FOTA propose $1m Friday show race

Among the new FOTA alliance's possible proposals for the future of Formula One is a Friday 'show race' for prize money, it has emerged.

The German portal motorsport-total.com reports that the idea, offering not points but $1m to the winner, is one of the F1 team association's plans to spice up the show.

Ever since Friday qualifying was scrapped in the mid-90s, Friday has staged only F1 free practice, and crowd numbers and media interest is often low.

It is suggested that at the most recent FOTA meeting in Singapore, chaired in Luca di Montezemolo's absence by McLaren Chief Executive Martin Whitmarsh, the idea of a 45-minute Friday show race was discussed.

"It would be a good start to the weekend, give the press something to write about, and be completely separate to Sunday's race," Whitmarsh is quoted as saying.

Another apparent proposal is to scrap Friday's action altogether. More discussions are slated to take place at Fuji or Shanghai.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

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Well, it seems that FOTA like the "american way" to organize races (i mean for the money prizes)...

Back to basics... I feel like a newbie! hahahahaa!!!

Only problem is that tv viewing figures would be quite low due to people being at work/school/jobcentre.

If they staged it in the early evenings it might work. But then you have the sun being a bit low in the spring/autumn.

A failure or crash of several cars would surely cost teams more than the money they would get though surely?

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Yeah surely the only way they could do it is to have seperate cars for the event, especially if they keep engine rules etc

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2013 - Nando must come through..

Pay them a nominal amount then get the winner of the race to donate their race earnings to charity.

Entertains the fans, makes the drivers feel warm and fuzzy inside, gets good press for F1 and the charities involved.

^^
Coz the winners of the race will need the extra $1m wont they,

good point covfan!

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2013 - Nando must come through..

matt3454 Wrote:
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> Only problem is that tv viewing figures would be
> quite low due to people being at
> work/school/jobcentre.

lmao

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[en-gb.facebook.com]

i've read the article and think the proposal is more to do with a fastest lap shoot-out on super-hard tyres rather than a race.

Might be interesting.

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If it is completely separate to the Sunday race does that mean they would use new engines, tyres and a different chassis? That wouldn't really be in keeping with the cost cutting measures would it? Might as well just start letting teams run new engines every race again.

they should run gp2 race on friday but with F1 regulars mixed with gp2 guys. Something like Busch (nationwide) races in america.

Or posrche superkup with F1 regulars mixed with porsche guys

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2008 12:57PM by red 5.

I would quite like them to go out on a soaked track on Go-Karts with Slick tyres and probably watch the Force India drivers come from the back to win

the thing is that surely many wont want to use their main drivers, what happens if they crash and get injured for next day? anyways it would be nice to see the new talents :P

red 5 Wrote:
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> they should run gp2 race on friday but with F1
> regulars mixed with gp2 guys. Something like Busch
> (nationwide) races in america.
>
> Or posrche superkup with F1 regulars mixed with
> porsche guys


PR Nightmare tbh

Sim

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All Hail The New York Giants - Winners of Superbowl XXI, XXV and XLII!

"I'd love to know what goes on in that crazy head of yours sometimes, Sim..." - Locke Cole

I thought about the crash thing but at the moment they take that risk anyway on a friday.

IMO this doesn't really fit in with cost cutting measures. I don't think its a good idea at all. Leave the format as it is.

Whats wrong with GP2 regulars racing against F1 drivers in GP2 cars on Friday? :P

What about putting Test drivers to race? a 11 car race, 11 test drivers... then teams could bring the third car for them. Enough.

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Pretty good idea, but 3rd cars were banned because of costs..

Kimi, so, Massa Fernando Sebastian is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?

Nobody would really care to watch a bunch of test drivers tbh.
So I dont think that would bring more people to fridays.

qualy on fridays!

i loved the 2003-2005 qualy style..., bring it back