The F1 Circus is Close to Erecting Their Tent
Quick hits from the first ring:
BERNIE ECCLESTONE has warned Formula One is heading for hard times without funds from tobacco advertising. And he insisted: ?Maybe we should forbid test driving ? that would certainly save a lot of money. ?If we lose tobacco sponsorship in F1, that would be a turning point. ?People can?t imagine how bad it would be. This money isn?t replaceable, not even for Ferrari.?
Maybe Bernie can beg a little money from NEXTEL. Then there’s Minardi boss Paul Stoddart who threatens to scream foul and disrupt the start of the season.
“Unless something is forthcoming, and the promises made [are] honoured, I will withdraw my vote on traction control. That will cause them major problems.?Stoddart’s decision could cause expensive and complicated legal problems for the sport, as the Concorde Agreement which governs it requires an all-or-nothing approval for any rule changes.
?Ron Dennis told me it would cost the big teams tens of millions of dollars in design and development if traction control was withdrawn,” the Australian revealed, ?I voted it through in the belief that manufacturers would help us cut engine bill costs. But they appear to have had a memory loss ? and that’s not the way to do business.”
Having been pilloried as a trouble-maker during the 2003 season - Stoddart was notably left to face the press alone for part of a press conference in Canada - the Australian insisted that he did not to cause problems, but saw no other option.
?I don’t want any more s*** and controversy in the sport, but they aren’t playing fair,” he said of the ‘big five’ - Mercedes, BMW, Ford, Renault and Fiat, ?This isn’t me whingeing or about our survival.
?We have our finances in place but, if we have to continue paying an extortionate amount for the engines, there’s no money left to develop our cars.?
It’s correct that losing tobacco is major concern on F1 sponsorship. F1 is the game of big money. It’s the money that used to invent higher technology. What I’m trying to say at this stage is F1 game is appealing to new big sponsors whose business involving with technology, for example HP. So I think this might be a good opportunity to totally change perception of smoking image to technological image. It could possibly say that F1 is a innovative macho sport. There are number of players in this computerised field.