Donington looks(even) less likely

Most people in Formula One are sceptical that Donington will be ready to host the British Grand Prix in 2010, if ever. Developments today will only deepen that scepticism with the resignation of Lee Gill, the chief operating officer, plus several other key players in the management structure also leaving.

The key question is this: will Bernie E have the nerve to cancel the British Grand Prix in 2010 even if Lewis is the reigning world champion or even a recent past champ? I doubt he would do that. It would be a massive PR disaster for Formula One in Britain, it would irritate many of the teams who are based in England and Lewis himself would be justifiably annoyed that he would not be able to drive on home soil.

Bernie is a hard man but he is also a pragmatist and, as we have seen recently, strongly-held positions in Formula One "politics" can quickly go soft. Even though the BRDC irritates the hell out of him, he may have to deal with them again...in the meantime we await developments. Maybe Simon Gillett(chief executive at Donington) is going to pull a rabbit out of this particular hat...

Comments

[David Lightman]

There's more chance of a GP in Baghdad in 2010 than in Great Britain sadly.

[Tim]

I suspect Bernie has the nerve to do practically anything that suits him at the time.

Donnington failing to get up to spec in time may not necessarily result in no British GP. When Brands Hatch was given the British GP in the not so distant past but then failed to get planning permission, it was obliged to leased Silverstone to host the race at enormous cost.

[F1-Insider]

Off message a little, but total respect to Mark Webber who is the ONLY guy in the paddock that has had the balls to say it as it is regarding Max Mosley and the scandal involving him. Many us will not forget it or let it be forgotten.

The Ecclestone handling of the British Grand Prix is just one of many reasons why I believe he should be replaced by a person who appreciated the historical perspective of F1 and doesn't just chase the money - ask yourself, when was the last poor British Grand Prix? and compare that to the likes of Hungary and Valencia and Barcelona and etc etc.

Too many people are too scared to say it as it really is.

[sean harrison]

I hear that former F1 PR guru Nav Sidhu has also chucked in the towel today. His agency were looking after the PR for Donington. What on earth is going on at this place! Just when you thought the British GP had found some stability and now this! I too don't believe this circuit will get its act together in time. I too favour the Baghdad GP likelihood!

[George]

seriously? you think it wouldn't be fair not to let the world champ have a race at home?

What about all the drivers that don't have a Grand Prix in there home country? What about all the World Champs that never get to take part in there home grand prix?

If you think Lewis winning the championship will decide the fate of the british Grand Prix, I'm left with no choice but to think of you as delusional, it might be enough to bring it back if it does slip from the calendar.

Either way I don't think we will see F1 cars running at silverstone after next season until the circuit is being run by someone other than the BRDC.

[Dean Rodrigues]

There's no way in hell Bernie's gonna cut the British Grand Prix. Here are just a few reasons that immediately spring to mind:

a) The drivers won't be happy - Silverstone is one of the last remaining "drivers' circuits" with challenging high speed corners like the Maggots/Becketts section.

b) The teams won't be happy - especially given half of them are based in England. Silverstone, or even Donington for that matter, is (obviously) the most local track, and therefore all these teams' big PR events will be at the British Grand Prix. Which leads onto the third, and possibly most important point:

c) the Sponsors won't be happy. The sponsors of the British teams in particular, as axing the British Grand Prix axes the home race for their teams, and thus the biggest market for selling parafinalia with their logos plastered all over it. True, a large part of sponsorship nowadays is tailored towards brand-recognition in emerging markets, but no sponsor would be happy about F1 leaving the world's 5th biggest economy, not to mention...

e) ..the HISTORY. Silverstone, and Britain, are the cornerstones of F1 alongside Monza and Monaco. Getting rid of the British GP would be like getting rid of Test matches at Lord's. Sacrelige.

Finally, f) the fans. Specifically, the Lewis Hamilton fans. If Bernie's got any brains (and lets not kid ourselves, he does), then he will realise that a World Championship challenger massively increases interest in the sport in the country. Take Spain for example - the Spanish GP would have been axed pretty soon if "Golden" Alonso hadn't rocked up and done what he did. Attendances were dropping, but all of a sudden the place is teeming and now there's another one in Valencia. If Lewis were to win the Championship this year, I have no doubt that a similar thing will happen in Britain (although we never had the falling attendances that Spain did).

I think that's all I've got to say right now, but I totally agree with Ed's analysis on this. Bernie's just playing mind games as usual.

[IDR]

Dean, I wonder what should be your "d)" reason, but I'm going to take the initiative to make it in your name:

d) Everything in F1 is about money. Just money, no fans, no history, no team complains...

Spain has two races because they pay loads of $ to Bernie. Full stop. Maybe you think England should have it for free, and maybe you're right, but I'm afraid Bernie motivations are quite a lot different.

So if you want a race there, you know what to do.

[Ralph Pat]

Can anybody tell me what is wrong with Brands Hatch as a venue? Is it that they don't want to stage the Grand Prix, or they can't? I remember some fantastic F1 races there!

[Richard]

GEORGE - apart from Finnish drivers, every world champion of the last 40 years has had a home grand prix.

Apart from the Finnish drivers, it's only Robert Kubica in the current F1 line up that doesn't have a home GP.

Whilst it may seem unfair on the Finnish, when it comes to drivers that have no home GP, they are the exception rather than the rule.

British cars have won 35 out of the last 50 drivers world championships (37 if you include the recent British built Renault wins), and British drivers have won 12 of the last 50 world championships, so if these aren't good reasons to keep a British GP, nothing will be.

I don't think there's anything delusional about Hamilton influencing the decision to hold a British GP. Bernie is mainly interested in the money, so he's unlikely to want to miss out on the revenue that Hamilton would generate in Britain if he wins the title.

[Ralph Pat]

Can anybody tell me what is wrong with Brands Hatch as a venue? Is it that they don't want to stage the Grand Prix, or they can't? I remember some fantastic F1 races there!

[Matthew Bailey]

It is unlikely they will drop the British GP entirely as it (reputedly) has protected status in the latest Concorde agreement (alongside one or two other venues).

Note also that a "mystery investor" recently took a large ownership stake in Donington - and if it is who I think it is I am not surprised to see current management ejected. Anyway look out for FOBs being appointed to important jobs at Donington.

While I would love it to return to Brands Hatch, this will not be possible until the circuit is brought up to modern F1 safety standards which would involve a very substantial remodelling (Clark Curve in particular I suspect).

[Juan]

I just cant understand why britons in general dont claim for a urban GP in London. It would be very exciting to watch out a F1 race in such a historical and well cinematographic characterised place and neither I understand why GB doesnt have a really amazing F1 circuit having such a F1&Motorracing history.

Ecclestone has to really watch out that Alonso lands into the Ferrari box. Spains fans have not decreased their interest what pacience has a limit and money struggles.

[Jason Emerick]

Unfortunately, the indicators are clear. It appears that Bernie's ultimate aim is to move pretty much all F1 races to venues where the government either puts up or guarantees the race fees to FOM.

Since FOM will be getting paid by officials using other people's money rather than business people who are looking at the bottom line on behalf of their investors, he can push those race fees ever higher with less resistance (politico's looking for self-agrandizement on the taxpayer dime are so much easier to deal with than business people, after all).

So, no US Grand Prix any time soon (I don't like Tony George much, but he does look hard at the bottom line and the P&L statements), and you will watch the European races disappear one by one - starting with the British GP - as the dates are re-allocated to yet another 3rd world country whose politicians are willing to cover FOM's fee with taxpayer revenue, pay Hermann Thilke to build another "cookie cutter" track and get Max's FIA to rubber-stamp the whole thing as "expanding the sport". The paddock doesn't have much to say about where the races are held anymore - and they know it. History for FOM is how much they got paid for last year's race and how much more can they get for this year's.

I believe that by the 2013 season, if Bernie has his way, Europe will be down to two or three races at most, all of them government financed.

No more Silverstone. No more Spa. No more Hockenheim. Maybe even no more Monaco. Not a pretty prospect.

[GFehr]

Well, anyway, back to Donington: the whole business sounded pretty preposterous from the start and it's not only easy but imperative to believe that Bernard Charles was just doing the BRDC with his usual number of fake-'em-out-with-a-decoy-offer. May not be over yet but it looks like the decoy drowned in the duck pond a bit sooner than even Bernard Charles expected it to. Pretty feeble, but then again Bernard Charles is two years shy of eighty on the odometer, so it's understandable. Almost makes me sad.

Well, not really.

More generally, have to agree (for what it's not worth) with the overriding sentiment herewith expressed that in slot car racing these days it's all about money, and about the fools who are willing to pay, and the fools who can't get enough money out of it no matter how impossible it will ever be for them to spend it all.

The latter includes teams, drivers, the sponsors' trophy wives, the whole lot.

The former includes the trophy wives' husbands, and....."fans", meaning:

a) those prepared to motor up to Northhamptonshire year after year to drop a supremely stupid amount of money to squat in the mud, that could much better be spent on something pointless such as a suitable charity, or at the very least for a month of Sundays getting pissed at the local, watching these obscenely-paid kart jockeys on TV instead. I mean, it's neat to do it maybe once in your life, even for that kind of dough -- sort of like the old Concorde thrill (which I never got around to -- was waiting for those off-season bargain fares to kick in). But that's it.

(Well, okay, maybe take your kid there once as well, to sort of pass on the "tradition");

or,

b) those eager to fly to some benignly dictatorial sand trap and spend more in four days than the Filipino or Bangledeshi toilet-scrubber back at the hotel makes in a whole year. Or maybe it's two years.

Let's just say three.

F1 and pretty much every other kind of "sport" these days, above a certain level (do we really need to talk "Olympics" again?), is just bloody corrupt. And everyone is in on it. It's the way of the world. It's modern times. It's all a show and, excepting very rare occasions, I for one can get more kicks making shadow puppets with a flashlight. And for free (batteries not included).

Whingeing about dear old Silverstone being jilted by dear old F1 (which is merely another brand name I might add -- not a "tradition") will mean little until people just refuse to pay what it takes to get through the gate. And/or -- better yet -- start writing "sponsors" en masse and saying "your product stinks because you support all this stupid crap."

Guess what? Ain't gonna happen. We've all bought into it, right down to the officially sanctioned twenty-quid-a-pair Chinese spandex crotch pinchers that tend to evaporate either when it rains or when the sun shines. I keep a pretty close eye on eBay for this sort of thing and if I could find a pair that said "Minardi" and made my butt look cute again I just might would buy them for myself.

If F1 really leaves Silverstone (and pardon me if I don't lose sleep pretending it will) and if the Brit drivers and manufacturers and sponsors and the BRDC and the Beeb or ITV and whatnot really think Silverstone is all that bloody important, then I have to think they could put on a show there that would be ex-F1. Used to happen all the time. "Non-title" races, they was. (Happened at Donington, I seem to recall). Deduct what they wouldn't have to pay Bernie for him to smirk from his helicopter, and the ticket prices could be, well, maybe smaller than a horse aspirin at least.

They could call it something like "The Late Queen Mother's Cup" or "The Bud Lite Marks & Spencer Grand Prix of Ride A Cock Horse To Branbury Cross". Really doesn't matter. It would be a car race.

It wouldn't be "Formula One"? It wouldn't be for The "World" Championship? And how would we ever know who the officially sanctioned winner would be, lacking the F1 trademark jangling on a ring stabbed through his left nostril?!??!

Oh dear, oh dear.

And if Bernard Charles were to rip off his oxygen mask and brandish his walker, and threaten to have all their heads? Well, cheerio, ducks. Let him and Max and Luca and the Sheik of Araby watch Ferraris-in-heat chase Ferraris-in-heat for the rest of their few remaining days.

But it ain't gonna happen.

So now that I've ticked everyone off again (or just put them to sleep), time for bed and a book, which means as stated in that order that the book will lose in respect of poor qualifying.

[Derek Smith]

Ralph Pat,

You ask if Silverstone should get their GP free. Firstly, isn't that precisely what Monaco pays? And secondly, there's no suggestion that Silvestone should not pay a fair price. However, with the multiple demands of Bernie, the only way the BRDC could run it is with financial backing from the government.

Mind you, the taxpayer has forked out for roads around Silverstone which now, it seems, will have no particular purpose. I for one would resent thowing similar good money after bad for roads around Donington that will probably be used just the once.

Jason's summary is all too believable.

Mind you, there is an upside. Europe is a big market for Mercedes, Renault, BMW, and FiAT. Remove the races and these companies might well look to an alternative series. We might then go back to our routes and have a European series of GPs, by whatever name. EF1 anyone?

[IDR]

The business model in F1

I think many of us have commented about should be wrong if some of the most traditional tracks of the current F1 championship were out of the season.

For a F1 fan perspective, Silverstone, Monza, Monaco, Spa, Magny Cours… are not great tracks because the lay-out or because the infrastructure, those tracks are great because we have shown (or read about it) the most of F1 greatest drivers, giving us the greatest moments of F1 history.

New tracks, as Valencia this year, nobody can remember any great overtaking, accident, or a great drive under rain just because all current F1 heroes never drove there.

And IMHO when we talk about the Glamour of a venue, we are talking basically about this, despite nobody pays this goodwill.

Lets talk about the current business model of F1.

Looking at the whole value chain of F1, basically you have:

The Costs of F1 are paid by:
1) Motor car manufacturers: Power train
2) Teams: Car and Drivers
3) Tyre manufacturers: Tyres
4) Circuit owners: Race Infrastructure
5) Media: Show infrastructure
6) Governing body: Regulatory

The income comes from:
1) Sponsors: Teams, Circuits and Drivers
2) Fans: Entrance fees
3) Media: TV rights
4) Internet: I would like to consider it, but seems to me FOM is blind enough to create a new income with this.

(Maybe someone would add the Market: Buying more cars from those manufacturers who participate. But this is not very clear and very difficult to value.)

I have not had any opportunity to see how this business model balances. I think is one of the most well kept figures. Lets suppose, as F1 is still considered a sport (serious debate on this, btw), is a “zero balance” model. (Total Income=Total Costs)

The big question is how are distributed the income through those who are supporting the costs, and this is a mess. FOM (and the FIA, from the moment FOM has to pay FIA for the rights) is taking most of the revenues meanwhile they are supporting a small portion of the costs, so, the rest are basically loosing money, or near to loose it.

IMHO, we are seeing how CAR Manufacturers, TEAMS and TRACK owners are declining progressively.

For the tracks issue, as JASON EMERICK has commented in this thread, it seems that those private track owners are having so much problems to found a way to survive with a positive P&L.

Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone has found a new way to increase his income: GOVERMENTS: Politicians who put money in the value chain, with the (theoretical) aim of developing the country’s (or city) international awareness… using public funds of course. But again this new way to fund F1 goes only to one pocket, his pocket.

How much time it will take Motorcar manufacturers, support this? I’m afraid not so much; despite they have been since more than 50 years.
And how should be the proper way to guarantee the survival of F1?

I’m not quite sure about this; I’m just a F1 aficionado, not an expert.

But what I know is, in a “zero balance” model, those who support the biggest part of the costs, should run the whole business, and those who participate in a part of the value chain for management proposes only (as FOM and FIA), should be controlled by the others on an “open book” policy.

[Gary M]

Jason, While I hate to admit it I have to agree with you. This however is not inevitable, just very likely.

I am not sure how it can be stopped, it is not just Formula 1, it is not just sport. It is the world we live in now, completely and utterly dominated by greed. It used to be that sport was a welcome distraction from the ills of the real world. Look what is happening to football, the Manchester City take-over a prime example of how money is killing sport not making it better.

A fairly depressing post I know but I am sick of men with money ruining everything that is good in the world, including of course Formula 1. I am sure I am not alone, but what can be done?

[peter]

When Donnington was announced I never believed it could be ready in time to host a GP.

Bernie went this route as a way of getting rid of the British GP, and he thinks he would be able to claim that "it's not my fault guv, blame Donnington".

My bet is that he has already got a verbal agreement with another country (try Russia?)

Never delude yourselves that Berie has any sense of loyalty to the UK or to F1, and I'm almost embarassed to say that maybe Spanky Max may turn out to be the guardian of F1.

[Tupi]

I was not sure where to post this news, has nothing to do with the british GP but it has with all this spanish racism stuff that has been going on for the last weeks. This was last week in an english stadium, and would like to know if it is racism and principally if it depicts all of the brits...
http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/internacional/espanoles/es/desarrollo/1161773.html

[Richard]

I think we need to take a step back and realise that Bernie is no fool. He will know that it would be all too easy to upset the equilibrium by removing all the historic European venues, and I don't believe he would take such a gamble.

For all we know, this could be Bernie's idea of teaching the BRDC a lesson. Although he's stated there won't be a British GP if Donington doesn't deliver, I'm sure he will have things organised sufficiently to switch it back to Silverstone if the need arises.

If there really is a new big investor at Donington, who knows what they will achieve by 2010? I'm sure they could make the necessary upgrades to the track in time, it's the surrounding infrastructure I'm more concerned about.

[Bob]

To answer the question a bit further up: Brands Hatch don't have Local Authority permission to host F1 on account of noise. To cut a long story... a few selfish NIMBY fascist half-wit killjoy local residents complained to their local MP and the whole thing was blocked.

Because of these short-sighted cretins the local ecomomy and Kent are missing out on £millions that would be generated in tourism during an F1 weekend.

[Richard]

Bob - now don't beat about the bush, tell us what you really think about the fine residents of Kent.

[Jaxs]

Oh dear, lets clear up some mis-understandings, Spain gets two GP because Flavio owns the TV rights for F! in Spain.
Bernie has and will continue to sell to the highest bidder, regardless.
Tobacco, is a strong backer for Far east countries.

The use of digital advertising for country and product of choice is a key element to the selling of F1. The ability to beam adverts specific to country regardless of GP venue remians the most viable point.

Silverstone, too many restrictions, and with a management that remembers the Bernie of old. Not good for the negotiation.

Already been stated, too many politician see Formula one and the flow of money as a easy ploy for self grandioseness.

Too much money flowing around and Bernie is still seen as the saint that made all the Formula one teams very rich.

Max, a very frail position that the major manufacturers would love to see rid of.

With a world wide drop in car sales, can the majors afford to stay? Will it see the return of the privateers? And a return to a rational entertainment establishment.

The future is not rosy and the green issue has not been addressed to anyones satisfaction.

[Brian]

As well as being people who moved into the area despite knowing there was a racing circuit nearby, and then moaning about the noise! doh

B

[Ian]

F1 is all about money. It's no longer a sport. If Donnington isn't going to line the pockets of the powers that be, then it won't happen.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and once you have al the money you could ever wish for, then power becomes the driver. Excuse the pun!

[Alan Wesson]

Ralph - I agree with you about the superior quality of Brands Hatch - it was by far the best circuit in the world, with the possible exception of Zeltweg and Zandvoort, both of which are also out of action as regards F1. The reason for the demise of all three, sadly, is the same - none of them would have an earthly at getting themselves up to the safety standards demanded nowadays. I used to stand at Druids bend at Brands, and the cars were so close I could almost have touched them. That is such a far cry from the 100 metre run-off areas and 5 metre high catch fencing that seem to exist everywhere nowadays that I can see no way on earth that Brands could ever meet those standards. I hope I am wrong - but even if I am wrong and they were able to modify it accordingly, it wouldn't be like it used to be anyway, because they'd have to make it like all the other bland, flat circuits where you have to stand so far from the cars that you can hardly see them. In the meantime I will just have to look back fondly on the greatest race of all time, the British GP in 1976. I was at Druids then, although I was perhaps the only person in the entire place who didn't want James Hunt to win (I'm a Ferrari fan...).

[D. Edmund Brady]

Tradition is part of life, without
it everything is transient. Motor
racing is soaked in tradition, and
the better for it. The Grands Prix
are but a part of our wonderful
sport, the top level, yes; but the
best? Britain has such a rich vein
of racing...just go to the average
clubbie and you will probably never
attend another GP.

[Nigel]

I lived in Donington village for most of my life and there is no way that the infrastructure can accommodate a GP that lives up to Bernie's requirements. This whole thing has been engineered by Bernie to get the British GP off the calendar and into a country that offers more money.

[John Love]

Did anyone see BE telling off one of the lesser mortals for not showing his ID/pass whilst keeping his own hidden underneath his jacket?

[Roger Norton]

I would suggest that the BRDC has been too complacent in the past assuming that a British Grand Prix was, and always would be, part of the F1 calender. Whilst some circuits have been revamped and new ones built to a 'high specification' especially in the middle east; British circuits have not improved to meet the 'higher standards' required by the F1A. There are now many circuits competing for races and many of these are free to advertise tobacco. If Donington fails to come up with the goods by 2010 then I fear that it will be a long time before we see another British G.P.