Perhaps you would like to explain your views to the family and friends of the late Jules Bianchi.

If you wish to watch motor racing with cars crashing into each other, may I recommend the British Touring Car Championship. It's the UK's equivalent to NASCAR, and attracts a similar demographic.

 

THe drivers are having a go at Bernie

 

I wish more people would call him out on his bullshit, he is a god damn snake.
Get him out of the F1 circus and replace him with someone respectable.

 

Not the most impressive letter I've ever read but then again, they're drivers not speech writers ...




PS Enough about the coolest tracks [ED]

 

Ride a motorbike on the UK roads and then talk to me about risk. You are constantly a cats eye away from falling under a wagon. I'd trade his risk for mine any day of the week.

The thing is that Bernie is right. The fans don't contribute. I am a big fan of F1 and have not succumbed to any silly sponsorship deal that has been on any car.

I know I'm not alone either. As such we aren't worth anything!

However there are wealthy people that like the fact that their watch is involved in F1 and will happily pay thousands of pounds for that privilege.

And this is what Bernie understands. He doesn't give a shit about 'the fans' because they don't make him any money.

All of this is fine. I just wish people would stop moaning about it. Next the F1 'fans' will be saying 'our sport' like when idiot football fans refer to 'our club' because 'supporting' a club for a long time somehow means you have the right to influence it!

 

Sky get exclusive rights from 2019:

http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/...ting-deal-2019

 

Everyone who watches it on TV contributes. The TV rights aren't given away for free. over 400m people watch it (although that's been falling as we are all aware). But then Sky paid £10m vs the BBC's £7m but attracts a smaller audience. It's a similar story around the world.

The rest of it is just advertising/sponsorship as you say. The fact that Mercedes' F1 team lost about £125m over 2013 and 2014 (see here) is testament to that. For them, it's brand awareness and advertising, as well as a small amount of engineering know-how that might make it to a road car.

I agree with your last paragraph entirely.

 

oh no. I just bought these for my wife and I as an anniversary treat;

his - http://www.tagheuer.co.uk/int-en/lux...steel-bracelet
hers - http://www.tagheuer.co.uk/int-en/lux...ramic-bracelet

I've always fancied a tag and as it happens the F1 range is at my end of the £££ scale.

 

Agreed. Bernie, much like Max Moseley (when he was pushed) has been in the sport for too long and now appears to be out of touch with his ideas and comments. F1, like any sport has moved on and we need a changing of the guard so to speak. There’s no denying that Bernie had a positive impact when he took over F1 and has done a lot of good for the sport, but much like Sepp Blatter there are questions about his business practices and under the table dealings. This alone should be enough to get rid of him.

 

Ecclestone was quoted this morning saying that qualifying should not be changed from Australia. Which is odd, considering he was very quick to tell the media on Saturday that the format was "pretty crap."

And now, Sky Sports F1 are saying qualifying in Bahrain indeed will be in the same format as Australia, as the F1 Commission meeting held this afternoon did not reach an agreement.

The feeling after Australia was that every team manager agreed to change it, as they were unanimous in voting for an emergency change.
That leaves F1 sponsors (which is absurd that they have an actual influence on the rules) and the F1 promotors.


edit: I stand corrected. It appears Force India wishes to keep the Australia-style Quali format.