Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

As above cos I have to tell the horrible little git how I feel
Cheers
Colin

7 Foot

Oh Brilliant!
What've I missed? I've not paid attention in years. Not since I realised how ****e it had become and how great the motorbikes are.
Brief summary please...

nik52wrx

I am assuming its Silverstone losing the GP in favour of Donnington.
However Martin Brundle hinted it wasn't all as it seems........

Nik.

Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

Yep, Eccslestone has pushed his luck to far this time, he now says if Donnington is not up and ready he will pull the plug on the British Grand Prix, Their is no way it will be ready because they are having trouble with funding, surprise surprise he is a greedy little bastid and I wanna punch him sooo hard.
Cheers
Colin

MooseRacer

So obviously going to happen and all because the little big man doesnt like the way he was treated back in the 70's.

Donnington will not be ready, simple fact. Then the little tosser will give the race to another country.

Hopefully he'll die within the next 2 years and this won't happen. Absolute disgrace that this UK citizen will play with his home country in such a way.

Spoon

Pssst, it's fecking Donington.

ScoobyWon't

I'd be careful or he'll set you up in another News of the World **** hooker scandal

tiger_mcnasty

TBH I can kind of see where BE is coming from..
I was at Silverstone at the weekend, and for the money you have to pay you don't get much facilities-wise, a gravelly bank with no weather protection, £6 for a burger (and little choice for any other food), lots of standing water around the pedestrian areas, some pretty ropey grandstands, it's just not the standard you'd expect for a world-class event. In some ways it's what gives Silverstone its charm, but really the amount of money involved in the sport should mean it's better than it is, and if this whole Donnington thing is what it takes to give them a kick up the **** then it's probably a good thing in the long run. I do love Silverstone tho

LanCat

BE is the head of FOA who "own/run" The Official Formula 1 Website. The contacts page suggests you'll be lucky to get a response to emails but business@formula1.com looks like the best bet.

joekont

I paid a fiver for a hotdog at Thruxton 3 years ago!

And how do you think the gray haired tw@ got so rich? Making all the venues pay him rediculous sums of money. They can't afford better facilities with the amount they have to pay him.

I haven't watched F1 for years. Bikes are so much better. They actually overtake each other while they're on the track. It's really good. Proper racing an evryfing!!

7 Foot

Bloody hell.
I was at Donington for the MotoGP last year and the facilities were shocking. I was offered free tickets and paddock passes this year but stayed with my sofa and watched it all on TV.
It needs some serious tlc...

Shark Man

In the end of the day, look at ANY British circuit. When it comes to entertaining multi-millionaire hob-nobbers, Arab kings and oil barons. They are all a pathetic joke!

Most have nothing in the way of proper corperate facilities; and Silverstone...a bunch of stacked Portakabins!?!? Yeah, sponsors will love that.

Maybe back in in 1977 or even 1987 it was passable. But now? Not accpetable - especially when compared to what some more modern international circuits have to offer their more elite spectators.

And thats where it lies. Not the average Joe getting heat stroke beacuse there is no shade to be found anywhere...unless they pay even more for a partially covered grandstand.

Anyway, Silverstone as a spectator track has always been somewhat poor, there is no real decent vantage point where one is close to the action without something in the way blocking the view or being on a boring straight. Donington at least is better in this respect. However, like all the other UK tracks, it lacks the plush top end corperate facilities to keep the hob-(k)nobbers happy.

Eddie1980

I gave up on F1 at the end of last season, feed up with forever changing rules, and nanny state safety. Seems I was right, only learnt last week they now have traffic lits on the pit lane exit....

Glad not to be watching it any more to tell you the truth, going to try Goodwood this year as my new petrol fix.

+Doc+

Donnington is a million miles off an F1 circuit and will never be ready in time, not to mention the road network!
Anyone go to the Renault weekend last year....rofl

Paul3446

There'll be even less overtaking at Donington, I can't think of one place where overtaking will be possible, unless someone makes a mistake.

Who cares anyway, F1 is corrupt from top to bottom.

I saw the start of the race on sunday and the commentators were raving about Hamilton passing his team mate, then the bloke in the pits confirmed that he'd been told to let him pass!

Hanley

Corporate

PeteBrant

Is that corrupt beahviour, then? Ensuring the person most likely to capture the championship in your team gets the highest possible result?

Beside which, Kovalinen did everything *but* let Hamilton pass at the start of the race, they nearly took each other out.


With regards to Silverstone, Bernie put it like this.

There are several countries around the world that want a Forumla 1 race. And when they ask what they need to do, he says, "You need a track that has X,Y & Z". And they say "Ok, well show us Silverstone as an example and we'll do that". And Ecclestone is forced to say "No, that's exactly what we don't want.

He can;t keep soind it - In order to maitain a British Grand Prix, there has to be a world class facility. I don't care if its Brands, Donnington, Outlon, Silverstone, wherever. As long as we have one world class circuit, with world class facilitites, I don't care where in the UK it is.

Funkii Munkii

We do have one modern circuit, but if I remember rightly the F3 cars were almost taking off as they came off of the bank on to the straight, so probably not suitable for F1, yes it's Rockingham, no idea of the road links as I've never been.

Paul3446

What a shame that tracks are measured by their corporate facilities.

This should be the last thing that affects whether a track gets a GP.

And yes, I think allowing someone to pass you during a race is a form of corruption. So do the FIA, as they keep trying to ban team orders. It really is no different to what Ferrari did at the finish line a few years ago, it's just less blatant.

stilover

Why?

He's given Silverstone every chance to upgrade the facilities. Every year he tells them they need to bring the facilities up to date with other venues around the year. Evry year the BRDC roll out more upgrade plans that........

never happen.

The Government helped with road network improvements. What did the BRDC do that totaly p1ssed Bernie off????

Built THEMSELVES a new club house.

The BRDC have been lazy over the years banking on Silverstone's heritage to keep the British GP.

If Donington isn't ready, we lose the GP for a year. It happened at Spa-Francorchamps as they didn't improve their facilities on time.

I don't want to lose the British GP for a year, but if that's what it takes to get Donington up and ready for the next 9 years, then so be it.

Bernie wouldn't have given Donington the contract if he wasn't satisfied they be able to do what he want's them to do.

The other problem with Silverstone and it's owners (BRDC) is that people have tried to buy Silverstone (bernie himself who said he'd pay to upgrade it) and every time the BRDC have refused to sell.

Stuborness have cost them dear.

PeteBrant

Its not just corporate facilities though is it, It's the entire package, transport links, amenities, the whole experience. Malaysia, Shanghai and other modern circuits show how a modern circuit should be

And in this regard, Silverstone is lacking.

I mean it's a similar situation to old and new Wembley. Wembley was steeped in History, but as an experience, as in actually watching football there, it was rubbish - You were miles from the pitch & the amenities were hopeless.

I disagree, I think that a team should be allowed to issue team orders, and it is only in the latter part of the season that they come into play as teams invaraiably focus efforts on the person most likely to win the championship -It would be silly not to do this.

In addition to this, if the drivers are on different race strategies, it make no sense at all for the person on the shorter stint to be stuck behind the person on the longer stint.

Paul3446

The most important things for a race track are, track layout, history and spectator facilities.

I challenge any ordinary spectator to visit Spa Francorchamps and then Malaysia and say that Malaysia is the better place to hold a GP.

Of course, if your experience of Grand Prix is to watch them from an armchair, these factors will be difficult to understand.

PeteBrant

Indeed. And that is why Silverstone is lacking - The Spectator facilites are terrible, in comaprison with modern circuits.

Paul3446

And Donington has better spectator facilities how exactly?

In fact, Donington was a great track to watch at, until they put fencing all around the track, and why did they do that? Because they held the F1 race there once.

Tidgy

working in the building industry, if they wanna redevelope donnington, they've go loads of time, construction on site will prob only need a year max if they get there toe down (quicker if they realy try). probs gonna be funding and red tape, simple as.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I agree with you on that, I don't care about facilities, parking, ease of getting to the track, seats in a grandstand etc. Part of the fun of a GP for me is getting to the track just before the gates open at 5am, parking in the near empty car park right by the gates, then carrying my fold up chair to the spot of my choice on the bend of my choice and feeling smug because I got there first It's the same with rallying, I hate the way everything is being sanitised and made accessible 'for the family'. Give me a spot in a far away bit of forest any day (with my three legged stool for a touch of luxury ). I don't want catering, bars, restaurants etc, I bring all my own stuff. Having said all that I've never been to a circuit with state of the art facilities so I've nothing to compare to, maybe I'd love it?

PeteBrant

It doesn't. What it does have is £100million to spend that Silverstone were not prepared to commit to.

Paul3446

Exactly Scoobychick, but you've obviously been there and done it, not just seen it on telly.

I used to go to bike GPs all the time. Highlights that spring to mind are sitting in the pouring rain at Assen from about 5:30 in the morning and then some Dutch guy gave us a big tarpaulin to sit under, which was the closest thing to heaven at the time! Standing at Eau Rouge in Spa watching 500cc bikes nailed through flat out, despite there being no run off! Standing in the empty stadium at Hockenheim in the evening before race day, just remembering all the old videos I'd watched of classic races there. There are so many memories that the modern TV audience just can't even comprehend!

But these are my memories, and no corporate muppet can take them away!

mightyyid

Chaps

There are modern circuits and there are others that are not. Having been to every F1 track on the calendar and others over the past 13 years, while Silverstone is NOT where it should be in terms of facilities, I can tell you that there are others that are worse. Of course, what makes this relevant is that new circuits like Bahrain have the very best facilities.

And, in Bahrain's case, they have not many fans and are generally soulless.

Belgium, a great circuit, has way worse facilities than Silverstone, with rain almost all the time, and guests having to trudge through muddy puddles to get to Paddock Club. Even BGP On a wet day is not like that.

Mr E is used to playing games but he looks at the finances because he runs a business. New circuits may be boring but they are smart and they pay the money - a lot more money that circuits like Silverstone. There are more people wanting a race than not, thus he has the ability to play the field.

Just wanted to bring back some reality...

mightyyid

I have done both and Malaysia is - Spa is great for racing but not great for facilities. Malaysia is mostly good for access (providing you get a copper to provide a police escort which is what we do), simple to get to and from the airport and nice hospitality.

Depends what you want...