Saudi Arabia added to 2021 calender
Discussion
StevieBee said:
Sandpit Steve said:
Expect the Saudis to spend a *LOT* of money on the facility and the race, the government there is building an enormous tourist resort and this will be the centrepiece of it. The race will be advertised absolutely everywhere as they try and attract inbound tourism, something that wasn’t allowed expect for religious pilgrimages until last year.
There is a quiet, positive revolution happening in Saudi... or at least trying to happen. Traditionalists are a dyeing breed and there's long been recognition that the country needs to start to prepare for a post-oil existence and align more with western norms.I've been to Jeddah couple of times and know where the circuit is being planned. It should be OK. Jeddah is a very cosmopolitan city, completely different to Riyadh. People are more western-orientated and western-influenced. It's a nice place and were it not for the lack of a beer, I'd be happy to spend a week there as a tourist. I'm told that there are moves to permit alcohol for tourists.
There's also a big car-culture there, unlike Azerbaijan.
Whilst I'd rather see more races at the sort of tracks we've seen this year, I wouldn't write this off as a pure money making exercise.
Another way to share and spread what we consider a better set of cultural practices is to export sports such as F1 in to such places. They're changing now more than ever as they increasingly are drawn in to aspects of western culture.
There is a good argument that places such as Saudi Arabia are a positive place for F1 to head to.
I wonder if Lewis Hamilton will be taking a knee and saying women’s lives matter. Or homosexuals lives matter. I bet not he will happily take the cash.
It’s a bloody disgrace and F1 shouldn’t be associated with a country that treats its citizens that way. I won’t be watching that one (I know it will make not one shrewd of difference).
A bit like the boxing. I refused to pay to watch the last AJ fight that was out there and I’m a massive fan of the boxing.
As for the circuit. Couldn’t give a s
t.
It’s a bloody disgrace and F1 shouldn’t be associated with a country that treats its citizens that way. I won’t be watching that one (I know it will make not one shrewd of difference).
A bit like the boxing. I refused to pay to watch the last AJ fight that was out there and I’m a massive fan of the boxing.
As for the circuit. Couldn’t give a s
t. Jasandjules said:
What a pity F1 appears to have no scruples after all. I wonder if WeRaceAsOne is just empty rhetoric
Why is western sport heading to places that don't uphold western standards a bad thing? If you don't send that influence over there, they have nothing to be influenced by.. Other than a 2000 year old fairytale.The entire region is changing incredibly fast. Each new adult generation takes a bigger step forward in liberalness than the last. It's good for cultures to mix and take from one another, even if at the starting point there are incompatibilities of opinion.
Deesee said:
50 million USD per annum, 15 yr agreement, oh and the state oil company is already a key partner/sponsor..
It would not surprise me if they also purchased a team in the next few seasons.
Maybe...It would not surprise me if they also purchased a team in the next few seasons.
One wonders how they justify such commitments to a sport that's planning to shift to fuel that doesn't use the crude oil they sell. Although clearly they somehow have decided it's worth doing.
MB140 said:
I wonder if Lewis Hamilton will be taking a knee and saying women’s lives matter. Or homosexuals lives matter. I bet not he will happily take the cash.
It’s a bloody disgrace and F1 shouldn’t be associated with a country that treats its citizens that way. I won’t be watching that one (I know it will make not one shrewd of difference).
A bit like the boxing. I refused to pay to watch the last AJ fight that was out there and I’m a massive fan of the boxing.
As for the circuit. Couldn’t give a st.
This.It’s a bloody disgrace and F1 shouldn’t be associated with a country that treats its citizens that way. I won’t be watching that one (I know it will make not one shrewd of difference).
A bit like the boxing. I refused to pay to watch the last AJ fight that was out there and I’m a massive fan of the boxing.
As for the circuit. Couldn’t give a s
t. I'd suggest SA's $50 m annual fee to F1 will have zero effect on how the rest of the world looks on them. But F1 will have sold it as a way to window dress their image and 'show a different picture to the world'. There's a better chance of Prince Andrew becoming a beloved national treasure.
TheDeuce said:
Deesee said:
50 million USD per annum, 15 yr agreement, oh and the state oil company is already a key partner/sponsor..
It would not surprise me if they also purchased a team in the next few seasons.
Maybe...It would not surprise me if they also purchased a team in the next few seasons.
One wonders how they justify such commitments to a sport that's planning to shift to fuel that doesn't use the crude oil they sell. Although clearly they somehow have decided it's worth doing.
F1 is a great way of showcasing your country to a worldwide audience, admittedly I do try and stay out of F1 politics, but there would be perhaps a handful of country’s that would deserve a GP, that are not corrupt, a dictatorship, treat its citizens fairly, this is almost like showcasing an olympics in 1930’s Germany.
Anyway, Role on the 2022 Pyongyang GP...
MB140 said:
I wonder if Lewis Hamilton will be taking a knee and saying women’s lives matter. Or homosexuals lives matter. I bet not he will happily take the cash.
It’s a bloody disgrace and F1 shouldn’t be associated with a country that treats its citizens that way. I won’t be watching that one (I know it will make not one shrewd of difference).
A bit like the boxing. I refused to pay to watch the last AJ fight that was out there and I’m a massive fan of the boxing.
As for the circuit. Couldn’t give a st.
What about the "enlightened" Western countries who spread "democracy" around the world or sell arms to other countries who in turn bomb other poor countries, like say Saudi Arabia and the UAE bombing Yemen and starving 8,000,000 people to the brink of a human catastrophe? It’s a bloody disgrace and F1 shouldn’t be associated with a country that treats its citizens that way. I won’t be watching that one (I know it will make not one shrewd of difference).
A bit like the boxing. I refused to pay to watch the last AJ fight that was out there and I’m a massive fan of the boxing.
As for the circuit. Couldn’t give a s
t. Do you take the moral high ground then too?
Or is it just reserved for countries who dont let women show their t*ts off in public?
Deesee said:
Anyway, Role on the 2022 Pyongyang GP...
If he paid F1 to go there it probably would 
A nuclear missile flyover at the race start followed by 100k fans in the stands that sit motionless and silent until their leader claims he mentally steered Lewis to victory and is subsequently applauded
I misread that as boycotts audi gp 
True, but they also race:
In first world countries with an active death penalty (US, Japan, Bahrain, Singapore)
In places with appalling records on fair trials with 99% conviction rates (Japan)
Or high levels of corruption and drugs (Mexico, Brazil, etc)
Shameless but where do you draw the lines on morals for where you hold a race?
True, but they also race:
In first world countries with an active death penalty (US, Japan, Bahrain, Singapore)
In places with appalling records on fair trials with 99% conviction rates (Japan)
Or high levels of corruption and drugs (Mexico, Brazil, etc)
Shameless but where do you draw the lines on morals for where you hold a race?
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