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[headless]

Loony racing

[billindenver]

It does my black heart good to see tracks and broadcasters coming out in support of the proposed new racing venture. Max's interviews only make him and Bernie look more and more like greedy, power hungry old men making a killing on the backs of others who do the real work and take the real risks. It is my fervent hope that the teams don't bother to negotiate any further with the BernieMax show and do this up right. The pinnacle of our sport has too much money and too much prestige to allow such dawdling old fogies to continuously screw it up. Rules that are vague and in such cost MILLIONS during the season for redesign. Rules that are only enforced when convenient. Secret backroom deals handing out major money and extremely controversial rights (veto). This just has to stop. Come on FOTA....get in discussions with tracks, media...etc....get this rolling. Start signing contracts for next year.

[nikon133]

There won't be a breakaway series.

Bernie holds contracts with most of the circuits that have been already been mentioned.

Only ones that could be in there would be Imola, Montreal, Indianapolis, Algarve, Silverstone, Fiji, Dubai, Losail.

I don't think Bernie has exclusive contracts with all tracks. Does he? I've heard so about Singapore and some other recently introduced tracks... but I'd be surprised if Monaco and other classics would let Bernie virtually own them.

Additional question is - do any of exclusive tracks have some kind of security mechanism in contracts (like some drivers have within the teams) that would let them bail out under circumstances. And 8 major teams leaving F1 would be circumstances - and then some.

At the end of the day, there are numerous tracks not related to F1 but capable of hosting - many Indy tracks in US; Kyalami track in South Africa that did host F1 time before; Rome city race (and maybe some other cities would be interested, specially those related to car manufacturers racing in championship); Hockenheim; Magny Cours; etc etc.

No I don't think they'd have problem to scrap 16 or so decent tracks for the pilot season, and more would be available as their contracts with FIA would expire.

[texasmr2]

From Crash.net

2010 F1 'breakaway' calendar leaked
Tue 23 Jun, 10:40 AM

A blueprint calendar for the Formula One Teams’ Association’s new breakaway series in 2010 has been leaked to the media – with no fewer than ten current or recent grand prix circuits listed amongst the 17 venues.

Whilst FIA President Max Mosley has contended that an agreement between the warring FIA/FOTA factions is now ‘very, very close’, the teams have retorted that it is anything but, and the publication of a provisional schedule is sure to raise the stakes even higher. The message from the teams to Mosley is clear – give us the governance and financial concessions we want, or we’re out of here.

The naming of Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, Abu Dhabi and Singapore – all part of the 2009 F1 World Championship – is sure to raise a few eyebrows, not least with commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone, whilst it seems the rebels have also been quick to jump in where the Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive has recently lost interest, with Imola, Montreal, Indianapolis, Magny-Cours and Suzuka all similarly part of the plan. By dint of its status, Monaco is the only circuit that does not pay Ecclestone the annual fee he charges countries for the honour of hosting a grand prix.

There is also a mooted return to Jerez – after the Southern Spanish track fell out of favour with F1 when the town’s mayor appeared on the podium and presented a trophy that should have been given out by a dignitary from Daimler-Benz in light of McLaren-Mercedes’ breakthrough one-two success – and possibly Adelaide, the popular home of Australian Grand Prix until 1996, when rival Melbourne took over.

However, the appearance of Adelaide on the schedule has been met with some scepticism by insiders, with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport professing ignorance of any plans for the sport to return to the capital of South Australia, and motor racing consultant Mike Drewer suggesting that any speculation at the moment is just that – mere speculation.

“Not surprisingly Adelaide because it was very, very popular when it had Formula 1,” he told ABC Online. “Adelaide has been listed on a theoretical calendar, but it’s a bit like trying to work out who might be the members of a cabinet if there was a change in government. A lot of journalists have got around and had a bit of a stab at it.”

Though there is no race in Brazil, South and Central America is represented by Argentina – though not the same Buenos Aires circuit as traditionally used to welcome the top flight – and Mexico, with both countries having featured on the F1 calendar in the past.

In Europe, meanwhile, there is the addition of the state-of-the-art Portimao track in Portugal, a country used much for testing but that has not hosted a grand prix since 1996, as well as the Lausitzring in Germany and a street circuit in Helsinki, Finland. Surfers’ Paradise – which has hosted Champ Cars, IndyCars and V8s of late, and is due to stage A1GP in the World Cup of Motorsport’s fourth campaign in 2009/10 – has been nominated as a reserve venue should any of the others not be up to the grade.

Ecclestone has also cast doubt upon the calendar, questioning its authenticity and arguing that the dissenting teams do not possess sufficient financial backing to go it alone and organise their own championship.

The full FOTA 2010 schedule, as published in The Guardian, is as follows:

3 March Buenos Aires Argentina Last hosted F1 in 1998

21 March Mexico City Mexico Last hosted F1 in 1992

11 April Jerez Spain Last hosted F1 in 1997

25 April Portimao Portugal Never hosted F1

2 May Imola San Marino Last hosted F1 in 2006

23 May Monte Carlo Monaco Current F1 host

6 June Montreal Canada Last hosted F1 in 2008

13 June Indianapolis United States Last hosted F1 in 2007

1 July Silverstone United Kingdom Current F1 host

25 July Magny-Cours France Last hosted F1 in 2008

15 August Laustizring Germany Never hosted F1

29 August Helsinki Finland Never hosted F1

12 September Monza Italy Current F1 host

26 September Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Current F1 host

10 October Marina Bay Singapore Current F1 host

24 October Suzuka Japan Last hosted F1 in 2006

8 November Adelaide or Surfers’ Paradise Australia Last hosted F1 in 1995/Never hosted F1

[billindenver]

Ecclestone has also cast doubt upon the calendar, questioning its authenticity and arguing that the dissenting teams do not possess sufficient financial backing to go it alone and organise their own championship.

Who is he trying to kid? The money he demands from countries for the honor of hosting a race would more than make up any deficit the teams may have. They could offer the country's a pretty substantial discount and still come out making more money than they currently make under Bernie's rule. I do so hope they teams tell this fossil to get lost.

[McLaren Fan]

For a series that might not even go ahead and which is still very much in its infancy, that's not a bad calendar. Many of those circuits would love to host the new breakaway series.

[McLaren Fan]

Who is he trying to kid? The money he demands from countries for the honor of hosting a race would more than make up any deficit the teams may have. They could offer the country's a pretty substantial discount and still come out making more money than they currently make under Bernie's rule. I do so hope they teams tell this fossil to get lost.

[EwanM]

That leaked list is nothing more than speculation. As interesting as it sounds, I doubt that most of those venues, if any, have actually been approached by FOTA.

[texasmr2]

That leaked list is nothing more than speculation. As interesting as it sounds, I doubt that most of those venues, if any, have actually been approached by FOTA.

Something is better than nothing.

[Gaz]

the lack of spa is the only bad thing on that list.

well that and magnybores but i'd take that over some other tracks.

But yeh ecclestone is BS'ing

[7UpJordan]

I like the inclusion of Imola, Hermanos Rodriguez and Adelaide.

[EwanM]

That leaked list is nothing more than speculation. As interesting as it sounds, I doubt that most of those venues, if any, have actually been approached by FOTA.

Something is better than nothing.

Still time is ticking away, if this breakaway series is to happen, you'd expect contracts to be created by the next month at least.
I somewhat doubt it will go that far, but enquiries will have to be made.

[bud]

That leaked list is nothing more than speculation. As interesting as it sounds, I doubt that most of those venues, if any, have actually been approached by FOTA.

Something is better than nothing.

Still time is ticking away, if this breakaway series is to happen, you'd expect contracts to be created by the next month at least.
I somewhat doubt it will go that far, but enquiries will have to be made.

are you in denial or what mate? arent FOTA meeting this thursday to plan the next step?

[EwanM]

That leaked list is nothing more than speculation. As interesting as it sounds, I doubt that most of those venues, if any, have actually been approached by FOTA.

Something is better than nothing.

Still time is ticking away, if this breakaway series is to happen, you'd expect contracts to be created by the next month at least.
I somewhat doubt it will go that far, but enquiries will have to be made.

are you in denial or what mate? arent FOTA meeting this thursday to plan the next step?

I'm not in denial, i'm just not getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow will be interesting, and compromise could easily be reached in the next few days.

[bud]

i guess what i am seeing is the pessimists and optimists around here. i see FOTA's series as the continuation of F1 while the FIA 2010 season as the death of F1.

the only compromise is if FOTA gets its way and Max is too stubborn and egotistical to do the right thing here!

so get used to the idea of a breakaway. if everything goes to the shitter blame the guys running F1, not FOTA.