- Australian Grand Prix
Australian GP 'least viable' on calendar - Ecclestone
ESPNF1 Staff
February 29, 2012
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The Australian Grand Prix is currently the season opener © Sutton Images
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Bernie Ecclestone has warned organisers of the Australian Grand Prix that their event is currently the "least viable" on the calendar.
Speculation over the future of the race has been rife for several years, with concerns about the cost of setting the race up each year and vocal opposition from certain members of the Victorian state parliament. Last year Ecclestone gave local fans hope when he said "Australia is just as important to us as Monaco and has been for an awful long time," but he now appears to have changed his mind.
"We have a contract which we will respect - so up until 2015 we are in good shape," Ecclestone told The Age on Wednesday. "After then, we really don't know. If we were to have a divorce from our friends in Melbourne we would probably be walking away from Australia. Because I can't see how Adelaide could make it happen, or anywhere else, if Melbourne can't. The race itself, from our point of view, is probably the least viable of all the races we have."
He said the grand prix would have to continue to make financial sense to Formula One's owners with potential venues emerging away from Formula One's traditional destinations.
"We have other races ready to take the place of Australia - which we don't want to happen. But it would be wrong of me to have to report to our board, 'Terribly sorry about this but we have to walk away from wherever to retain Australia'.''
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Had a bit more of a think about this and I reckon I've got the solution. Melbournians don't really want the race anymore, so let's move the race back to Adelaide. Get Bernie to chat with Tony Cochrane (head of V8 Supercars in Australia) - move both the F1 race and Clipsal 500 to be the finale for both championshps at the end of November/start of December. Use the full F1 track with both series having equal billing. Format would be something like this: Thursday - support categories qualifying/practice; Friday - support races, F1 and V8 practices followed by V8 qualifying and top 10 shoot out. Saturday - support races in morning, V8s race 1 in afternoon (as per current Clipsal 500 format) then F1 Qualifying in evening. Sunday - AM - final support races, followed by race 2 of the V8s (as per current clipsal 500 format) then the F1 race in the evening, followed by a MEGA after race concert and a public holiday in Sth Australia. Would be HUGE - now about my commission.... ;)
Posted byAdelaide will be installing lighting at the track so that the Clipsal 500 can race at night... suddenly the prospect of the Australian Grand Prix returning home isn't sounding so silly...
Posted byYou cant take our race.. Its the only one we have for thousands of miles...
Posted byAustralia's F1 TV ratings say it all. Most Australians wouldn't care if Ecclestone takes his race elsewhere. It's not worth the money. Ask the Turks, Canadians, Germans...
Posted byWell it's certainly viable for the hundreds of thousands who attend, many traveling from New Zealand, such as myself, all over Australia, and even further abroad, every single year. And what about the two Australians on the grid? Screw you Bernie, it's high time you retire.
Posted byI'm sick of this toing and froing with the Aust GP. I think its a great GP, one of the best on the calendar, and its the best place to open the season. As an Aust it would be very sad to see it go if it ever does. But what ticks me off the most is that reports keep coming out of Melb that they're not happy about its affordability and disruptions to the city. This is all becasue Melb has a anti-motorsports Premier in Ted Baillieu. Of course there are members of the public that don't like the GP and that's fine because you can't please everyone, but the Premier comes out and says stuff like the GP costs too much (to tax payers) and disturbs the city for a few weeks a year etc and then we have public uproar against one of the best sporting events in our country. The facts are that , tourism is boosted, the city and country is adverstised to the rest of the world, we are one of the strongest economies in the world and we should attract top level sporting and entertainment events!
Posted byThis is typical Bernie, a few days after the premier announces he wants to keep the Melbourne grand prix Bernie talks it down. A few months ago when it the viablity of the race in Melbourne was being discussed locally it was "vital". Bernie is looking out for Bernie again...
Posted byBernie may get his wish come 2015 (or even earlier). First of all, there is a relatively new State Govt in Victoria, who were anti F1 when they were in opposition. Then if you read the Herald Sun's article (and comments from its readers) there is overwhelming support for the Govt to tell Bernie to pack up the circus and go home. Point is that the event has never made money in Melbourne - it should never have been moved from Adelaide, but in sayin gthat now, i doubt Adelaide would be interested in holding it again - Adelaide has the first round of the V8 supercars (Clipsal 500) which has become the most highest attended touring car race in the world - drawing marginally less crowd than the F1s do in Melbourne. The event makes a profit, so why would Adelaide bother. Bernie may be in for a shock soon anyway - Europe (F1's traditional home) iis a financial wasteland so don't be surprised if countries start pulling out of the F1 calendar in the future.
Posted byit is just a matter of time we here will loose a australian race. will be sad but these days more so than they used to be. maybe they could have a dusk/evening race for the last couple to see if that gains more interest?
Posted bySend the race to Bathurst.