137 replies to this topic

[Risil]

Or indeed 12 replacements!

[cpbell]

F1 needs an overhaul if liberty is planning on 25 races a year.

Why not have 36 races with 2 race teams and 4 cars traveling to different events? 4 drivers for each team, each running 15 races of the first 30. The best 2 then compete the last 6.

As a fan we get to watch more races in the circuits we love and new locations. 40 drivers rather than 20.

The only people who will complain about it will be the independent journalists and photographers who would like to cover every event.

Prblem is, that goes gainst the carbon-neutral aim that the FIA and F1 have said they're working towards.

[pdac]

Prblem is, that goes gainst the carbon-neutral aim that the FIA and F1 have said they're working towards.

 

That all depends on how they get to neutralise their carbon footprint. As far as I can see, all of the activities involved in creating F1 (the factories, the travelling, the racing itself, etc.) surely must be carbon positive. So how do they actually offset that to become neutral? But maybe I'm wrong, in which case doing more of some of those things (travelling and racing) might actually be more beneficial.

[tifosi]

Yes, I can't see Brazil happen for sure (not to mention your sources are normally impeccable it seems). 

 

It's going to be weird going back to some of these tracks after 2-3 years off the calendar. 

 

  They just played Copa America in Brazil so not sure why they couldn’t have a Grand Prix.

[RA2]

They just played Copa America in Brazil so not sure why they couldn’t have a Grand Prix.

It depends on travel restrictions to enter back into Europe and UK after GP

[ConsiderAndGo]

I don’t think we’ll ever see this race again, sadly.

[pdac]

It depends on travel restrictions to enter back into Europe and UK after GP

 

Also, the world as a whole has had a great economic bombshell hit. I can well see in the near future western countries clubbing together to try to uphold their economies to the detriment of other regions like South America. To that end, I can see them all wanting vaccine passports and the like - recognising each others but not from areas of the world that are a possible threat to their economic recovery.

[AustinF1]

If we are digressing to expanded calenders here, I still would like to see a longer calendar like 36 races.

Would love to see 2 day events, some in weekends and some mid week. F1 is large enough to have 2 travelling parties. And I would love to see more than 2 drivers in a team, like 4.

What circuit is going to want to suffer the poor attendance that surely would result from midweek events?

[AustinF1]

EPL is 38 games a season, FA cup, UEFA............ fans don't complain.

Watching a game is a few hours, in one shot. A race weekend is a much bigger time commitment for those of us who like to watch more than just the GP.

[RekF1]

I don’t think we’ll ever see this race again, sadly.

I agree it's possibly held its last race, but I'm not so sad about it. It's a poor track for overtaking and I'm not sure if there's been a good race since 2010.

[PayasYouRace]

I don’t think we’ll ever see this race again, sadly.

 

Show your working, please.

[DinocoBlue]

Even if they don't return to Albert Park, I can't see them dropping Australia as a destination. Which then begs the question, were could they go insead? After all (provisionally) its only 8 months to the start of the '22 season. Admittedly time enough to upgrade an existing location, but not enough for a circuit from scratch.

[JimmyClark]

Even if they don't return to Albert Park, I can't see them dropping Australia as a destination. Which then begs the question, were could they go insead? After all (provisionally) its only 8 months to the start of the '22 season. Admittedly time enough to upgrade an existing location, but not enough for a circuit from scratch.

The Bend Motorsport Park is rumoured to be interested, but I'm not sure how credible that is.

Australia is going to need some big events once it opens up again to showcase itself to the world; I'm sure Melbourne will be on the calendar still.

Edited by JimmyClark, 28 July 2021 - 09:15.

[kumo7]

Iwas just thinking a race at FUJI would be great,...

[ConsiderAndGo]

Show your working, please.

They’re tactic is zero Covid which is impossible and I can’t see the F1 circus agreeing to two week draconian quarantine.

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 28 July 2021 - 08:12.

[azza200]

F1 needs an overhaul if liberty is planning on 25 races a year.

Why not have 36 races with 2 race teams and 4 cars traveling to different events? 4 drivers for each team, each running 15 races of the first 30. The best 2 then compete the last 6.

As a fan we get to watch more races in the circuits we love and new locations. 40 drivers rather than 20.

The only people who will complain about it will be the independent journalists and photographers who would like to cover every event.

 

over 20 races is overkill and far too many for F1. The season drags as it is F1 does not need to have the same amount of races as Nascar who ever thinks having more races is a good idea and will bring in the fans is wrong. F1 has lost its core elements being based in Europe with some fly away races but now its too many races on pretty **** tracks, Yas Marina, Sochi. 

[DinocoBlue]

The Bend Motorsport Park is rumoured to be interested, but I'm not sure how creditble that is. 

 

Australia is going to need some big events once it opens up again to showcase itself to the world; I'm sure Melbourne will be on the calendar still. 

Thanks.

 

Just looked it up, I see its grade 2, so it shouldn't take much to upgrade it to grade 1 - just whether or not that could be accomplished in this theorhetical 8 months. ( In reality, we'd have heard about them moving to another track by now.)

 

That all being said, it looks to me that there are at leat two options for an Australian GP (post COVID restrictions), in addition its a well attended event.

 

I've heard that Qatar is looking for a 10-year deal, which only complicates the future of the calendar, but I still can see Australia being a mainstay for quite a while. We'll probably loose something like Singapore to make way for Losil.

Edited by DinocoBlue, 28 July 2021 - 08:51.

[PayasYouRace]

They’re tactic is zero Covid which is impossible and I can’t see the F1 circus agreeing to two week draconian quarantine.

So you think Australia is going to isolate themselves from the world forever?

[MikeTekRacing]

So you think Australia is going to isolate themselves from the world forever?

I don't think so (or maybe they will?) but lack of a horizon makes a deal with them impossible to be reached. 

Meanwhile more eager places would be able to come up with proposals. 

[ConsiderAndGo]

So you think Australia is going to isolate themselves from the world forever?

They’ve openly said border will not open for 2022 and likely 2023.

If that’s the tactic they’re following, as the government has said then… yes, perhaps they will.

[WOT]

They’ve openly said border will not open for 2022 and likely 2023.

If that’s the tactic they’re following, as the government has said then… yes, perhaps they will.

 

We have been starved of vaccine for the greater population. The comments on 'zero cases in the community' (obviously impossible but figuratively) and lockdown is a local commitment to avoid a total national explosion. Until the greater population has been vaccinated, there won't be an opening of borders. We need to get vaccine into the country, this has proved difficult.

[pdac]

over 20 races is overkill and far too many for F1. The season drags as it is F1 does not need to have the same amount of races as Nascar who ever thinks having more races is a good idea and will bring in the fans is wrong. F1 has lost its core elements being based in Europe with some fly away races but now its too many races on pretty **** tracks, Yas Marina, Sochi. 

 

Don't confuse F1 with your situation (or, indeed, my situation and the situation of many other fans). We do not want more races. We can't handle more races. But F1 DOES want more races and F1 DOES believe they can handle more races. 

 

It will happen. The calendar will grow. There's money to be made.

Edited by pdac, 28 July 2021 - 11:24.

[Risil]

Don't confuse F1 with your situation (or, indeed, my situation and the situation of many other fans). We do not want more races. We can't handle more races. But F1 DOES want more races and F1 DOES believe they can handle more races. 

 

It will happen. The calendar will grow. There's money to be made.

 

Yeah, the main worry I could see from F1's point of view is that the more races, the harder it is to maintain tension in the championship when each individual race counts for relatively little and the points chase is more likely to be wrapped up before the end. It's not necessarily unsolveable. But it is a distinct problem from "there are too many races for my personal circumstances".

 

In time I wonder if we'll end up something similar to "classic" F1 where you had a big calendar of races so many drivers were racing most weeks, but a smaller selection of blue riband events, perhaps with special rules, third cars etc.

[pdac]

Yeah, the main worry I could see from F1's point of view is that the more races, the harder it is to maintain tension in the championship when each individual race counts for relatively little and the points chase is more likely to be wrapped up before the end. It's not necessarily unsolveable. But it is a distinct problem from "there are too many races for my personal circumstances".

 

To a certain extent, I think their audience is quite resilient. But, more importantly, it comes down to the numbers. As long as there is sufficient audience to maintain the current level of income from streaming sales and TV rights, then it's a win - because the income from hosting fees will be growing. That seems to me to be the plan - leave the off-track viewing alone and make track-side more engaging and increase the number of events.

Edited by pdac, 28 July 2021 - 11:37.

[Risil]

To a certain extent, I think their audience is quite resilient. But, more importantly, it comes down to the numbers. As long as there is sufficient audience to maintain the current level of income from streaming sales and TV rights, then it's a win - because the income from hosting fees will be growing. That seems to me to be the plan - leave the off-track viewing alone and make track-side more engaging and increase the number of events.

 

Yeah. When it comes to "screw your product to make more money", I can think of worse things than "too many races" that have happened in F1 since 1997 or so.

[SophieB]

I don’t think we’ll ever see this race again, sadly.

Oh no, I hope you’re wrong. Not a massive fan of the actual track but I love the season opener being in Australia. I know this is from a British perspective but it really underscores how global the series is, and I love having to get up very early in the morning to see it.

[pdac]

Oh no, I hope you’re wrong. Not a massive fan of the actual track but I love the season opener being in Australia. I know this is from a British perspective but it really underscores how global the series is, and I love having to get up very early in the morning to see it.

 

I think there is a big appetite for this GP. Even if it's not possible to hold it in the next couple of years, I would be surprised if Liberty or the organisers abandon it. I'm convinced it will be back.

[PayasYouRace]

They’ve openly said border will not open for 2022 and likely 2023.

If that’s the tactic they’re following, as the government has said then… yes, perhaps they will.

 

But you said "ever again". Australia's not going to close forever. It'll be back. If it takes a while Melbourne might be lost to city developments, but another venue will step up.

[azza200]

Oh no, I hope you’re wrong. Not a massive fan of the actual track but I love the season opener being in Australia. I know this is from a British perspective but it really underscores how global the series is, and I love having to get up very early in the morning to see it.

 

i remember when i was a kid waking up at 2 or 3 in the morning to watch the 94-95-96-97-98-99 races live the build up too the races back then was so good 

[warp]

We have been starved of vaccine for the greater population. The comments on 'zero cases in the community' (obviously impossible but figuratively) and lockdown is a local commitment to avoid a total national explosion. Until the greater population has been vaccinated, there won't be an opening of borders. We need to get vaccine into the country, this has proved difficult.

 

Australia's response has been overly cautious (for the good, IMO). Yeah, I could have gone to the GP, I sure miss my family abroad and I sure could have a break in Bali but I can wait for the right moment.

[WOT]

Australia's response has been overly cautious (for the good, IMO). Yeah, I could have gone to the GP, I sure miss my family abroad and I sure could have a break in Bali but I can wait for the right moment.

 

The Aus GP will be back, just depends on which year.

 

I can't wait to get back to Bali either.

[MikeTekRacing]

Australia's response has been overly cautious (for the good, IMO). Yeah, I could have gone to the GP, I sure miss my family abroad and I sure could have a break in Bali but I can wait for the right moment.

This depends on the length of time to the "right moment".

I am sure there are people that die and won't get to see family or their family members die in the mean time. The longer the wait is, the more chances are life flies by.

 

At the end of the day everything in life is about balancing risk. A gouvernment's job is to decide how to do that, and Austrialia has picked a path. There is no light in sight to the end though.

 

We will only know after the fact which approach is better

[Clatter]

The finite number of weekends in a year.

Liberty want 25 races, and I believe the teams have signed up to it. They haven't hit that limit yet, so no need to worry about the number of available weekends yet.

[Myrvold]

They’ve openly said border will not open for 2022 and likely 2023.

If that’s the tactic they’re following, as the government has said then… yes, perhaps they will.

 

Gonna be a while until I can see my sister again, that's for sure!

[pdac]

Liberty want 25 races, and I believe the teams have signed up to it. They haven't hit that limit yet, so no need to worry about the number of available weekends yet.

 

No reason why they can't have 1 race on Sunday, another on Monday and possibly another on Tuesday at the same track (or whatever days they choose). You just need enough time to transfer everything to the next track for the next event(s). They could end up with 100 GP per season.

[BRG]

They could end up with 100 GP per season.

That's worked well for NASCAR.  Hasn't it?

[pdac]

That's worked well for NASCAR.  Hasn't it?

 

Just saying (but I will also point out that NASCAR and F1 have different marketing strategies)

[warp]

This depends on the length of time to the "right moment".

I am sure there are people that die and won't get to see family or their family members die in the mean time. The longer the wait is, the more chances are life flies by.

 

At the end of the day everything in life is about balancing risk. A gouvernment's job is to decide how to do that, and Austrialia has picked a path. There is no light in sight to the end though.

 

We will only know after the fact which approach is better

 

I get your point... as a former expat worker, I sure missed a lot of moments pandemic or not.

 

You can still leave Australia on compassionate grounds, some work/business, etc. It's challenging, but possible. What we are missing is on vacations, holidays and events. I recognize different people have different priorities, though.

 

We'll see how it turns out.