FIA 2015 race calendar

[cider_and_toast]

Nothing really but it would take a collective effort. That's the thing. No one has ever challenged the house of cards on a global scale. All globally branded series have either been going for years and have changed hands a few times or are limited to a continent such as North America or Europe. The FIA controls the game too well.

 

[siffert_fan]

Sad but true.

What is really needed is someone like a young Roger Penske. And I'm not sure it would have to start on a global scale. If you stage races on a few of the traditional courses, like Zandvoort, Rouen, Brands, and maybe Jarama, I think the public acceptance would be such that the FIA would have no choice but to sanction it, which would lead to its expansion.

Hope springs eternal.

 

[cider_and_toast]

To be honest, as long as it was as safe as motorsport can be made and well run, who gives a fuck if the FIA sanction it or not. The big problem would be what the FIA might do to the tracks that run it if it becomes a success. You know the sort of thing, "you run that un-sanctioned series and you won't get any FIA championships, no no it's not blackmail, it's business"

 

[siffert_fan]

At the rate that F1 is abandoning the tracks with a history, there soon won't be any shortage of circuits which are up-to-date as far as safety measures are concerned, yet have lost their premier event due to greed. I don't know how well their lesser-class races pay, but I suspect that it might well be worth pissing off the FIA for those circuits in order to remain solvent.

Edit: I would nearly kill to see big time races back at such venues as Watkins Glen, St Jovite, Zandvoort, Monjuich Park and Brands Hatch. Of course, the "real" Nuburgring (14 miles) and Spa (8 miles) are too much to ever even hope for, as are Rouen and Clermont Ferrand.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Mad Max confessed that if a rival series to F1 had been started by the teams the FIA would have to sanction it if they were asked to.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Is it okay if I wish Bernie just to fuck off? The man is corrupt to the core..

 

[RasputinLives]

The thing about Bernie going is that it will leave the teams in charge and to be honest I think they are even more money grabbing than he is. It'll get worse before it gets better.

Eventually F1 will bevon its knees and some smart business man will come in and save it by doing things different. Of course that guy will make a lot of money and become increasingly more like an evil dictator but he'll reshape it. Then we'll get to a point where he loses touch with the fans and the sport and it'll become messed up again.

In the words of Shirley Bassy, in her days as a Propeller head, "its all just a little bit of history repeating".

 

[Dash Racing]

Edit: I would nearly kill to see big time races back at such venues as Watkins Glen, St Jovite, Zandvoort, Monjuich Park and Brands Hatch. Of course, the "real" Nuburgring (14 miles) and Spa (8 miles) are too much to ever even hope for, as are Rouen and Clermont Ferrand.

If big time races went to Watkins Glen again, so long as Tilke isn't allowed anywhere near it, I'd beg, borrow, steal, and probably have to hitchhike my way there to see it (I doubt my husband would think it worth the long drive, he's just not into motorsports).

I'd love to see big time open wheel races at both Brands Hatch and Donington, though I admit, I have a bit of a love affair with Donington - most of my trackside and paddock memories are from Donington. 8 mile Spa would be too much to hope for, but even Spa's short course is beautiful. I must confess to favoritism here, Spa is pretty much my "home track" for virtual racing, it's where I do most of my practice sessions and test new setups.

 

[FB]

Watkins Glen, piss poor location so no chance (this was the main reason the French GP was killed off). Zandvoort would have to changed massively to work for F1 including getting rid of Tarzan, just look what has been done in Mexico to the Peraltada. Brands Hatch (as much as I love it) is too narrow and too short. Does Monjuich Park still exist? Longer circuits such as the original Nurburgring and Spa are just too long to be policed safely by marshals, cranes and safety equipment unless the organisers spend millions on the infrastructure. Add in to that I wouldn't pay hundreds of pounds to watch F1 cars go past 14 times in 2 hours and then go home.

I know it's great to look back at the glory days of F1 when blood and thunder drivers took on some of the most demanding circuits in the World but 2 or 3 drivers also used to die every year and I, for one, do not want to see a return to anything like that.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Does Monjuich Park still exist?

The roads are still there but far too narrow for modern F1 racing. I'm pretty sure theres a lot of restrictions on that Barcelona to prevent development too. Its a really nice park, I went around it a couple of years ago.

 

[siffert_fan]

FB

Watkins' location is, admittedly, not ideal, but I bet it would still draw larger crowds than some of Bernie's new additions. But everyone says the size of the live crowd doesn't matter, it is tv revenue that counts.

As I said, the longer original Nurburgring and Spa , plus Rouen and Cleremont Ferrand could never be used again, much as I wish that weren't true.

If you really want to make F1 safer, it would have to become a closed-wheel, closed-cockpit formula. In other words, a sports car formula.

Plus, I was saying that a new series, ala the old Can Am, could displace F1 as the top draw, IMO. And, being sports cars, they could safely race at venues which F1 cars couldn't.

 

[soccerman17]

Watkins' location is absolutely incredible. Stopped by a year ago on a college visit, and while it is in the middle of nowhere its also in an overlooked, stunning part of the USA. I don't think we need to go too far in our throwbacks but we definitely need more proper ones. Maybe I'll put something together in terms of a realistic alternative schedule.

 

[Dash Racing]

Racing at Watkins Glen in the autumn, the scenery would be absolutely breathtaking.

 

[siffert_fan]

Three of our all-time favourite circuits are Watkins Glen, Mt. Tremblant (St. Jovite) and Laguna Seca, and the wife and I attend races at all three venues every year. I really wish that F1 would return to the two former as they are truly spectacular in the autumn, and are very challenging circuits, unlike the dreaded Tilke tracks which predominate today. Unfortunately, their population bases are such that they could never afford Bernie's (curse him) extortionate demands.

I can't even imagine how fantastic F1 at Laguna Seca would be. The corkscrew would be beyond belief!

 

[Dash Racing]

I've always wanted to see F1 at Laguna Seca, and for the same reason. The corkscrew is one of my favorite pieces of track in the world.

 

[soccerman17]

Its a short track, but not much shorter than the Red Bull Ring. I think they need to focus on getting IndyCar back there first though.

 

[Bushi]

I've always wanted to see F1 at Laguna Seca, and for the same reason. The corkscrew is one of my favorite pieces of track in the world.

It would be great to see, but overtaking would be extremely difficult on that track. So am no fan for f1 to go there.

 

[Dash Racing]

Its a short track, but not much shorter than the Red Bull Ring. I think they need to focus on getting IndyCar back there first though.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, unless NASCAR stops going to Watkins Glen, Indy is unlikely to return. I think I read something, somewhere, about how adapting the track to make it safer for NASCAR causes safety problems for Indy? Specifically, I think the kerbs were mentioned as an area of contention? I wish I could remember where I'd read that.

 

[siffert_fan]

When these can race at Laguna Seca, I don't see why F1 couldn't. Plus, in the Tudor series, the prototypes are mixed with GTs so there is a huge speed differential, yet everyone seems to cope alright. It just takes a bigger set of "spheres" to make a pass than at most tracks. What is wrong with that?

 

[soccerman17]

Absolutely. Unfortunately, unless NASCAR stops going to Watkins Glen, Indy is unlikely to return. I think I read something, somewhere, about how adapting the track to make it safer for NASCAR causes safety problems for Indy? Specifically, I think the kerbs were mentioned as an area of contention? I wish I could remember where I'd read that.

I was talking about Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen isn't all that short, but that too is a valid point. So many good tracks replaced by airports and street circuits on the IndyCar schedule