the average person was thinking "Huh? What race?" Because there has been absolutely no kind of promotion by the organizers what-so-ever. We're talking stonewall silence. Nada. Zip. After the initial press conference, it's as if they all took a vow of silence. (The May promo with Coulthard and Vettel was done by Redbull for their own marketing purposes). Even their twitter feed has been dead for 10 months. It's all a bit...fishy.

There's obviously more going on, but it's irksome that nobody is talking. And local papers and news media either aren't getting the story or simply don't think it's important enough to even investigate it.
 
jjaisli
Here's what I don't get. It's a street circuit. Granted, a lot of corners & curbs need to be re-profiled. And probably some general repaving. (At least, I would assume so). And during the days leading up to the race weekend, like at any street circuit, there's an enormous amount of work constructing barriers, armco, catch fences, pedestrian walkways, etc. A particularly daunting task considering what a busy commuter hub the Port Imperial area is.

But the roads and most of the basic infrastructure are already there. The race is taking place on EXISTING roads. If the organizers hit snags, what were they? Lack of funding? Local ordinances and red tape? Legal issues? One would think they would have had most of this worked out before holding the press conference last year and receiving an endorsement from the governor and both mayors.

And yet, living in New Jersey, and I'm assuming it's the same for you Blitz24, I've heard absolute diddly about the race. And as a big motorsports fan, I've been actively seeking such news. The delay and cancellation of the 2013 event was announced on network news this morning. But I'm sure the average person was thinking "Huh? What race?" Because there has been absolutely no kind of promotion by the organizers what-so-ever. We're talking stonewall silence. Nada. Zip. After the initial press conference, it's as if they all took a vow of silence. (The May promo with Coulthard and Vettel was done by Redbull for their own marketing purposes). Even their twitter feed has been dead for 10 months. It's all a bit...fishy.

There's obviously more going on, but it's irksome that nobody is talking. And local papers and news media either aren't getting the story or simply don't think it's important enough to even investigate it.
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They did mention last month in the local paper here that there was a chance that it could be pushed off to 2014 but the stories on the race itself have been small to non-existent at best. I honestly believe that the move from SPEED to NBC though MAY help this race become more significant in terms of getting it set up and having it run in 2014.
 
Not necessarily.

The current Concorde Agreement allows for a maximum of seventeen Grands Prix, with the provision for twenty if the teams unanimously agree to it. It is believed that the new Concorde Agreement changes that, allowing for a maximum of twenty Grands Prix, or up to twenty-four with the consent of the teams.

It's also entirely possible that Bernie will sign the race up for one season as a kind of 'audition' to try and persuade the French government to invest in a more-permanent arrangement from 2014.
 
24 races would be so expensive.

Honestly. I'm getting F1 exhaustion with the current calendar, already. Twenty four might be pushing it.
 

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