As the Media Fog Lifts…
.. and something other than JUNIOR is the story Schumacher The Lesser has issued a “directive” concerning the Indianapolis Motor speedway site of this weekends US Grand Prix:
“I personally don’t like this track,” Schumacher said Wednesday after a golf outing at Brickyard Crossing, “but that I’ve never liked because I think Formula One does not belong to an oval or kind of oval. That’s not our style of racing.”
Schumi The Lesser is certainly entitled to his opinion and Indy is a “kind of an oval,” if you happen to believe a single sweeping right turn fits the description. Which I don’t, in fact I’d compare it to Curva Grande, minus the Indy banking.
I suspect the banking is really Schumi The Lesser’s problems with Indy. That and having six Indy starts with zero points scored including 2 crashes, one during practice for the 2005 FIASCO.
To be fair Schumi The Lesser is not without ideas for improvement:
“Formula One needs to be in the U.S. and hopefully we can have a second race in a different spot.
It’s a shame really with the American people, obviously with the racing they have over here, we find it difficult to entertain them in the way we’re used to, but I think Formula One is something special and I hope that soon across the country (fans) will find that out.”
It is a “shame” isn’t it?
What with NASCAR providing events with a dozen of more competitors capable of winning each week (as opposed to F1’s 4-5) and more times than not second place is tenths of a second behind the winner (unlike F1’s TENS of seconds and much more on occasion) what more can an American racing fan want? Really!
On the open wheel side the IRL also suffers from a short field of equal competitors but it’s hard to agrue with the entertainment level the series has provided via VERY close finishes the last few years. Why, you could almost call it “something special.”
Schumi The Lesser, please, just shut-up and drive.
Ralf Schumacher, US Grand Prix, Sports, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, F1, Formula One, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle
Yeah, he probably has fond memories of the Indy, banking & wall.
Joking aside, a 2nd US race would be great, BUT, where??
Long Beach would be another boring street cicuit. Laguna Seca? The Glen?…alas, who would pay the money for the upgrade & Bernie’s required fee.
USGPs previously held at Sebring and Riverside, California, Watkins Glen, New York, Long Beach, California as “The American Monaco” and home of the USGP West, Las Vegas , Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and now Indianapolis. Watkins Glen sounds like a great place for the second race, with a link to F1 history. However, with seemingly weak support in the USA for a single race, why would anyone think a second race is needed? Would I like to see it, yes and so would most F1 fans. The rest of the country appears not to be interested at all. I kind of like it that way - if F1 ever went to a NASCAR level of popularity (in this country) it would only do so by selling out. The really sad part is no American manufacturer in F1 and only one driver - Scott Speed, who tries hard but is lucky to get past the back markers or finish in most races. IMO, F1 is the auto racing equivalent of soccer in the USA.
Not gonna happen JW, I have a strong feeling F1 in the US is dead for the next few years. Bernie’s eyes are on Asia.
The only hope is for Bernie’s dream of a street race in Vegas to be realized.
None of the tracks you mention meet the FIA’s current safety requirements and I highly doubt they would spend the cash involved to upgrade them.