2009, A bridge too far....

I don't know if I can do it.

The cars are looking ridiculous (early days, granted.)
The circuits are all going to disappear aren't they?

Many run at a loss. The global financial meltdown means Canada has given up, France is gone, and now 'the bold new frontier' China is considering calling it a day in the face of losses.

They want to introduce medals like the Olympics. The Motor vehicle industry is in peril; teams will drop out, and what we'll be left with is a sport I no longer know or recognize.

Is this just knee jerk panic? What exactly are we watching from 2009 on??

we will learn and adapt, like always.

Yeah, i don't think it's the end of the world. There was similar outcry in 1998 when the cars lost slicks and became narrower. Several drivers claimed it was the end of F1 as we know it. Even in '99, David Coulthard claimed that the new cars weren't F1 cars any more.

It is back before i was interested, but i dare say similar things were said in the early 90s when so many independant teams folded.

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yes, maybe, but i think the ability of the sport to bounce back isn't quite as clear cut as it was back then unfortunately.

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X (@ed24f1)

Is this just knee jerk panic?

Yes.

F1 got through the oil crisis of 30 years back, so I think it will survive this too. Also we will probably get used to the cars. The BMW and Williams we have seen are only interim cars. BMW are just testing some basic things on a basic chassis. I expect the new car to look quite different.

the crap tracks like france are disapearing finally good ridence. there are many people who like the look of the new cars, i do too. I think they look like toy cars, and that is a good thing, and i think people will change their mind when they see them moving at 200mph. people even got used to the walrus 2004 williams and the 2008 renault, infact i bet a lot of people will buy toy model replicas of Alonsos race winning Renault from the 2 races he won.

We are seeing the economic crisis hit motorsport in an undesired way, last time I checked Justin Wilson, Will Power, and Oriol Servia (Perhaps the 3 strongest champcar drivers who went to Indycar) are all without a drive thanks to problems sourcing to the economic crisis I believe. In that respect its a great shame and very sad, especially for both Power and Wilson who for the 09 season could really have put a decent challenge up.

Then there the otherside. It was recently reported Honda topped F1's spending list in 2009, a record £147million.

Clearly they have no problems.

At this time both the Automotive and Aerospace industrys are suffering in one way or another, just how much and how much for each company appears to be quite spread.

China is going because of the lack of audience, they probably just are not interested in F1.

Canada and France cant afford to keep F1, nothing to do with the crisis, just rather F1 is stupidly expensive imo.

And whilst the cars dont look as nice now, im sure they soon will do

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

The situation for 2009 is coming across as bittersweet at the moment. On one hand we have BBC coverage back, on the other we have the 2009 season seemingly getting screwed up before it's even started. As said above though, we'll cope with it and so will the sport.

Remember the "medals" idea has to be approved by the FIA next month before it can go ahead. Hopefully it won't.

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it is all going to end only because they want to keep it going. F1 should take sabbatical two, three years, to wait and to see what will come out of the global crisis. During that time it should reshuffle, hopefully Bernie will move on to something else or will just give up on the cow that doesnt give milk anymore. During that period WDC should be run under old f3000 spec and with those cars and only on hte european soil to cut travelling costs. Then after two three years when F1 returns it should return with some reasonable regulations that will attract private teams and no more tilkedromes should be build, they only need to update existing circuits. That is the only way to save F1. This idiotic propsals will just hammer it completely, and by 2010 there will be no F1, I am completely sure about that.

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Well, the crisis is there, obviously, but will not be there forever. 2009 will be a though year, no doubt, but in 2010 things will be probably better and we hopw 2011 ever better.

The look of the cars is not that ridiculous. I remember that when cars started to have a high nose they were ugly to me and at the end it has been the way. We will get use to that, no problem (and we are a little depressed by the look of the BMW, the ugliest - I hope-).

The tracks...well, Magny Course has never been a fancy track, really. And some of the oldies are there (for long time I hope): Monza, Monaco, SPA, Silverstone, Hungaroring, SUZUKA!!, so to me it's not a drama.

The worse thing to me is, by far, the new points system which can mess up the championship. I love the points system (well, not only me, most all sport disciplines use points to measure the regularity and performance) so next year could be surrealistic in that sense.

But definetely, 2009 will be a weird year due to new regulations, crisis, possible new points system...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/2008 08:06AM by Ali.

silverstone's gone after next year...

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X (@ed24f1)

F1 Will Survive and it might even Get Bigger...

What i would like to see is a 5-6 year Freeze on all development for the Cars lock everything down to keep costs down, till the world remembers how to make money again

Open the Sport to Customer cars, and remove the stupid payment (48mil or something) new teams have to pay this would let new teams enter the sport and help it grow.

Have 20-25 races a year but at less cost per race for the host countries (and hence the fans) think we could add Russia, India at least another race in the Middle East and Asia with out loosing the great tracks we have in Europe. In doing this cut all testing to zero instead have a 5 day GP weekend and have the Wednesday and some Thursday Sessions as Test's this would reduce the cost of testing and give something for the fans to watch.

The One Engine for all teams is not workable what they should do i give the teams a spec that they have to build to so they are all the same but Different (if you get my drift) also if Ilmor or somebody can Build an engine to meat the spec let them sell it to the smaller non-factory backed teams (like the Ford Cosworth in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's) thus reducing both the financial and personal strain on the Factory outfits.

Finally the FIA have to keep their noses out of the racing, the format we have now (quli and points etc) is fine, one of the problems that we face is that they keep changing the sporting aspect of the rules.

That's My rant lol

The Thunder from Downunder

Well talking about the circuit issues, it wouldn't be a problem if Bernie wouldn't want so much, I remember hearing on SPEED channel that Bernie wanted 30 million US dollars from Indy after for a 2008 race to keep them in the F1 scene up from 18 million for the 2007 race.

red 5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it is all going to end only because they want to
> keep it going. F1 should take sabbatical two,
> three years, to wait and to see what will come out
> of the global crisis. During that time it should
> reshuffle, hopefully Bernie will move on to
> something else or will just give up on the cow
> that doesnt give milk anymore. During that period
> WDC should be run under old f3000 spec and with
> those cars and only on hte european soil to cut
> travelling costs. Then after two three years when
> F1 returns it should return with some reasonable
> regulations that will attract private teams and no
> more tilkedromes should be build, they only need
> to update existing circuits. That is the only way
> to save F1. This idiotic propsals will just hammer
> it completely, and by 2010 there will be no F1, I
> am completely sure about that.

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formula one will went to bankrupt on 2090!!!haha

2 Hot 2 Handle.

MS-


KR -



"You must always pick the worst car and the worst team on the grid, to be the best."
—Fangio

red 5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it is all going to end only because they want to
> keep it going. F1 should take sabbatical two,
> three years, to wait and to see what will come out
> of the global crisis. During that time it should
> reshuffle, hopefully Bernie will move on to
> something else or will just give up on the cow
> that doesnt give milk anymore. During that period
> WDC should be run under old f3000 spec and with
> those cars and only on hte european soil to cut
> travelling costs. Then after two three years when
> F1 returns it should return with some reasonable
> regulations that will attract private teams and no
> more tilkedromes should be build, they only need
> to update existing circuits. That is the only way
> to save F1. This idiotic propsals will just hammer
> it completely, and by 2010 there will be no F1, I
> am completely sure about that.

So basically, you are suggesting that F1 be replaced by Euro F3000? It would cost more to re-arrange that at short notice that it would to carry on running F1. What's that you mention about idiotic proposals?

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senninho Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> red 5 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > it is all going to end only because they want
> to
> > keep it going. F1 should take sabbatical two,
> > three years, to wait and to see what will come
> out
> > of the global crisis. During that time it
> should
> > reshuffle, hopefully Bernie will move on to
> > something else or will just give up on the cow
> > that doesnt give milk anymore. During that
> period
> > WDC should be run under old f3000 spec and with
> > those cars and only on hte european soil to cut
> > travelling costs. Then after two three years
> when
> > F1 returns it should return with some
> reasonable
> > regulations that will attract private teams and
> no
> > more tilkedromes should be build, they only
> need
> > to update existing circuits. That is the only
> way
> > to save F1. This idiotic propsals will just
> hammer
> > it completely, and by 2010 there will be no F1,
> I
> > am completely sure about that.
>
> So basically, you are suggesting that F1 be
> replaced by Euro F3000? It would cost more to
> re-arrange that at short notice that it would to
> carry on running F1. What's that you mention about
> idiotic proposals?



+1 - that is the most idiotic statement I've heard yet!

So screw the fans of F1 (not f3000)
Screw the asian/Australian/South American Fans

And you expect F1 could come back after 3 years and smell like roses?

-Insert Epic Fail Image here -

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2013 - Nando must come through..