FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[headless]

Well yes Valencia was a boring race this year i agree, but its still a good track.

Naaa

[Gaz]

Well yes Valencia was a boring race this year i agree, but its still a good track.

I respectfully disagree sir.

[fatal]

LOL looks like im by myself here

[JamesD89]

LOL looks like im by myself here

It's a nice looking track. I'd rather they get rid of the run off areas - if you can't overtake then make the challenge, like Monaco, be that if you make a mistake you're out.

[McLaren]

LOL looks like im by myself here

Guess what ? I agree with the others aswell .I just cant see the point of about four long corners going into each other with no overtaking places.

[FerrariFan63]

I read somewhere that the planned parking for Donington would have fans walking up to two miles to get to the track.

[McLaren]

I read somewhere that the planned parking for Donington would have fans walking up to two miles to get to the track.

Wouldn't surprise me at all.I went there for a moto gp race and it took five hours to get out of the car park.Thats with a crowd less than a quarter of what you might get at a f1 race.

[FerrariFan63]

Wouldn't having to walk two miles actually kill off a noticable proportion of the F1 audience?

[Frosty]

What about the campers i still haven't found out what the provisions will be for them.

[headless]

I read somewhere that the planned parking for Donington would have fans walking up to two miles to get to the track.

Wouldn't surprise me at all.I went there for a moto gp race and it took five hours to get out of the car park.Thats with a crowd less than a quarter of what you might get at a f1 race.

I agree with you up to the point you say a "quarter of the F1 audience."

But yeah it takes aagggeggess

[racechick]

I read somewhere that the planned parking for Donington would have fans walking up to two miles to get to the track.

Wouldn't surprise me at all.I went there for a moto gp race and it took five hours to get out of the car park.Thats with a crowd less than a quarter of what you might get at a f1 race.

I went to a motoGP at Donnington, parked in a little known car park and was home before the commentary had finished!!(I only live very close). The plans for parking are to get most people in by public transport. On exit they leave in three wves first the people with cars who want to leave immediately after the race, second the public transport(coaches etc) and after that other peple who have cars but want tp stay longer for other races or the party.

Cant see any of that working unless they drastically alter the road system round the track and the airport. No sign of any road workings as yet. And Silverstone....road works all done and working fine

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Donington handed extended deadline

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, September 24th 2009, 08:28 GMT

Donington Park chiefs have been given until the end of next week to get their British Grand Prix plans in order, after Bernie Ecclestone agreed to extend an original deadline he had laid down for the track.

Ecclestone told circuit chiefs last month that they had until the end of September to prove they had the funding in place to keep hold of the race, but he has now handed them a few extra days to sort things out.

Speaking during a media event with F1 partner LG Electronics in Singapore on Thursday, Ecclestone said he was no nearer being able to say for sure that the race would go ahead as planned.

"I honestly don't know. I hope so, but I don't know," he said about his predictions for what will happen at Donington Park. "Their problem is a financial one - it is them getting the money together. Everything was done and ready, and when this [financial] crisis arrived the banks pulled the plug on them."

Ecclestone said that the track had only a few more days to sort the situation out, with Silverstone still waiting in the wings to step in if Donington Park cannot press on with its redevelopment.

"It [the deadline] was the end of September, but I think we may extend it a bit," he said. "By two or three days. I think we have given them until October 3."

Ecclestone also dismissed talk that if the event reverts to Silverstone it will be called the 'European' Grand Prix.

"It's in England? It will be the British GP," he said. "Why would you want to call it the European GP? People talk about the British GP having been at Silverstone for 100 years, so why should we change it?"

Ecclestone also revealed that he was still working on plans to get the United States Grand Prix back on the calendar, with his preferred option being an event in New York.

"We are getting there. All in different places, we will see which one comes first," he said.

When asked which venue was top of his list, he said: "Obviously Manhattan. I will tell when it happens if I can do it or not. We were told we couldn't do a race in Singapore."

[McLaren]

Wish they would just admit that it wont be ready so i can order my friggin tickets for Silverstone

[racechick]

Wish they would just admit that it wont be ready so i can order my friggin tickets for Silverstone

If they dont say it soon it will be too latefor Silverstone to organise and we lose out altogether!

[McLaren Fan]

From BBC.co.uk:

Ecclestone sends Donington threat

Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has warned the Donington Park circuit it is running out of time to ensure it hosts the 2010 British Grand Prix.

Donington, which closed this week to begin preparations to welcome F1 next year, has faced legal and financial hurdles since being given the race.

"Donington have had 'a bit more time' three times," Ecclestone told BBC Sport. "They can't have much more."

However, he added Silverstone was not a guaranteed stand-by option for 2010.

Urging Donington to step up preparations, Ecclestone said: "If it's going to be Silverstone - and there's no guarantee it will be, if it's not Donington - they want to get on, get the race prepared, and sell tickets."

That contradicts remarks Ecclestone made at the British Grand Prix in June, when he said Silverstone would remain as host if Donington was not ready.

It has been reported that Ecclestone expects proof of funding and completed plans from Donington's chiefs by the end of next week, which extends his initial deadline - the end of September - by several days.

"I think we have given them until 3 October," Ecclestone was quoted as saying in Singapore on Thursday.

"Their problem is a financial one - it is them getting the money together."

Donington faces an outlay of £80m to bring the Leicestershire circuit up to F1 standards and, while some work has been completed, the last event on the current track only finished on Wednesday.

Everybody's entitled to their own opinion, aren't they? Why should his opinion be more important than mine? He doesn't come to races, he doesn't know the people involved

Bernie Ecclestone replies to comments from Sir Martin Sorrell

Other facilities at Donington will remain open while renovation takes place.

Meanwhile, Ecclestone hit back at comments from Sir Martin Sorrell, a board member at Formula 1 shareholders CVC, who criticised the F1 boss in the Daily Mail on Saturday.

"First we had Hitler did good, now we have cheating is acceptable," Sorrell told the newspaper in response to Ecclestone's observation that Flavio Briatore's punishment for the Renault race-fixing scandal had been "quite harsh".

"His latest comments are yet another example, I'm afraid, of Bernie being totally out of touch with reality," said Sorrell.

But Ecclestone told the BBC: "The comments I made about Hitler were taken completely out (of context) and I apologise. As far as cheating, I haven't made any comments.

"Everybody's entitled to their own opinion, aren't they? Why should his opinion be more important than mine? He doesn't come to races, he doesn't know the people involved."

With reference to the punishment for former Renault boss Briatore, who has received a life ban from the sport, he added: "Giving somebody life - they don't even do that for murder."

Ecclestone also confirmed there were doubts over the composition of the 2010 F1 grid, admitting one of the new teams expected to make their debut next season, US F1, were "a doubt".