India ‘will host 2011 Grand Prix’
‘Ecclestone insists he and Indian company Jaiprakash Associates Ltd are “fully committed” to the project. “Of course we will deliver… otherwise we wouldn’t have entered into an agreement,” said Ecclestone.’
“Formula 1 is a big draw but when one analyzes the brand, there are several key elements. The sport is technical, it is international, it has glamour. It has the best drivers, the Monaco Grand Prix and Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari is the supplier of engines to A1GP and that series could very easily form the basis of a new championship. The words “Grand Prix” are generic and the world of the automobile does not have any specific claim on them.”
What’s up With the BMW Sauber Sponsors?
“Mario Theissen has said all along that the team is in no financial trouble but they do need to fill a few sponsorship spaces on the surprisingly bare F1.09.”
Too Good
23rd January 2009, 0:13
Hmmm I’ve been saying that in various forums. Ferrari getting A1GP order to supply engine and cars to entire grid, would give them upper hand in their revenue share negotiations with FOM(Read Bernie). And with that background I also wondered rationale behind rest of the grid giving Ferrari leadership position in FOTA, Ferrari can leave the group in lurch, the first moment their own interests are served.
Of course the present economic situation has acted as catalyst to tie this group of conflicting interests together. Briatore (Friend and Business Partner of Bernie) is already vocal against another FOTA member BMW on KERS issue.
Call me pessimistic but this coalition ain’t gonna last long :(
DG
23rd January 2009, 16:11
Hang on, if Bernie realises that Ferrari are getting money in from A1GP as well, wouldn’t he argue that they should be getting less from him?
And Williams are now getting revenue by supplying another race series will put them in the danger zone too…
Gman
23rd January 2009, 5:04
Quite a good collection of links- perhaps the best since this format was started some time ago.
I really hope the Indian GP project is a smash hit- for sure they have the population base to get a good crowd, unlike some of the other new venues. But as a proud American fan, it really ticks me off to see Bernie talk so positively about one world power when he has berated and insulted the United States for so long- a nation and marketplace that his quote could just as easily be applied to. I would love him to spin the closing quote to the U.S. sometime by substituting “NASCAR or the NFL” for cricket, but we all know Bernie loves who he loves and hates who he hates….
The BMW sponsorship point addresses the obvious question that I had when I looked at the new car. I am quite disappointed to see Dell leave, but I know the company is going through a rocky time at the moment.
Finally, my prayers go out to Mike Hawthorn- the first in a long and proud line of fine champions and gentelmen from Britain. In addition, I never knew about Phil Hill’s involvement in the championship situation for that year until reading this article. Very interesting, and a great note on the career of America’s first F1 champ.
Arthur 954
23rd January 2009, 5:41
This brand analysis by Bernie Mugabe is flawed. If all teams except Ferrari started a new series they would not be missed. New teams that could make use of the expertise and prestige of historical teams like Lotus or others might be interested in joining.
Everything depends on reducing costs dramatically to make entry more accesible.
Becken
23rd January 2009, 12:44
Are 2009 cars dangerous?
“This week saw the first outing of most of the 2009 F1 grid, at a sometimes drenched, mostly sodden Portuguese circuit. The teams had mixed results, and it was telling that the 2008 Toro Rosso of Sebastian Buemi was significantly faster than the 2009 cars of all descriptions. However, the appearance of the cars leads some observers to worry – not about the beauty or otherwise, but about the potential implications for safety in the sport…”
DG
23rd January 2009, 13:21
“Of course we will deliver… otherwise we wouldn’t have entered into an agreement,” said Ecclestone.
Errr……didn’t he say something similar about the French ‘Disneyland’ bid last year?
arthur954
23rd January 2009, 16:47
The financing of Formula 1
I had not read the whole article, so I apologise to GrandPrix.com : those quotes “it has Monaco and Ferrari” were not from Bernie. Sorry !
In any case, a Ferrari and Monaco are a very classy combination, but so is McLaren and Spa, and Williams and Monza, and a possible future of Lotus or Porsche in Indianapolis, Road Atlanta or Kyalami would be very exciting. F1 would not be any less glamourous if the costs where substantially reduced.
Cheers and thanks for a good article : that was a great briefing of the general situation.