Good riddance. Bernie Ecclestone needs to give the reins to someone else.

 

What do you think.......maybe Shumacher, now that he is not a regular driver any more, or do you think it is too early for Shumacher to move up that quickly? He may be a great driver, but as a manager............? Still, it's a possibility.

Perhaps if the "reins" were handed off to someone else, especially with Shumacher's renown, there would be some rule and policy changes in the way that F1 races are run, and the whole F1 series would become a little more popular in the U.S. As it is now, they are just a grain of sand on the seashore compared to NASCAR and NHRA drag racing.

 

Ecclestone has too big an ego to give it to anyone - he'll probably need to be physically incapable of running things before any change comes.

 

 

Tradition for one thing - one of the major reasons football (soccer) and F1 have so many devoted fans in Europe, but comparatively can't draw flies in the US. But there's a lot more to it than that.

I think the problem may revolve around marketing. F1 has always suffered from a lack of exposure in the US. The series is not well covered on TV here; spotty coverage prevents many fans from following a driver or a team through the season. Individual races are not well promoted outside the local area, and there is a great deal of competition from not just NASCAR, but the IRL and the American LeMans series that boast great to minimal promotion. Add to that, the big European GP's are held in the early afternoon - early morning here for US fans looking for live coverage.

F1 is viewed by most race fans as a "European" series, there are no US teams, one US driver, and it tends to be, under Bernie Ecclestone, a one-man dictatorship in which it is incredibly expensive to field a team. EU sponsors are not always interested in the US market, but now that tobacco advertising has been banned from the circuit, there is some interest in attracting US sponsors to F1, particularly Budweiser, Coca Cola, IBM and American Express. But large US firms that have plenty of coverage in other racing venues may be reluctant to cast their lot with Mr. Ecclestone's traveling circus.

Bill France was the singular head of NASCAR for many years, formulas were adjusted, tracks designed and approved, even sponsors vetted by this one individual. That scared a lot of potential sponsors as racing sponsorship is incredibly expensive, and the whim of a single powerful individual could bring all of those sponsorship money to naught if a formula change suddenly made your team's car uncompetitive. Case in point, the "winged" Dodge Daytona Chargers and Plymouth "Superbirds" of 1968, legislated out of competition due to their aero-superiority after only a brief appearance for "safety". Bill France singlehandedly brought NASCAR from the sands of Daytona to the era of the superspeedways and is due much of the credit for its success. The organization remains a "family" franchise today, with Brian France, the grandson of Bill, as CEO, but it is now operated more as a corporation than a fiefdom with an eye toward making racing exciting and affordable for the fans while remaining safe for the drivers, technically consistent for the teams, and a sound marketing venue for sponsors.

Contributing to that high cost of sponsorship, of F1 racing in general is the extremely expensive levels of technology required to be competitive. Today's runaway winner will be left in the dust by the latest flux capacitor or interociter developed by other teams. All that investment is out the window, and with a shifting formula that tries to stay just ahead of runaway technology, it just isn't a smart investment for engine and chassis builders - at least not in the US.

It works in Europe where large companies want to wrap themselves in the racing tradition of F1 that can be traced back to the earliest days of the Twentieth Century and beyond. The intramural national rivalries built in a rabid fan base at each of the "national" Grands Prix, and drivers have always been viewed as national heroes or rockstars (or more properly, rockstars now enjoy the public adulation of GP drivers). The association with a F1 champion is GOLD in Europe, but here in the US, it's kinda . . .

In short, poor promotion, competition with other racing formulas, lack of team, driver, and even sponsor connections in the US market, extreme costs, reluctance to enter a "one man show", and separation from the European racing culture has made F1 a tough sell in the US. I wish it were otherwise, but until Mr. Ecclestone relinquishes control, it will continue to be an extremely expensive game to get into with limited chances of a payday on US soil.

Just my 2¢.

 

The phrase "cold dead hand" comes to mind . . .

 

Yeah, Montreal is nice

Maybe they can move the race somewhere more glamorous like
Vegas, NY or LA... Half the fun of an F1 race is looking at the
Pit Babes

 

Let's just say my opinion is the opposite of yours for the millionth
time. Monotonous is making the same left turn over and over and over
and zzzz.

 

Bingo.
And they need to get back to making it a damn race, not a technical thing. All the rules and regulations are ridiculous.

 

I'd love to see an F1 race in Las Vegas... a road-course that uses Las Vegas Blvd. as the straightaway!

 

i dont think anyone would miss US GP
including Scott Speed cause he sux regardless of what track
lol

 

No problem. I know that F1 has its fans, that others don't always agree with me, and that some people think that NASCAR is like monkeys driving around in circles. Heck, my best friend thinks the same way (he's a car enthusiast, like me, but doesn't do regular reviews)......he compares superspeedway driving to chimpanzees.

But I just don't see it that way. IMO, there is nothing monotonous about tailgating someone at 220 MPH or cornering three and four abreast on the turns, knowing that one small gust of wind or one small error could be the start of a 25-car pileup and possible injury/death (witness Dale Earnhardt). And there sure is nothing monotonous about trying to split-second-steer and manuver your way THROUGH a 25-car pileup at triple-digit speeds without just adding your car to the wreckage.

You also don't just sit there in a NASCAR vehicle and hold the wheel steady....even on the straights. Look at the inside-the-car videos taken during NASCAR races and you will see that the steering wheel constantly shakes and shimmies back and forth and that the driver literally steers and drives the car EVERY second. It is no picnic.....those guys are TIRED at the end of a race....and they don't have a lot of the electronic technology found in the F1 cars.

Of course, F1 driving is difficult too...but in a different sort of way. It is more demanding in shifting, braking, and cornering. But I would consider it more of a road-rally type of motorsports than true racing. I guess (maybe for a million and one times ) we're just not going to agree on it.

 

I don't know. With the money he makes, a nice retirement has got to be getting closer and closer. He's not going to be standing on the street corner bumming spare change.

Maybe after he retires, though, he'll have to start buying his OWN tickets if he wants to attend a race .

 

Donald Trump doesn't need to work either, but it's waaaay beyond money, it's about power and ego.

Yeah right. And if you believe that I've got some land here in FL to sell you.

 

As for F1, not a biggy for me. Two things that seem to be killing most pro auto racing are money and rules. I am not saying there should be only one world wide class, as that would be boring, but the money to be made in open wheel has given us champ car and IRL and F1 isn't the slightest bit interested in sharing their pie even if the pie in general could be gotten much bigger. I spend enough on my cable/internet package already and I don't get Speed. F1 isn't enough inducement for me to get it. As for rules we are finding out you can't legislate good racing. F1 can't do it, often the starting grid is the finishing order with a few exceptions and little passing even in the pits, and NASCAR found out that the teams with the most money will still win ala Hendricks and COT development. I raced in Trans Am when it was pretty wide open and it was a blast, the cars looked a lot like street cars, and even with the cheating the racing was good, the cars competitive, and there was still a chance for the driver to make a difference. Then the cars went faster, got formulaic, and the series is a goner. Maybe the sanctioning bodies should consider clamping down like a bear trap in some areas and in others, let the teams be creative.

NASCARs COT means nothing for the fan. The "improvements" have done nothing for the race fan's interest unless everyone was waiting for Pep Boys rear spoilers and ricer splitters. If you had a template but then maybe let the teams develop front and rear ends on their own, it could be a thrill. Maybe make the teams propose two designs and they can pick one but they can also be forced to switch to the other. Oh, and whatever they do they have to be willing to sell to the other racers. OK, so it isn't a developed idea but I hope the concept gets through. Maybe we would find some racing bits making the trip back upstream to the street cars. Let the teams, whether it be NASCAR or F1, do some innovation, keep it safe, and see what happens. Indy used to cover the spectrum from turbines to four engined roadsters and it was a hoot.

Maybe this is why most racing venues are becoming less and less interesting to me. How long can IRL get mileage from the packer Danica-watch trying to get a win? NASCAR is having ratings problems and it is just about as interesting seeing when the networks screw up and show the stands and you can see what the attendance is like as the racing is. You can bet NASCAR has some big clauses preventing those shots of empty seats at all costs.

Like I said, money and rules are sure strangling most motor sports. We are probably never going to go back to the factories wanting to win on Sunday to sell on Monday but what would you rather try to run moonshine in - Impala, Fusion, Avenger, or Camry? I would pick the Camry in gray and drive it 60 mph, no revenooer is going to give you a second thought.