JK`s comment to Martin Brundle
Discussion
It was interesting to hear JK talking to Martin Brudle yesterday, basically saying to the british GP bosses..."get ya finger out, britain is the birth place of F1, lest have a proper circuit" ...i wonder if we could ever match Abu Dhabi ??? bet if the british goverment wanted the money for a yet another war they could afford it, but a few million for a fantastic ne Silverstone, i dont think so....shame
I was dissapointed to see so much comparison between Abu Dhabi and the other circuits on the calendar. Yes, Abu Dhabi is an amazing achievement and a stunning venue, but I don't think Spa, Silverstone or Suzuka should try and compare themselves to the place. There's more to life than vast opulent surroundings - there's motor racing!
RobM77 said:
I was dissapointed to see so much comparison between Abu Dhabi and the other circuits on the calendar. Yes, Abu Dhabi is an amazing achievement and a stunning venue, but I don't think Spa, Silverstone or Suzuka should try and compare themselves to the place. There's more to life than vast opulent surroundings - there's motor racing!
I wholeheartedly agree. There's a place for the new circuits, they're of their time, as it were, but the three you mention are too - just a different time. Yes, I know at least Silverstone and Spa have been hacked about endlessly, but they still retain the fundamental character. Well, Spa does anyway. Demanding that venues like this "come up to the standard" of places like Yas Marina by turning them into similar glass and concrete real-life video game levels is ridiculous. I guess your right Rob, i mean i live 5 mins from Brands, which for me has a fab atmosphere, but it would be nice to have something half as nice as Abu Dhabi here in the UK.
I was at Silverstone for the classic in my XK, and to be honest the facilities are sooo pour, and as for those £5.00 blody greasy hamburgers !!! and £2.50 cuppas !! it seems abroad they just seem to have the edge on so many more things, not only F1
I was at Silverstone for the classic in my XK, and to be honest the facilities are sooo pour, and as for those £5.00 blody greasy hamburgers !!! and £2.50 cuppas !! it seems abroad they just seem to have the edge on so many more things, not only F1
Well if JK's such a motorsport enthusiast and it'd only be a few million why doesn't the loudmouthed t
t put his hand in his own pocket? Usual case of put up or shut up, anyway didn't I hear figures of £1 billion being bandied around for the cost of that circuit yesterday?... even doing it on the cheap you'd be spending £500m, not quite pocket change is it?
t put his hand in his own pocket? Usual case of put up or shut up, anyway didn't I hear figures of £1 billion being bandied around for the cost of that circuit yesterday?... even doing it on the cheap you'd be spending £500m, not quite pocket change is it?JK's worth about £40M. Him and a few other rich benefactors with little imagination of what to do with their wealth could easily get silverstone up to spec. But they'd essentially be giving the money away to a loss cause, as donnington has already demonstrated so well a GP on bernieterms cannot be run at profit or evan break-even.
I thought his comments were complete nonsense, how does he expect that level of investment at Silverstone? It's most certainly not coming from the taxpayer and nor should it. In order to invest that much money on a purely commercial basis they would have to pass that cost on to the fans, and why should WE have to pay for the rich and famous freeloading "VIP's" to sit in their nice corporate facilities?! If he wants that, fine, fly to Abu Dhabi every year and enjoy a processional race around a car park. If he wants to see a real race at a proper track with a hundred thousand enthusiastic fans, come to Silverstone.
Where is all this "Britain is the birthplace of F1" nonsense coming from?
It's not true.
It IS true that Britain hosted the first round of the World Driver's Championship in 1950, but F1 began in 1946 (originally as Fourmula A) and the first F1 race was actually held in Italy. Technically the original F1 was to the pre-war voiturette formula - the only British car qualifying to take patrt in these races being the ERA.
When F1 began after the war, these ERAs (which were outclassed even in 1936) were the only decent British cars available. They hddn't a hope against the Alfettaa and the early Ferraris and Talbots of the continental teams.
It took ten years for Britain to get to grips with this F1 stuff.
It's not true.
It IS true that Britain hosted the first round of the World Driver's Championship in 1950, but F1 began in 1946 (originally as Fourmula A) and the first F1 race was actually held in Italy. Technically the original F1 was to the pre-war voiturette formula - the only British car qualifying to take patrt in these races being the ERA.
When F1 began after the war, these ERAs (which were outclassed even in 1936) were the only decent British cars available. They hddn't a hope against the Alfettaa and the early Ferraris and Talbots of the continental teams.
It took ten years for Britain to get to grips with this F1 stuff.
Surely there's a happy medium with the investment at a circuit? The original plans for Silverstone involved changing the circuit radically, fancy new pits etc etc. Can't they just update what's there already? If there are any remaining problems then surely that's the fault of the FIA for being snobby? The teams' sponsors are entertained in their own motorhomes, so surely all that they then need is a fancy building or two off the back of the pits for the other suits (there's lots of space between Race Control and the medical centre) and a decent restaurant or two. The access and parking has been sorted already.
Off topic, but does anyone know what's happening to Donington now? Is it looking a bit half finished?
Off topic, but does anyone know what's happening to Donington now? Is it looking a bit half finished?
Sixty years on, Silverstone is still a glorified airfield venue.. How many redevelopment plans have come and gone in the past twenty years? It should literally be the home of British motorsport with many of the facilities we see at these newer circuits:
It's none of the above, and few of the necessary facilities are in place. They have had enough time to at least start implementing a vision, and be drawing in the additional revenue to fund a long-term programme. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, even Portimao have been constructed from scratch on this basic business plan, so it's hardly a radical idea.
So yes, he and Bernie have a point.
- A range of test tracks, usable simultaneously
- Constructors on site, with supporting engineering firms
- Permanent (concrete) covered grandstands with extensive corporate boxes
- Museum, business centre, and hotel
- Pit & Paddock facilities up to scratch for both the big boys and the amateurs (race & trackday), the latter making up most business days.
It's none of the above, and few of the necessary facilities are in place. They have had enough time to at least start implementing a vision, and be drawing in the additional revenue to fund a long-term programme. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, even Portimao have been constructed from scratch on this basic business plan, so it's hardly a radical idea.
So yes, he and Bernie have a point.
HiRich said:
Sixty years on, Silverstone is still a glorified airfield venue.. How many redevelopment plans have come and gone in the past twenty years? It should literally be the home of British motorsport with many of the facilities we see at these newer circuits:
It's none of the above, and few of the necessary facilities are in place. They have had enough time to at least start implementing a vision, and be drawing in the additional revenue to fund a long-term programme. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, even Portimao have been constructed from scratch on this basic business plan, so it's hardly a radical idea.
So yes, he and Bernie have a point.
Why do you need these things to host a GP?- A range of test tracks, usable simultaneously
- Constructors on site, with supporting engineering firms
- Permanent (concrete) covered grandstands with extensive corporate boxes
- Museum, business centre, and hotel
- Pit & Paddock facilities up to scratch for both the big boys and the amateurs (race & trackday), the latter making up most business days.
It's none of the above, and few of the necessary facilities are in place. They have had enough time to at least start implementing a vision, and be drawing in the additional revenue to fund a long-term programme. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, even Portimao have been constructed from scratch on this basic business plan, so it's hardly a radical idea.
So yes, he and Bernie have a point.
Eric Mc said:
HiRich said:
Sixty years on, Silverstone is still a glorified airfield venue.. How many redevelopment plans have come and gone in the past twenty years? It should literally be the home of British motorsport with many of the facilities we see at these newer circuits:
It's none of the above, and few of the necessary facilities are in place. They have had enough time to at least start implementing a vision, and be drawing in the additional revenue to fund a long-term programme. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, even Portimao have been constructed from scratch on this basic business plan, so it's hardly a radical idea.
So yes, he and Bernie have a point.
Why do you need these things to host a GP?- A range of test tracks, usable simultaneously
- Constructors on site, with supporting engineering firms
- Permanent (concrete) covered grandstands with extensive corporate boxes
- Museum, business centre, and hotel
- Pit & Paddock facilities up to scratch for both the big boys and the amateurs (race & trackday), the latter making up most business days.
It's none of the above, and few of the necessary facilities are in place. They have had enough time to at least start implementing a vision, and be drawing in the additional revenue to fund a long-term programme. Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, even Portimao have been constructed from scratch on this basic business plan, so it's hardly a radical idea.
So yes, he and Bernie have a point.
Eric Mc said:
Frankly, I couldn't care less.
What Bernie needs to realise is that F1 isn't about how many leds there are in a hotel roof. It is about the battle between the drivers on the track. Without the tradition and history of places like Silverstone, Yas Marina would never have been thought about let alone built.
As Eddie Jordan almost got right yesterday, there should be 6 "protected races".
Monaco, Monza, Germany, Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and a French race.
There should also be a concerted effort to get F1 back in Northern america properly. Canada and USA should have a race each. It is (I guess) the largest wasted market (in F1 terms).
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