RE: Bernie, Button and Lewis back plans for London GP
Thursday 28th June 2012
How a London GP could look, but probably won't...Jenson button and Lewis Hamilton are to showcase plans tonight at the RAC on Pall Mall for an F1 race around the streets of London - a project that is reportedly backed by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.
Ecclestone: keen to see F1 in LondonThe idea, says backer Santander Bank, would be to create a 'carnival' atmosphere attracting up to 300,000 spectators.
Bernie, Button and Lewis back plans for London GP
Much hyped plans for a street circuit F1 race in London move a step closer to reality
How a London GP could look, but probably won't...
The 3.2-mile circuit would wind its way around the iconic landmarks of London and the West End, starting on the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace and including places such as Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.
Ecclestone: keen to see F1 in London
The plans are even said to have the wholehearted support of Bernie Ecclestone, who is known to be keen to stage a race in London - in fact the F1 supremo has even offered to foot the promotional bill for the event, estimated at around £35 million.
Speaking to The Times, Ecclestone said: "With the way things are, maybe we would front it and put the money up for it. If we got the okay and everything was fine, I think we could do that ... It would be fantastic, good for London, good for England." He even said it would be "a lot better than the Olympics". But then Mr E is never short of hyperbole... Especially if it distracts from other headlines around this week.
There have also been recent proposals for a race around the Olympic Park in the east of the city at some point in the future, too. But with Ecclestone seemingly throwing his weight behind a West End London GP, it seems the likelihood of that race happening is pretty high.
You can see a (slightly) more sophisticated CGI mock-up of the race than our admittedly awesome effort from 8pm tonight (28th June) at: facebook.com/lewisandjensonsantander
Discussion
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jun/28/london...
What a generous chap he is, he's doing it for us
What a generous chap he is, he's doing it for us
I really hope this pans out. A GP in London would be brilliant.
The biggest problem will be getting an act of parliament passed to lift the current restriction that prevents racing taking place on public roads. The last time it was lifted was for the Birmingham Superprix - sponsored by Halfords who's then Chairman happened to be one Mr. D. Thatcher!
The biggest problem will be getting an act of parliament passed to lift the current restriction that prevents racing taking place on public roads. The last time it was lifted was for the Birmingham Superprix - sponsored by Halfords who's then Chairman happened to be one Mr. D. Thatcher!
Altrezia said:
I don't see it happening, but I also don't see all of the hate towards Bernie. He's running a business, and he's doing it well.
I don't think London GP will happen. .
I think the problem that Bernie has is we are all passionate about motor sport and he's lost sight of the this. Its not like Richard Branson. He is just in business with stuff no one is that bothered about. Where Bernie has a Product that gets me up at 5am to watch 90 minutes of racing.
JR.
If you read what Bernie said in the article, if it is epoted accurately, he is already hinting at the prospect of the UK goverment i.e. you and me, paying for it not him. He says it wll cost £35m, it will attract £100m of benefit to the economy, other goverments around the world are queuing up to pay £30m for the right to hold a GP, etc., etc.
Bernie is a great salesman who has done wonders for the sport and is to be greatly admired but do not confuse this with his intent to have a London GP but at somebody else's cost not his. If he really wanted to fund it he would and there would be no caveats in his statement.
Bernie is a great salesman who has done wonders for the sport and is to be greatly admired but do not confuse this with his intent to have a London GP but at somebody else's cost not his. If he really wanted to fund it he would and there would be no caveats in his statement.
Whatever happens I very much doubt it will be a London GP. If one was uncharitable one might think it had something to do with the floation of the rights, or perhaps to deflect attention away from the Gribkowsky shambles.
Wcclestone isn't going to put any money into a European GP. He's trying to limit the number of GPs in the homelands of the sport and take them out to those places which are willing to pay his trememdous fees.
Ecclestone is after money. A London GP won't give him money directly. In any case, he'll probably be dead by the time it could go ahead. The promise of it might add a few dollars to the floatation price and that is all. As a prvious poster pointed out, Ecclestone is a businessman. If there's no percentage then there's no point to any businessman's point of view.
Wcclestone isn't going to put any money into a European GP. He's trying to limit the number of GPs in the homelands of the sport and take them out to those places which are willing to pay his trememdous fees.
Ecclestone is after money. A London GP won't give him money directly. In any case, he'll probably be dead by the time it could go ahead. The promise of it might add a few dollars to the floatation price and that is all. As a prvious poster pointed out, Ecclestone is a businessman. If there's no percentage then there's no point to any businessman's point of view.
reedman said:
I don't think London GP will happen.
.
I think the problem that Bernie has is we are all passionate about motor sport and he's lost sight of the this. Its not like Richard Branson. He is just in business with stuff no one is that bothered about. Where Bernie has a Product that gets me up at 5am to watch 90 minutes of racing.
JR.
There is plenty of other racing to watch if F1 isn't to your tastes anymore. F1 is F1 - it's almost not a sport anymore, it's a separate entity filled with politics, technology and scandal. .
I think the problem that Bernie has is we are all passionate about motor sport and he's lost sight of the this. Its not like Richard Branson. He is just in business with stuff no one is that bothered about. Where Bernie has a Product that gets me up at 5am to watch 90 minutes of racing.
JR.
This comment at the bottom of the article produced a genuine lol.
Ages since I though about that show:
If Bernie Ecclestone came racing past my house in a Formula 1 car, alright if he does it once. The second time I'd be slightly miffed, but the third time I'd be out the front of the house shouting "Oi Ecclestone NO!!!!"
Gaz. said:
I reckon it'll happen.
It won't impact Silverstone at all which has a bloody age to run on its contract to host the British GP.
Contracts mean nothing in F1. If Bernie wants to tear up the agreement with Silverstone he will. The clever thing is, he will convince Silverstone that tearing up the contract will be in their best interests, so they will fall over themselves to do so.It won't impact Silverstone at all which has a bloody age to run on its contract to host the British GP.
Seems too convenient that this story is launched at the same time as both the Olympic Park GP proposal and the bribe allegations against Bernie. Quick look over there, moment. Cynicism aside the reality of closing central London for the number of days required to build, use and de-construct the course, grandstands and other infrastructure, would make the prospect untenable. The London Marathon course is created and removed on the same day. Not feasible with a GP course.
The argument made in the past has been; that the myriad businesses, which would lose trade during the build and removal, would not be the same businesses that would make money during the three days of the race.
Just look at the traffic problems caused by the building of the Jubilee concert stage outside the Palace and then multiply it by the length of the course. Personally I would love to see the race happen, but reality rears its ugly head all too easily.
The argument made in the past has been; that the myriad businesses, which would lose trade during the build and removal, would not be the same businesses that would make money during the three days of the race.
Just look at the traffic problems caused by the building of the Jubilee concert stage outside the Palace and then multiply it by the length of the course. Personally I would love to see the race happen, but reality rears its ugly head all too easily.
More b
ks from Bernie! It will not happen - too much hassle to close the streets, build the stands, do security etc etc.
It was bad enough when the Birmingham 'On The Streets' ( fore-runner to the Super Prix) was being organised. Martin Hone & his team did a fantastic job against a backdrop of idiots who did their level best to disrupt the event.
I remember on the first running of the event the race cars were demonstrated behind Police motorcycles who held everyone at a steady almost walking pace!
A certain Mr Jody Scheckter soon put a stop to that...... he waited for the Police bikers to disappear from view & then he dumped the clutch on the start line!
This idea caught on with the end result being that the Police gave up & left the drivers to it on the understanding that they didn't kill anyone by driving like numpties.
No-one to hurt, the crowds loved the event, so did the drivers & the press after which the event took off in the way that it did.
Sadly Martin Hone got dumped from the management committee who somehow managed to cock the whole thing up resulting in a couple of poorly run Super Prix's which led to the demise of the Super Prix.
Had the event been run/managed/prompted better, & had the political infighting non been allowedmtomget out of hand, a non champinship F1 race would probably have been run & there was a very strong possibility that a GP would have been run in Birmingham.
One of the things that stopped that happening was the whinging from London with the message being 'we are the Capital of the UK therefore only we should have an F1 race around the streets!
There was a lot of opposition from London hence the mooted F1 race never happened & the Super Prix was eventually canned.
A great shame.
I doubt very much that a London F1 race will ever happen. It's just Bernie jumping on the Olympic bandwagon to flex his muscles.
After all he hasn't been in the papers for a few days has he, the Olympics will now take centre stage & he won't like that because he cannot make any money from the Games!
ks from Bernie! It will not happen - too much hassle to close the streets, build the stands, do security etc etc.It was bad enough when the Birmingham 'On The Streets' ( fore-runner to the Super Prix) was being organised. Martin Hone & his team did a fantastic job against a backdrop of idiots who did their level best to disrupt the event.
I remember on the first running of the event the race cars were demonstrated behind Police motorcycles who held everyone at a steady almost walking pace!
A certain Mr Jody Scheckter soon put a stop to that...... he waited for the Police bikers to disappear from view & then he dumped the clutch on the start line!
This idea caught on with the end result being that the Police gave up & left the drivers to it on the understanding that they didn't kill anyone by driving like numpties.
No-one to hurt, the crowds loved the event, so did the drivers & the press after which the event took off in the way that it did.
Sadly Martin Hone got dumped from the management committee who somehow managed to cock the whole thing up resulting in a couple of poorly run Super Prix's which led to the demise of the Super Prix.
Had the event been run/managed/prompted better, & had the political infighting non been allowedmtomget out of hand, a non champinship F1 race would probably have been run & there was a very strong possibility that a GP would have been run in Birmingham.
One of the things that stopped that happening was the whinging from London with the message being 'we are the Capital of the UK therefore only we should have an F1 race around the streets!
There was a lot of opposition from London hence the mooted F1 race never happened & the Super Prix was eventually canned.
A great shame.
I doubt very much that a London F1 race will ever happen. It's just Bernie jumping on the Olympic bandwagon to flex his muscles.
After all he hasn't been in the papers for a few days has he, the Olympics will now take centre stage & he won't like that because he cannot make any money from the Games!
It needs to happen and will be of benefit to this somewhat depressed nation in some worthwhile ways.
However, in reality I do not think it will. We excel at not making things happen now and find excellent reasons for not doing anything.
An 'improved' Brands Hatch would have appeal for me, much moreso than Silverstone. Bernie's organistaion could arrange the finance for a Brands upgrade. Brands is not far from London. A brown or even a greenfield site with a blank sheet of paper fresh start would be marvellous.
Attended many Motor Events at Brands including F1 races and always enjoyed the experience which I cannot say was the case with Silverstone.
No, do not think it will happen but, would be delighted if I am proven wrong with the passing of time.
.
However, in reality I do not think it will. We excel at not making things happen now and find excellent reasons for not doing anything.
An 'improved' Brands Hatch would have appeal for me, much moreso than Silverstone. Bernie's organistaion could arrange the finance for a Brands upgrade. Brands is not far from London. A brown or even a greenfield site with a blank sheet of paper fresh start would be marvellous.
Attended many Motor Events at Brands including F1 races and always enjoyed the experience which I cannot say was the case with Silverstone.
No, do not think it will happen but, would be delighted if I am proven wrong with the passing of time.
.
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