motorsportmania

So Bahrain is off because of the troubles. One of those races where the organiser’s wallet was deep enough to satisfy Bernie’s demands, but at what cost to the locals?

The traditional venues struggle to afford a grand prix because they have to be self funding, accepting that the pot includes sponsorship, but how many times have we heard the call for our government here in the UK to help the British GP survive yet another of Bernie’s negotiation strategies? It won’t happen and it shouldn’t. Yes we have a great motor sport industry in this country, but it has to be able to stand on its own two feet. The idea of taking public funds to subsidise the race is obscene to me, and so is the thought that the billions that have been poured into races such as Bahrain and some of the other new venues might have helped the plight of those in need of better education, health and other services.

Motor sport is a sport. Look at the ludicrous sums of money that go on football as a parallel where sooner or later there will have to be a change or the professional game will contract radically. Yes F1 should be the pinnacle of motor sport, but why are we trying to cap what the teams spend when, seemingly, there is nothing holding the costs of the races down?

Bahrain is no loss for me. I wish the people of that nation well and hope that they resolve the issues that have led to the race being put off.

Roll on Australia.

Filed under: Circuits, F1 | Tagged: autoracing, F1, formula one, motorsport, racecar |