The end of Valencia?

[teabagyokel]

All it needs is the circuits to act in unison and refuse to hold an event for which they are not paid, as any other entertainment venues would.

How making such a huge loss can be commercially viable for any of the circuits beggars belief, and His Ecclestoneness will be finding out that you can't screw all of the people all of the time soon!

 

[sportsman]

Perhaps a crunch is coming though, when promoters/ministers and circuit owners do simply say "we cannot pay what you're asking anymore", and there aren't any sufficiently-lucrative new venues coming in - what will Bernie do then?

Sue them.For every penny that he can.

 

[Brogan]

...mind you, I'm sure there are sufficiently swingeing penalty clauses in their existing race contracts that would prevent them from doing any such thing, but as Mas-Closell says: "there are contracts more expensive to maintain than break".

The penalties are massive; as much as, if not more than the original contracts.

Valencia has already indicated that unless Bernie allows them to renegotiate, they will have no choice but to see out the contract as they can't afford the penalty.

But he also admitted to El Pais that it would be difficult to cancel the contract as the financial penalty is likely to be higher.

 

[Road of Bones]

Sadly, you're probably both right

Should have read the small print, shouldn't they?

 

[teabagyokel]

Yes, but he is still storing up a wasps' nest if he has a load of venues pulling out of the running in the mid-2010s.

 

[RasputinLives]

Well Paul Ricard is about to appear on the Cal and he owns that bugger so that might be his solution - buy loads of race tracks!

 

[teabagyokel]

Well Paul Ricard is about to appear on the Cal and he owns that bugger so that might be his solution - buy loads of race tracks!

At least he's paying the costs in that case.

 

[sportsman]

Bernie would jumping up and down with happiness if any circuit broke their contract.
He would sue them for all the sanctioning fees until the contract expires.Plus loss of revenue from TV exposure and God knows what else.
He could then sell their slot to another track, maybe for a reduced fee and be laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[Brogan]

maybe for a reduced fee

 

[sportsman]

Rotten sod."Benevolent Uncle Bernie might do that"

 

[teabagyokel]

Well, Bahrain still want a race. Not enough to stop imprisoning medics, but hey ho!

 

[Galahad]

Australia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Spain, Spain again, Singapore - that's half the calendar struggling to varying degrees with finance or public disinterest or both. Bahrain may be cancelled by force majeure too.

Paul Ricard isn't much good to Bernie without a promoter, and in any case would probably only alternate with Spa. Russia is coming; two, one or no races in the USA, plus Mexico possibly...then I'm struggling.

 

[RasputinLives]

I hear Syria are in the market for one too

 

[sportsman]

Argentina.South Africa.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/19/sport/motorsport/motorsport-f1-argentina/index.html Argentina's bid to host a Formula One race for the first time in more than a decade is under way after work started on a new circuit outside the capital Buenos Aires.
The $100 million project is expected to be completed in two stages by the end of 2014. It is being built by global design firm Populous, which helped redevelop Britain's Silverstone circuit.

 

[Galahad]

There are always rumours about South Africa. Anything concrete this time?

Bernie is the master of making things happen, I know. But I can't remember there being quite as much grumbling as this before.

 

[Road of Bones]

Once Bernie has sidled off this mortal coil, he will probably be remembered as history's greatest ever deal-maker.

He has succeeded in packaging the idea of loud, shiny and expensive toys being driven really fast by the super-privileged into a global financial behemoth that has had entire countries banging on his door waving blank cheques, begging to be included.

You do have to

 

[sportsman]

There are always rumours about South Africa. Anything concrete this time?

Bernie is the master of making things happen, I know. But I can't remember there being quite as much grumbling as this before.

Only this for what its worth.Quite old now.

http://www.sapromo.com/sa/news/south-african-f1-grand-prix
South Africa could return to the Formula 1 calendar "within two years" as Bernie Ecclestone hints that a Cape Town GP is "weeks away" from getting the green light... at least from him.
Wheels24 reported earlier in 2011 that Formula 1 boss Ecclestone hinted at a South African Grand Prix and that a proposed Cape Town circuit was outlined.

Now it seems that plans for SA return to the Grand Prix calendar has picked up speed as Ecclestone stated on local radio station 567 Cape Talk that the country could see a local race "within the next two years".

 

[Josh]

Can we have Jerez back?

No, because the teams would know is just as good as they know Barcelona and we'd still have boring races...

 

[mjo]

Barcelona and Valencia for Spa and Paul Ricard....

 

[RasputinLives]

No, because the teams would know is just as good as they know Barcelona and we'd still have boring races...

They have always tested at Jerez and the races there were usually good. I don't think the answer to why we have boring races at Barcelona and Valencia is because they test there but because of the nature of the tracks.