Formula 1 Discussion - And favourite driver?

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Who here is excited for another street circuit? Madrid GP confirmed for 2026.


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Road Work Ahead said:
Who here is excited for another street circuit? Madrid GP confirmed for 2026.


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With a 10 year contract too.

Pushing an actual circuit off the calendar in favour of another street circuit.

Though there is an obvious reason for them to do it, as I said earlier in the discussion about 2026 power units. If you have 50/50 electrical/ic power then you need to be able to charge the batteries.

You know how you do that? Lots of heavy breaking. You know how you dont do it? Long straights which will discharge the batteries quickly. So guess what kind of "tracks" that pushes them to using.

They're so desperate to push the whole electric vehicle aspect that they're willing to gut the sport to do so.
 
Coccxys said:
With a 10 year contract too.

Pushing an actual circuit off the calendar in favour of another street circuit.

Though there is an obvious reason for them to do it, as I said earlier in the discussion about 2026 power units. If you have 50/50 electrical/ic power then you need to be able to charge the batteries.

You know how you do that? Lots of heavy breaking. You know how you dont do it? Long straights which will discharge the batteries quickly. So guess what kind of "tracks" that pushes them to using.

They're so desperate to push the whole electric vehicle aspect that they're willing to gut the sport to do so.
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I think it's primarily the car companies that are pushing the electric aspect for the sake of fulfilling some ESG obligation about enviromental sustainability or some other crap like that.
 
Road Work Ahead said:
Who here is excited for another street circuit? Madrid GP confirmed for 2026.


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Sigh. I'm honestly missing Tilkedromes now, because at least they were racetracks. I have a lesson that Liberty Media should take careful note of.

In the 90s, Nascar abandoned its core fanbase for a host of same-y cookie-cutter tracks near large urban areas to try to draw in a different demographic. They assumed that the good ol' boys from North Carolina would watch no matter what the series did- but that wasn't the case. And when the 2008 crash happened, the sponsors left, and the casual fans left with them. Nascar is still trying today to build up their fanbase to where it was in the nineties, and still can't escape the urge to make wacky gimmick races every now and then to try to reach a potential fanbase that I'm not sure ever existed to begin with.

This is the exact same path F1 is going down now. Abandoning the people who have filled the stands for years to chase Middle Eastern oil money and run on parking lots in the countries where the most money and the cities where the most people are at the expense of actual race tracks, arrogantly assuming that their core fanbase will stick around forever. Well, if they keep ignoring them, they won't. And Liberty can't survive forever on DTS zoomer cash- they'll move to the next fad once they get bored of Maxwinslol. Chasing short-term profit at the expense of long-term sustainability is never a good option.

Only another American company would look at Brian France and say "yeah, that seems like a good idea to do to our series".

The Penultimate Warrior said:
Sauber: no one will beat us in the worst team name championship!

AlphaTauri: hold my beer

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We're at the point where the teams themselves are the sponsors...give it 15 years and there'll be a Burger King Racing Team on the grid.
Weeb Slinger said:
Formula E is the remedial class of modern motorsport. Being told it is your home is like being informed that you are about to be held back a year at school.
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FE is more virtue signaling exercise than racing series, and even they are heading to actual race tracks more than F1 is.
 
The Penultimate Warrior said:
Sauber: no one will beat us in the worst team name championship!

AlphaTauri: hold my beer

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Now how is Crofty gonna say that on air?
A.P. Hill said:
Sigh. I'm honestly missing Tilkedromes now, because at least they were racetracks. I have a lesson that Liberty Media should take careful note of.
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DON'T FALL FOR IT! That's how they'll get you to eat bugs love the Tilkedromes.
 
A.P. Hill said:
Only another American company would look at Brian France and say "yeah, that seems like a good idea to do to our series".
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The sad part is that in the Liberty era, there is no... single person you can point to as being the driving force behind F1. There isn't really a Bernie Ecclestone. Sure, everyone knows that Arab that runs the FIA but he doesn't really have the presence of Sir Oswald's kid or even Todt.

What I'm saying is we're going to lack the strong personality in F1 that would have led to a 'Drunk Bernie Ecclestone' or 'Nazi Sex Party Max Mosley' Twitter account like we got with Brian.
 
Coccxys said:
Another musical street race incoming? And they thought the area around interlargos was dangerous.
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Might as well join in I guess:

JAPANESE CITY EYES F1 STREET RACE - IS SUZUKA UNDER THREAT?​

Jan 25, 2024 by Scott Mitchell-Malm

One of Japan’s biggest cities has emerged as a prospective Formula 1 host with a potential new street track, as Suzuka enters the final year of its current contract.

Osaka, Japan’s third-biggest city behind Tokyo and Yokohama, is seriously exploring the possibility of hosting a grand prix.

Its tourism board first communicated its ambitions in early January and a press conference was held on Tuesday this week that reaffirmed an intention to bid for an F1 race.

A potential Osaka race would likely take place on city streets as this would best fit a privately-funded but publicly-supported business model, although a purpose-built circuit has not been ruled out.

Osaka officials claim to have been discussing the matter for almost two years and that there is local authority support as long as the funds can be raised privately to secure a long-term deal.

The argument being made is a familiar one, as it is believed a grand prix would have a big impact on Osaka tourism, attract visitors from Europe, the US and Australia, and encourage for other events to be held around the race itself.

Officials have been emboldened by a visit to the Singapore Grand Prix to witness how such a city race works first-hand.

However, specific plans do not appear to have been fleshed out and it is unclear if this has gone that far beyond a publicly-stated interest, especially as F1 is believed to be preparing a new contract for Suzuka to host the Japanese Grand Prix.

Suzuka, one of F1’s oldest and most beloved circuits, has hosted all but four editions of F1’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The track is owned by Honda and remains a firm driver, team and fan favourite, especially as the number of new tracks and street circuits seems to be exponentially rising.

Suzuka has been a near ever-present since its first race in 1987, with its run only disrupted by the two years it lost the race to Toyota-owned Fuji in 2007-2008 and two more years from 2020 to 2021 that the race could not be held at all because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suzuka's current contract expires after the 2024 race but the expectation is that it will get a new contract for 2025 onwards.

F1 has tended to favour longer-term deals in recent years, although that has also coincided with either the addition of high-paying races or the renewal of lucrative and/or state-backed existing ones. A medium-term renewal would seem more likely for Suzuka.

Suzuka organisers would not remark upon the prospect of a new F1 deal but a spokesperson said they are aware of the Osaka F1 project although have “no comments on that”.

“But we will do our best to prepare for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix for the fans that are looking forward to it”, they said.

“And we are determined to continue our efforts together with the local community so that Suzuka Circuit will continue to be loved by fans all over the world and contribute to the prosperity of the motorsports culture and industrial development.”

Boosting the likelihood of a new Suzuka deal is how inconceivable it is that a brand new Osaka street race, let alone one at a new permanent facility, could be ready to take over the Japanese Grand Prix in 2025.

That fact has even been admitted in Osaka, where it is conceded that it would be difficult to host an F1 race in the same year as Expo 2025, the upcoming World Expo event that will be held in the city.

That is already courting controversy in Japan, in no small part due to the cost having increased significantly beyond the original estimated budget.

Still, those behind Osaka’s F1 interest hope that – should it prove feasible – the race would happen as soon as possible. That would presumably need to be agreed after Suzuka has been awarded a new contract that could run several years.

One suggestion is that the race could exist in tandem with Suzuka, giving Japan two grands prix to reflect its status as one of the world’s biggest automotive nations with a big motorsport history.

There are also national Japanese interests in F1 at the moment. Honda's current success in F1 with Max Verstappen and Red Bull makes it hugely popular, and its participation is guaranteed as it has agreed to move its works engines to Aston Martin for 2026 and beyond.

There is a Japanese driver on the grid too in Yuki Tsunoda, although his long-term future is unclear.

However, much like the situation in Spain where a new Madrid race will be held from 2026, the year that Barcelona’s current deal expires, it is unlikely that one country – outside the United States, given its size – will host more than one race per season in the long term.

An Osaka-Suzuka combination is also likely to be undermined by their proximity, given they are less than 100 miles apart, and that always risks the races cannibalising one another.
 
I have a few "red line" GPs, where if a majority get replaces by soulless middle Eastern, murican, or street circuits I'm out (having watched every season since '92). Suzuka is up there along with Spa, Monza and Silverstone.

I really, really hope they take note of the reactions to Madrid and Veges and dial back the insanity. I have no idea if they will though. As said above, they could go off a cliff NASCAR style unless someone at the helm wakes up soon.
 
Coccxys said:
I have a few "red line" GPs, where if a majority get replaces by soulless middle Eastern, murican, or street circuits I'm out (having watched every season since '92). Suzuka is up there along with Spa, Monza and Silverstone.

I really, really hope they take note of the reactions to Madrid and Veges and dial back the insanity. I have no idea if they will though. As said above, they could go off a cliff NASCAR style unless someone at the helm wakes up soon.
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The problem is the Cup race in chicago, even the mayor's gone back on his promise to get the event killed. It was a shitshow saved by a combination of weather and an unlikely winner. The industry considers it a success so far - and people are dismissing the whispers of crime actually being a problem there.

Similarly Vegas was an organizational shitshow, but then most of the people I talked to liked the racing. Unless ticket sales were super bad, or collapse next year I fear the 'lesson learned' will be selling the kids $2000 'experiential' tickets on street courses.
 
In terms of team names and sponsors: Once the then ruling body allowed "non-racing sponsors" in the 60's it became slowly comon place. We had Gold Leaf Lotus, then it became Black Player Special Lotus, Marlboro Mclaren etc. Heck we had Durex Surtees in the 80's a sponsor that offended the BBC so much they threatened to not show the car on camera (which was fine to the team's boss as they were always in the back)
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Balr0g said:
In terms of team names and sponsors: Once the then ruling body allowed "non-racing sponsors" in the 60's it became slowly comon place. We had Gold Leaf Lotus, then it became Black Player Special Lotus, Marlboro Mclaren etc. Heck we had Durex Surtees in the 80's a sponsor that offended the BBC so much they threatened to not show the car on camera (which was fine to the team's boss as they were always in the back)
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Just bought myself one of these


Amused me that you aren't allowed to recreate tobacco or alcohol logos on what's considered a toy, but Penthouse is somehow ok.
 
The Penultimate Warrior said:
Andretti bid rejected


GTFO Americans, we want your money, not one of your teams that would take a portion of our money.
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This is a genuine disgrace. They are the best candidates one could hope for and "oh they wouldn't be competetive" is a terrible argument when the whole sport during it's peak prestige had plenty of teams that never could hope to even get into consistent points but still stuck to people's minds because they did something incredible like have Markus Winkelhock lead a race for a few laps because their team did something crazy and it worked. Minardi had a great eye for drivers and the team still got to enjoy a cult fanbase who liked them because they represented the old school of F1 teams in a manner that their evil corporate counterparts at Ferrari couldn't. After all, they might not have been slow but they did their damnest to avoid using pay-drivers, do peculiar moves with a shoestring budget and had the best coffee of the grid.
 
Coccxys said:
Someone just spotted and posted this trade mark application.

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Another musical street race incoming? And they thought the area around interlargos was dangerous.

Also that Haas cycle has begun again. How long into 2024 before they stop to focus on 2025? Then say the same going into 2025.

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I posted that Liberty Media was copying Brian France as a joke. I didn't expect them to actually try and copy Nascar's biggest debacle of the decade. Ho-lee shit.
Mikoyan said:
The problem is the Cup race in chicago, even the mayor's gone back on his promise to get the event killed. It was a shitshow saved by a combination of weather and an unlikely winner. The industry considers it a success so far - and people are dismissing the whispers of crime actually being a problem there.

Similarly Vegas was an organizational shitshow, but then most of the people I talked to liked the racing. Unless ticket sales were super bad, or collapse next year I fear the 'lesson learned' will be selling the kids $2000 'experiential' tickets on street courses.
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I watched both Chicago and Las Vegas- the main reason both were successful last year would be novelty in my opinion. This year, I predict that we'll see the ratings for both decline. Nascar's road course package is already boring enough on actual tracks- on an American city grid "circuit" with nothing but 90 degree corners, we'll be lucky to see one pass. Unfortunately, last year's race did so well in terms of ratings that I'm dreading the media pretending that this year's race was also amazing despite how demonstrably awful it actually is, and then Chicago or some other form of street track is going to stay on the Nascar calendar from now until forever. I really hope they don't get the idea to sign tracks to 10-year contracts like F1 is doing.
 
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