What will happen to F1 at Sliverstone

I don't mean to jump the gun, but earlier today it was announced that Silverstone was not on the prelinimary list of the F1 calendar.

I have enjoyed GP at Silverstone since the 'mud bath', and I was generally quite impressed. It would be such a shame if it were to removed from the calendar. I believe that it is better than some other venues and notably, Bahrain. I think wee Bernie should be 'taken out and shot', as I am now quite uncomfortable about his dictator type role within F1.

As always, I will vote with my pocket if it comes down to it. Besides, touring cars are more entertaining; and you don't find many Alfas in F1!

Britain is the home of F1, most of the teams are based in this country, I wonder whether they will bother to stay.

Shooting is too good for the poison dwarf.

It's all down to the mighty dollar and sadly we live in a country that will gladly pay £600m to build a football stadium but not £150m to secure an international race at the so-called pinnacle of motorsport which is one of it's biggest industries and about the last one in which it leads the world.

F1 is just about money. The Chinese just spent 250 millon on building a circuit, and will pay whatever to get a race there. Silverstone is a fantastic race circuit and F1 is the loser if it doesent go there.

But F1 is boring, classic car racing is far more interesting and actally worth the money.

I went to silverstone this year, it was fantastic, 110k people paid 2/400 quid each to get in and the place was packed. But there was no race !

Unfortunely money makes the F1 advertising boards go around and around in Processional form.
MS for example, drives the supreme Mobile ad at the moment

We go through this crap every year, its as boring as the racing in F1.
Good riddance I say!
Its not as if silverstone is that good as an overtaking track or spectator circuit.
They should have invested more in Brands or Donnington.
FGN

Why not use Rockingham's "road" circuit? After all, that's what they've done at Indianapolis.

Me still thinks this is all down to money. Oil and tobacco rules the way. Bernie is a greedy little basket. How much of that £9 million entry fee does he keep?

hehehe, have you been to Rockingham? Its very small in comparison to Indianapolis, too small to do much with if you consider all the run off areas...

Rockingham,

god awful place went there for touring cars, sat in the grandstand might as well have watched it on telly got a better view and involvement, looked mostly like little scalextric cars on a track, never want to go there again.....

Also as Ian says it's too small for F1 and would never cope - one appraoch road - you've got to be joking it took over an hour to get out with the BTCC god knows what F1 would be like...

I'd love f1 to do like touring cars, run a second race in parallel let the big boys play with their toys but run a second championship for MInardi jordan etc with cost controls (single chassis etc) allow people like supernova and arden racing to join but still let them win world championship points. full grids - loads of overtaking, plenty of action BMW/Merc/ferrari etc get to play ultimate technology and we get to see racing all the sponsors win as well.

SImon
Simon.

If Bernie could do it.... the the British F1 race would be in London itself.

I notice that 2 Jags Prescott - was happy enough to present a trophy and doubtless accept all the hospitality that goes with being a VIP at the British GP - but where is this Governemt when they can put something back? The GP is worth £40m+ to Northamptonshire alone, not to mention the net worth of the all the major F1 teams that are based in the UK.
The Govt are going to pay more for just THE BID for the 2012 Olympics than Silverstone 'owe' to Ecclestone. Why does Ecclestone need £9m anyway? Isn't he/F1 rich enough already? Grrrr.

Originally Posted by Stori

If Bernie could do it.... the the British F1 race would be in London itself.

I'd love to see them try and stage it in London. Imagine closing off large parts for the best part of a week, I'm sure the businesses would love that. And what about safety? Where would the cars run off to, Selfridges shop front??? And then there's the security, controlling the tens of thousands of spectators. No, it's a stupid idea, especially when there's perfectly good purpose built tracks in this country.

F1 is just f**ked up in general and Silverstone is just one element of it. BTCC has been FAR more entertaining this year and is the series I will be most looking forward to next year, never missed a BTCC race this year on good ole MotorsTV - has been some truly excellent RACING(!), F1...take it or leave it... (says an F1 follower of some 15 years).

If something is not done about Mr Shumasher F1 is finished anyway. What a boring season we have had.
Speaking of circuits I was at Monza a few years ago and it was a big let down. You really cant follow the action at a circuit anyway - I handnt a clue who was leading. Far better watch it on TV.
I really missed Ralph Shumacher' antics at the last half of the season. He is a physiatrist's dream - young bro competing in the shadow of big bro, the rivalry with his team mate etc. Its refreshing how he is much less robotic or professional and more human than his brother. Its vain guys like him throwing the odd tantrum that make F1 interesting.

Hey... the dude Little Schu' is COOL!

It's his vastly over-rated team mate trying to overtake someone that provided most of the thrills last year.

Silverstone is now in the global market. It has to compete with the others. If Dubai, Shanghai or even Timbuktu wants a GP and can come up with the readies and the circuit then why shouldn't they get a look in? It's like the demise of the traditional industries all over again ... the Brits have to keep up or lose the GP.

On the other hand when these "new" GPs get bored of F1 and don't run races any more, who is Bernie going to come grovelling back to...?

Ralf S.

True BTCC has provided some superb racing this year (at long last). This is entirely down to a system of performace related ballasting (more you win - the heavier your car gets) and crafty grid reversals. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking this, maybe F1 should take notice?

The recent far east tracks have upped the ante and left Silverstone looking a little tired for me. That said, F1 needs classic corners in it, they're part of the heritage. But I think the neutering job they did to the Nurburgring recently tells all you need to know about how much respect two guys at the top have for either racing tradition or racing challenge.


I'm in two minds, no, actually 3 and I can't decide

1. There is a lot of engineering expertise we have in the UK that we could loose should the UK no longer have the GP so, for the sake of those job and skills, we should do all we can to keep it.
2. On the other hand there is enough money floating around in the damn sport so why is this an issue. Can it not be resolved amongst the extremely wealthy parties involved? Why should a single penny of my tax go to Bernie?
3. I couldn't actually give a toss any more. The last truly thrilling racing I enjoyed was watching Mansell, Prost and Senna duke it out and those days seem so far away now. I've gone from setting the alarm clock to get up and watch the Australian GP and then going right through the year re-arranging my weekends so I don't miss anything to being bored to tears with the 3 or so races I've bothered to watch in 2004. Give me Valentino Rossi instead of Schumacher every time these days. It's almost like there is so much money involved everyone MUST keep up the pretence that it is entertaining for fear of the bubble bursting and it all coming to a crashing halt.