The Rebirth of Formula One? YEAH!!!

[Afghan Dave]

Bernie Ecclestone:

“If they come in here with a gun and hold it to my head, they had better be sure they can f***ing pull the trigger, And they should make sure it’s got bullets in it because, if they miss, they better look out.” .......

BANG!!!

I'm SO happy that the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) carried out its threat to set up a rival championship in 2010.

Bernie Ecclestone & Max Mosley are screwed.

[Adam.M]

Bernie Ecclestone:

“If they come in here with a gun and hold it to my head, they had better be sure they can f***ing pull the trigger, And they should make sure it’s got bullets in it because, if they miss, they better look out.” .......

BANG!!!

I'm SO happy that the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) carried out its threat to set up a rival championship in 2010.

Bernie Ecclestone & Max Mosley are screwed.

I stopped watching F1 years ago when the red cars always won, what's happening?

I heard something about budget limits to help the other teams and the red car people throwing their dummies out of their prams.

[ailean]

Bernie Ecclestone:

“If they come in here with a gun and hold it to my head, they had better be sure they can f***ing pull the trigger, And they should make sure it’s got bullets in it because, if they miss, they better look out.” .......

BANG!!!

I'm SO happy that the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) carried out its threat to set up a rival championship in 2010.

Bernie Ecclestone & Max Mosley are screwed.

+1

I can't help but feel that the new championship will be better run without those snouts in the trough. It would be nice if they both went bankrupt trying to shore up F1 as well.

[blue]

oooo, i really didn't think it would actually come to this.  and to be honest, i still don't.  i think a deal will be done.  it's true, formula one without Ferrari would find it very difficult to survive, and whatever he might say to the contrary, Mosley knows that.

expect major court action from Bernie by the end of the day!

[Oli]

I think it's a really good thing- I can see the FOTA series being more like the current one, and the current one turning into an old-school kind of motoracing, which I think will be really enjoyable (to watch both). I'm interested to see what all the new teams will be like- will they just be like the Force India team near the back, or will they be serious contenders for the titles?

[blue]

well, if all the major teams really do head off to a new championship, then the F1 title could be anyone's!  i'd say Williams would be best placed to be front runners there, but who knows what any of the new teams would do?

and if Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Brawn, BMW Sauber, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are all off racing elsewhere, who will be watching?

[FELINEGUITARS]

Bernie Ecclestone has been a controversial figure in F1 since the 70s

Both he and Max Moseley have been team owners - Bernie had Brabham and Max had March in the 70s
But I have a beef with Bernie with regard his action of trying to remove Britain from the GP calendar
It is as absurd as trying to remove Monaco or Italy , although he wouldn't dare to drop either of them - he'd get lynched
The UK is important for the teams and their sponsors - it is somewhere that has a spiritual and financial attachment for them

Most F1 jobs are here in the UK as nearly all the teams have their workshops here
I can understand why they want to bring in the budget caps, but ultimately it affects a lot of UK jobs so I feel strongly against it
Also F1 and similar parts of motorsport where a lot of R&D is done has advanced road cars more than you could imagine
We take many features of our cars for granted that wouldn't have been as developed without motorsport
Lots of safety stuff like ABS and the like
Lots of tyre technology
Aerodynamics too
Engine technology - I am sure that Honda, Renault, Mercedes, BMW etc use what they develop into road cars at various levels

I have some mixed feelings  about some aspects of how advanced some teams with money to burn can get over rivals whose budget doesn't stretch that far.
I think the ability to do lots of testing and R&D is good for technological progress
I feel putting all the drivers in identical cars and seeing who comes out on top would be fascinating
In the early 80s there was a series where the F1 drivers competed in BMW M1s and some great racing ensued
Niki Lauda shone once again proving that he had raw talent even away from Ferrari

[Ian Price]

I agree with pretty much all of that. Put a good driver in a reliable car and he will do well (Jenson Button), put a good driver in an unreliable car and he won't do very well (Lewis Hamilton). I always thought Button didn't get the credit he deserved, mainly due to being in weaker cars.

[Davey]

Engine technology - I am sure that Honda, Renault, Mercedes, BMW etc use what they develop into road cars at various levels

BMW use the engine blocks from regular street cars in their F1 racers. Renault has in recent years advanced their cars with lightspeed due to their F1 experiences.

most of the technologies used in every day road cars can be traced back to either F1, touring cars (and le mans) and rallying

[Twinfan]

I feel putting all the drivers in identical cars and seeing who comes out on top would be fascinating

World GP anyone?  :roll:

It works best when there's open competition.  All tyre guys, all engines, all chassis etc.  The techs behind the scenes then really come into their own  :)

[FELINEGUITARS]

I feel putting all the drivers in identical cars and seeing who comes out on top would be fascinating

World GP anyone?  :roll:

It works best when there's open competition.  All tyre guys, all engines, all chassis etc.  The techs behind the scenes then really come into their own  :)

Yes - i have seen a few races but not followed it enough to get behind it properly

[38thBeatle]

I expect there will be a deal struck. I am angry about the loss of traditional GP in favour of those far and wide. Bernie is 78- he should have gone years ago. It is all very well having races in new places but there is no need to drop them in Europe.If, however, a breakaway series is created then I expect that F1 will fall by the wayside and Bernie will end up in tears along with his best mate Max.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Is this similar to what happened in British soccer when the Premier League was formed?

[Philly Q]

Is this similar to what happened in British soccer when the Premier League was formed?

I think it's more like Darts when the PDC split away from the BDO.

Max and Bernie will carry along much as before, with a load of second-rate teams unearthing talented young drivers who'll promptly be poached by the other lot as soon as they've won a few races.  Money will be tight, so no more races at the glamorous hangouts of the international jet set.  Instead, the season will be a grand tour of Butlins holiday camps.

Naturally, it'll remain on the BBC and be hosted by Rishi Persad (possibly with H from Steps as the resident expert on the circuits).

Meanwhile a Barry Hearn/Svengali like figure will recruit all the old-school big money F1 teams.  The drivers will all have their own theme tunes and come on going "Oi Oi Oi", surrounded by Page 3 cheerleaders and dancing elephants.  The "tifosi" will be given free beer and encouraged to run across the track for a bit of extra excitement. 

The show will, of course, be on Sky Sports One, hosted by a dream team of Richard Keys, Kirsty Gallacher and Rebecca Loos.  With whoever won the 7th series of Big Brother as a roving track-side reporter.

[Ian Price]

Is this similar to what happened in British soccer when the Premier League was formed?

Yes and No. Not a very conclusive answer I know. The main thing about the PL is that the rich clubs get richer and that once out of it it is very difficult to get back in if you don't do it two seasons after relegation. Take QPR, Notts Forest, Leeds, Southampton, Swindon etc etc etc as many examples of this. Personally I think the PL is flawed and that it always protects the bigger clubs wherever possible.

I would liken the F1 stuff to Darts and the Snooker split that's been rumbling on for many years. More similarities with these two than the PL split in the early 90s.