alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Never take anything said by FIA President Max Mosley at face value, but the focus on North America seems to be important to member constituents like BMW when it comes to adding Grands Prix in the U.S.

Reuters News Link

From Reuters as appeared on the FIA web site in transcript form on Thursday, following a meeting with reporters in Germany on Tuesday:

Formula One teams may have to accept a 20-race calendar if more European Grands Prix are not to be axed in future, according to FIA president Max Mosley.

"There are still a disproportionate number of races in Europe," the head of the sport's governing body said at a meeting with newspaper reporters and BMW's Burkhard Goeschel in Munich.

"If you look at the Olympic Games, for instance, over the last 100 years around 50 percent of them have been in Europe and that is a little bit out of balance and we are even worse," declared Mosley.

"But we will get to the right balance between European and non-European races as markets develop," Mosley added. "Places like India, China, Russia, South America, Central America, they are all very important markets."

Formula One has dropped two European races, at the Nurburgring and Imola, from a 2007 calendar that stands at 17 Grands Prix after 18 this year and a record 19 in 2005.

Nine of them, including the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, are in Europe.

"We would like to see another race in North America and probably not lose that many in Europe," said Mosley. "The ultimate sacrifice may have to be made by the teams having 20 races. That is to be discussed."

Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone is planning to add a South Korean race from 2010, with India also hoping to reach a deal for the same year and other countries also knocking on the door.

To accommodate them he must either axe some of the European races, at circuits with fading facilities, or expand the calendar.

Ecclestone suggested recently that the British and French Grands Prix, two of the historic races that are safeguarded in the current 'Concorde Agreement' governing the sport, could alternate from next year.

The British side rejected the idea.

Goeschel, hosting a meeting that highlighted a new-found harmony between the governing body and the car companies to end a long power struggle, said Europe and the United States were key regions however.

"There might be very fast growth in China, but more or less these are mass production cars. But in India the growth is a lot slower than China," he said.

"The United States is still the most important market in the world. It is an area where F1 still has some weaknesses. There might be an interest from the car manufacturers to improve the situation in the United States."

nu2rx8

True!

BlueRenesis82

i would take it more seriously if a talking beaver told me that stuff

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Nice new avatar. He may not mean the US. It does say North America. He could be talking about Mexico too.

DrDiaboloco

Hey, more races run that are more or less in our own time zone sounds fine to ME.

A US F1 race at a true road course like Laguna Seca or Road Atlanta would be nice, too...

BlueRenesis82

yes, but i dont think either course is FIA certified, so thats ANOTHER huge chunk of cash they would have to drop, plus lining Bernies pockets so that he would actually bring a race there.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

Run-off room is a problem for Road Atlanta. I think it's turn 2 or 4 were there is a drop off just beyond the guardrail on the outside and the exit of turn 12 has no runoff room. Moving spectators in and out of the track & parking would seem to be a problem.Its been 25 yrs since I've been there. Old turn 11 was dangerous.
Laguna Seca has been modified for the motorcycle gran prix series. There are some turns, on the uphill section and the last corner that seem to lack runoff area. I've only seen the track on TV, never been there. So I can't address what may be all the problems that it may face.
Both tracks would need paddock areas upgraded for gran prix use.

DrDiaboloco

All I said is it would be nice... Not that I was expecting it!

Razz1

Hey! Don't forget about the Canadians eh!

DrDiaboloco

They've run F1 cars at Mont Treblant and Mosport before, right? Not that those facilities are any closer to meeting FIA specs than Road Atlanta or Laguna Seca...

And of course there's still The Glen.

Clavius

F1 just needs to get a good posterboy American driver to hype up and people here will take notice. Its their one known weakness, that and lack of passing. But I know that isnt what this post is about.

Give me another F1 race in either the States or Canada. Laguna would be a nice place for a race but since adjusting the course for MotoGP its changed a bit. Seen the final American Lemans race and anytime anyone went off course they dragged in TONS of sand and the commentors kept on saying it wasnt the case before the change for MotoGP. I'd be happy to see a race at Walkins Glen or maybe even Infinion Race Way. My argument would be that if its good enough for Nascar it should be good enough for them. That and isnt F1 looking hoping to get some of the Nascar crowd in terms of race fans. Showing up on a few of their road course's might stir peoples interest.

shaunv74

Max Mosley doesn't seem to be interested in North America. He intentionally left it out in his statement. -"Places like India, China, Russia, South America, Central America, they are all very important markets." And after the 2005 Indy race I'm not suprised. There's still the GP Montreal.

I think Mosley needs a swift kick in the *** from everyone at the 2005 Indy GP before we should "let" him bring another F1 race to NA.

Okay I'll get off my soap box again.