F1 returning to Paul Ricard, alternating with Spa

[anonymous-user]

Lost soul said:

What the hell are you on about

I'm talking about the top of page 3 and onwards. 'Sour' wasn't the right word for it, and I can't think of a word that does fit. A pretty pointless comment from me because it really doesn't matter; I just can't stand that kind of attitude.

[JonRB]

MSTRBKR said:

I'm talking about the top of page 3 and onwards. 'Sour' wasn't the right word for it, and I can't think of a word that does fit. A pretty pointless comment from me because it really doesn't matter; I just can't stand that kind of attitude.

Well don't let the door hit your arse on the way out then.

[anonymous-user]

JonRB said:

Well don't let the door hit your arse on the way out then.

Not every post beyond that point.

[macdougle]

Eric Mc said:

Sadly, he's trapped by CVC's desparate need to increase its income. If it doesn't, the whole pack of cards comes crashing down.

Packs of cards don't crash down, they're pretty solid. Houses made of cards on the other hand...

[Woody]

FourWheelDrift said:

Paul Ricard can apparently create 167 different circuit layouts so I wonder what one they wil use for the race, or will Mr Tilke be let loose to make yet another circuit change.

PDF of the circuit layouts here - http://www.circuitpaulricard.com/views/public/pdf/...

Circuit layout 1A-V2 is my preferred by very unlikely layout.

Holy crap! You have to really look to spot the difference on some of them!lol

Chris

[alexpa]

skinny said:

i've been to paul ricard several times for testing. the access is a small road up the side of a mountain, and i don't recall seeing much in the way of grandstands there either.

You can fly in ;o)

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=paul+ricard&hl...

[TVR1]

RDMcG said:

Not to worry. The Grand Prix of Gibaltar will return, followed by Turkhmenistan,Chad and Tonga. That tradition stuff is for wets. Following the encouraging example of Bahrain, spectators will be done away with.
Not sure we really need drivers either. Possibly some sort of robots will do the job.

Meh I say. Bring back The Tripoli GP!

[TheHeretic]

TVR1 said:

Meh I say. Bring back The Tripoli GP!

Historic indeedy.

[mike80]

alexpa said:

You can fly in ;o)

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=paul+ricard&hl...

It's probably a lot easier than Monza to get into - probably not all that different to Spa in all honesty, once you are off the motorway. I think it's a great circuit, will be interesting to see what they do with it for F1 races.

[tank slapper]

Gaz. said:

You have this arse about face, Spa isn't making way for Paul Ricard, Paul Ricard is alternating with Spa so Spa remains on the calender.

I don't see the logic in this. BE charges crazy amounts of money to hold a race, such that it is extremely difficult for circuits to pay it. As a result Spa are forced to not hold the race every year because it is so expensive. BE handily has a spare circuit in Europe that he can use in place of them when they don't hold it. So through BE and CVCs greed, we lose one of the best circuits as a permanent fixture on the calendar. I'm not sure how this is viewed as positive.

[tank slapper]

Yes, you are right about a business maximising its profits, but this is also a sport. In my opinion, profit should not be the overriding consideration for organisers when talking about a sport, since it makes the purpose of the whole thing secondary to making money. He might as well be making washing machines.

That is not to say I think that sport shouldn't be making money, but rather the sport should be the first priority. It is only because of the highly questionable way the regulatory authority went about allocating the broadcasting rights that we are in this situation.

[Derek Smith]

Gaz. said:

If you sell something, do you get as much as you possibly can or just give it away because it would make someone else happy?

Whether we like it or not Bernie has 19 weekends a year to sell his show and will sell to the 19 highest bidders. If there are more bidders than slots available then price goes up, if there are less bidders than slots the price goes down.

Bernie is going to be very busy in the next three years as a lot of venues are up for renegotiation during this time, if they all tell him to ps off then the price to play will plummet.

So Ecclestone is a salesman. Nothing more. He allows circuits to use the commerical rights and he takes the lion's share of the money. I thought someone mentioned enthusiast for the sport, but I must be wrong.

It is not quite as simple as you suggest. He cannot sell to the highest bidders regardless, not yet at least. I'm not sure if Ecclestone is going to be busy in the next few years. There are suggestions he is divesting himself of his obligations.

The floatation of F1 might well change a few things or it could be a massive fundamental reorganisation of the sport. The valuation of $10bn is a bit pie in the sky. As there have been no published accounts the value is unknown. One wonders if there are enough people out there wanting to give CVC $2bn or so without such statistics. Some may feel that CVC are in urgent need of the capital, whilst others might know something we don't.

Whatever, the build up to the concord agreement is critical. Whatever form the sport takes in the next period will be vital to the sale. I don't see how the float can go ahead without the signatures of all the teams. At the moment we have Merc holding out, along with one or two others. There has been a suggestion that McL have signed but we've had no official word.

The Gribkowski trial, and the revelations, have hardly been the best preparation for the sell off, and nor has the fuss surrounding the Bahranian GP. Then there are the complaints about prices from Oz and iffy noises coming from the USA. There have been suggestions that China isn't overwhelmed by the spectacle.

Ecclestone cannot just sit back and await the hordes knocking at his door. He has got to do something. The sell off, rumoured to be in June, is a massive weight around his neck. He must prepare and things are not looking 100% at the moment.

If the Euro collapses what hope for 50% of the rounds? Without Europe, what hope for F1?

[Mark_Karting]

I am personally too young to have seen racing at Paul Ricard in the past, I have always really known it as a test track. Therefore I cant really comment on that. I am however a huge fan of Spa, it has provided some of the best GP's over recent years and is an all time great.

I am also hoping to attend Spa this year, if that doesn't happen it looks like I'll be waiting another 2 years unfortunatley

[FourWheelDrift]

Short Paul Ricard circuit onboard 1990 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuyt0C5JhAc

Prost/Senna 1988, same layout - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG-YVa70-JE

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Tuesday 24th April 22:21

[TheHeretic]

Gaz. said:

Here we are:

Gaz said:

Monaco
Silverstone (current contract expires 2027)
Singapore
Yas Marina (current contract expires 2021)

It is less rosy for everyone else:

Melbourne - contract expires in 2015.
Malaysia - current 2015 contract extended to 2020 to host night races.
Shanghai - contract expires 2017
Bahrain - contract expires 2017 but a hot potato
Catalunya - contract expires 2016, may alternate with Valencia but unlikely to be renewed at all.
Montreal - expires 2014
Valencia - contract expires in 2014, may alternate with Catalunya after 2016 but almost certain to be canned.
Germany - Hockenheim contracted until 2018, N'ring expires this year.
Budapest - contract expires 2016
Spa - expires 2012, was seeking alternation with Nurburgring.
Monza - expires 2016.
Suzuka - expires end of 2012, no new negotiations yet.
Yeongam - seeking renegotiation of it's 2016 contract (current has option to 2021)
New Delhi - expires end of 2012.
Austin - ???
Sao Paulo - current contract expires 2016.

Bernie is going to be a busy bloke for the next few years.

Singapore had quite a convoluted deal and I couldn't find any sources that held a consensus, they seem certain to keep their GP forever and a day as they make a lot of money from it & it is a popular venue with teams, drivers, spectators and audiences.

Hope Suzuka gets back on the menu!

[JonRB]

We're getting to the point where the teams are already talking about having two entire sets of equipment so one can be in transit whilst the other is being used. If we have any more dates then not only will this happen but the personnel and drivers will get burned out. I really can't see how we can have more than 20 races a year.

[anonymous-user]

JonRB said:

We're getting to the point where the teams are already talking about having two entire sets of equipment so one can be in transit whilst the other is being used. If we have any more dates then not only will this happen but the personnel and drivers will get burned out. I really can't see how we can have more than 20 races a year.

So much for gearboxes lasting 5 races or 8 engines per year to reduce costs, if you have to create a shadow team at huge expense just to be able to be ready on time for the next race. Pretty sure the smaller teams just couldnt do it either.

[JonRB]

mAKES

djstevec said:

So much for gearboxes lasting 5 races or 8 engines per year to reduce costs, if you have to create a shadow team at huge expense just to be able to be ready on time for the next race. Pretty sure the smaller teams just couldnt do it either.

Quite. Makes a mockery of the whole thing.

[robinessex]

I'm not an accountant or business type person, so can someone tell me what CVC actually 'own' re F1. I remember years ago when a group of us marshals were chatting to John Webb, the 'boss' of Brands Hatch, many years ago in the Kentigon, who said that as long as the income from the bi-annual GP payed for the circuits costs on the non GP year, plus a bit of profit, he was happy. This amounted to about few million quid. So if the present GP circuits all run nowadays on this basis, the cost of a GP isn't that great. Unless you've got a finacial leech called CVC in the frame. If we started F1 from new again, the teams supporting themselves from their sponsors income, and the race circuits covered their costs + 25%, then F1 would be 'affordable', wouldn't it? Or have I missed something somewhere?

[simonrockman]

Valencia -> Paul Ricard -> Monaco isn't too far a journey, most of it is the A8 which tolls aside is easy and quick. You could have three races in three weeks.

Simon