Brown: “Formula One has to make economic sense”

34 comments on “Brown: “Formula One has to make economic sense””

1. 

   @HoHum (@hohum)
   17th June 2019, 0:16

   Nice to see you covering WRC, another motorsport I used to follow, but that was back when it was on TELEvision. Haven’t seen it for years, don’t know what the cars are like, who makes them or who drives them now.
   1. 

      @HoHum (@hohum)
      17th June 2019, 0:18

      Afterthought, watched a great MotoGP race last night on TV from Spain.
      1. 

         Chaitanya
         17th June 2019, 7:21

         MotoGP across all 3 classes was very exciting. It does seem like that Barcelona track suits much more for motorcycle racing than for F1(testing nothing else).
         1. 

            Johnny Five
            17th June 2019, 12:55

            Barcelona? The bike racing I watched on TV yesterday was from Jerez….
            1. 

               Chaitanya
               17th June 2019, 16:20

               Yesterday it was Catalan GP(Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona) , Spanish GP(Jerez) took place on 5th of May. Apart from these 2, Aragon and Valencia GP are yet to take place.
   2. 

      Jeffrey Powell
      17th June 2019, 2:19

      Full info on WRC official site , you can pay to watch videos, but as it happens stage times, split times , entry list etc. all free ,a bit complicated to get info for old buffer like me but we have two British drivers in the top 10 ‘works teams’. Followed the sport since mid 60s when my first job was route planner at Rally authorisation dept.RACMSA. in Belgrave Square. aged 16.
      1. 

         @HoHum (@hohum)
         17th June 2019, 6:48

         Thanks @jefferypowell. Guess we’re same generation.
         1. 

            Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
            17th June 2019, 8:12

            @hohum I’m personally a huge rally fan and often attend the events (I drove to Sweden to go to one last year!) – it seems as popular on the ground as it ever has been but the support base has definitely moved outside of the English-speaking world, it’s impossible to get anywhere to take coverage.
            1. 

               Jeffrey Powell
               17th June 2019, 8:58

               Although without a doubt the most spectacular world class motor sports it requires dedication and Hardy constitution to be a spectator especially in northern climbs ,the police have a field day with over excited enthusiasts in impressa turbos . You are probably far to young to remember but there were literally hundreds of all night events in England and Wales with entry lists of 120 cars at minute intervals with spectators following the event during the night in what we would now describe as boy racer mobiles. I can’t remember ever having more fun.
            2. 

               @HoHum (@hohum)
               17th June 2019, 14:14

               Thanks @hazelsouthwell for that sad info, I loved watching it in the days of Mcrae, Sainz, Solberg and many others whose names I would instantly recognise but can’t recall now, especially the skandis and the French (Belgian ?) guy who dominated WRC as Schumacher dominated F1 around the same time . WRC is exciting because they are racing the clock unlike F1 where the excitement must come from cars racing against one another or it’s just Q3 racing only the clock.
2. 

   Sven (@crammond)
   17th June 2019, 1:23

   No, F1 should not make economic sense for any participant. That only attracts people who are there for the wrong reasons.
   1. 

      Nathan Builder (@nathanbuilder)
      17th June 2019, 1:41

      We need a field of teams who constantly go out of business.
      And Ferrari, who just molds the sport to whatever suits THEIR needs.

      Nah, I don’t think your vision of F1 is good.
   2. 

      Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
      17th June 2019, 8:19

      @crammond like… manufacturers?
      1. 

         Sven (@crammond)
         17th June 2019, 8:24

         @hazelsouthwell Yes.
   3. 

      Philip (@philipgb)
      17th June 2019, 10:00

      No one would compete in F1 if it didn’t make financial sense

      Grass roots Motorsports still exist for the hobbyists
   4. 

      anon
      18th June 2019, 7:23

      @crammond, as Philip points out, if it does not make economic sense for anybody to compete, then surely you’re just creating a situation where nobody can compete. The register of the hundreds of failed teams from the annals of F1 show that “passion” and “racing soul” don’t pay the bills (figures like Frank Williams know all too well about that).
   5. 

      drmouse (@drmouse)
      19th June 2019, 12:50

      @crammond

      I think (correct me if I’m wrong) that you are saying it should not be a massive profit-making exercise where people come in just to make money. I can kind of see your reasoning there, and I’ll leave it at that.

      However, I think what people are trying to say of F1 is that you should at least be able to break even. F1 teams, except maybe those right at the back, should not be facing huge losses (in the 10s of millions) year after year. That’s unsustainable, and it discourages teams from entering. There should be a good chance that you can make enough back to cover your costs, not only of racing but also of development to give a chance of advancement. That is certainly something I would agree with.
      1. 

         Sven (@crammond)
         19th June 2019, 13:34

         @drmouse

         Yes, breaking even is a practically neccessary thing. And I don’t see how that’s going to be possible as long as independent constructors have to be competing against multinational corps who treat F1 as a marketing tool. At some point F1 will have to address the fundamental historic mistakes made at the end of the FISA-FOCA war, where Bernie/Mosley basically abbandoned the constructors and any coherent way of organising F1 as a sport rather than a circus. Any rule-set created between sport promoters and “teams” that are just small parts of much bigger enterprises (rather than the independent organizations whose main goal is success in F1) will allways fall short.
3. 

   Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
   17th June 2019, 1:45

   Very good, I like the caption.
4. 

   Tristan (@skipgamer)
   17th June 2019, 6:36

   Regarding Vettel I can’t help thinking back to Hamilton at the end of McLaren and how he was saying he was thinking of leaving F1 in a year or two to focus on music or other things, or even Alonso for that matter. When drivers aren’t winning and they’re not an “up and comer” it seems the only question to ask is when they’re leaving, despite their abilities.

   We never know what can happen in F1, although I do think a big problem is that there’s been only 3 dominant teams for such a long period of time – a situation that is likely to perpetuate with the prize payment structure. There are very few options for where to go if you want to make yourself a winner.
   1. 

      Robbie (@robbie)
      17th June 2019, 11:52

      Fair comment. Personally I don’t see Seb leaving any time soon, and certainly not before his contract runs out after 2020, and certainly not because of Montreal. In the heat of the moment he said this is not the F1 he fell in love with, but at the same time he would not consider that what he did was crack under pressure. Imho Seb thinks all he did was a small mistake while holding off a faster car. A mistake that wasn’t penalty worthy. If anything I have had the impression Seb has seemed relaxed and resigned to the fact that Mercedes are just too strong for Ferrari this year and Ferrari had admitted their weaknesses and that they don’t have a quick fix. I think Seb is starting to accept that they are likely already too far back, so there is a release of pressure there for him to just go out there and do his best with a problematic car, and look forward to a better 2020. If I’m Seb, I’m sticking around for at least one year of the new chapter in 2021 to see where that can go. Maybe he’ll even end up back at Red Bull, who knows. Meanwhile, I don’t see enough reason for Seb to leave for quite a time yet, said of course without possibly being able to know what he is thinking and feeling.
   2. 

      StefMeister (@stefmeister)
      17th June 2019, 13:21

      @skipgamer 2011 In particular, Lewis made a lot of mistakes through that season & didn’t really look happy all year. I remember when he grabbed his first pole of the year at Korea & he got out the car looking like he’d just qualified last.

      I tend to be more forgiving of Vettel’s mistakes because I think a lot of it is down to Mercedes having the better package & Vettel over-driving the Ferrari (Which may also be a more on edge car than the Mercedes) to try & match them much as Lewis was having to do with the McLaren in 2011.
5. 

   Paul Duggan
   17th June 2019, 7:00

   The reason the media goes into a frenzy is because a successful driver leaving the sport is a Big Story. Media being what they are, they constantly talk up the Big Story and ask about the possibility of it happening. Even if the answer is a denial it’s still a quote to keep the story going.
   “Thinking of leaving, Seb? Go on, you know you want to! Ok, well you’ll give us the scoop if you change your mind, won’t you mate? No need to be like that! Just doing our job”.
6. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   17th June 2019, 7:35

   I don’t think Seb is going to leave F1 for good after this season yet. He, after all, is contracted to run till the end of 2020, so everyone, therefore, should expect him to see out his contract and remain in F1 until then at least.

   A shame for Tanak. He had the win on his hands and would’ve taken a massive chunk of points on both Ogier and Neuville had it not been for the power steering failure.

   The incident in the 24H of Le Mans on one of the tweets above: Difficult to judge who to blame, at first look, I portioned the blame more towards the driver of the yellow car, but after a few more looks, it isn’t that clear-cut after all.

   Matt Griffin’s tweet, though. ”Please, don’t pass me” – LOL.
   1. 

      Hazel Southwell (@hazelsouthwell)
      17th June 2019, 8:14

      @JereJJ I think Matt Griffin is just saying ‘please don’t pass me where it’s dangerous’ – there are Am drivers in LMP2 wielding much faster machinery than the pros in GT.
      1. 

         Jere (@jerejj)
         17th June 2019, 8:37

         @hazelsouthwell Yes, I sort of thought about that as well, but that phrasing still looks a bit funny nevertheless, not something used very often in circuit racing.
7. 

   Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
   17th June 2019, 8:13

   I want to see how Seb performs/behaves over the next few races.
   If he is going to give up on F1 then there could well be clues in his demeanour and driving.
   I won’t be surprised if he quits the sport (I have had my doubts about his dedication since last season) but I will be disappointed.
8. 

   Joseph (@bigjoe)
   17th June 2019, 11:37

   The world is changing faster than ever. Expect all sorts of comments regards to F1’s future from now on!

   Added to the ‘young people are less interested in cars/bikes’ evidence, last year we had political correctness and mentions of more diversity in people needed.

   May I suggest with regards to diversity, F1 runs two series? a European one and another one in Africa or Asia, with finals taking place later in the year.
9. 

   Joseph (@bigjoe)
   17th June 2019, 11:48

   Some are predicting a Marxist (Jeremy Corbyn) government for the UK. So all the tax breaks and perks the teams get would be shaken up.
   I would certainly like to see how much money currently avoids the public purse, instead goes on lavish motorhomes, pampering the 1% etc.
10. 

    Ivan Papalezov (@cordoba16vt)
    17th June 2019, 12:04

    I want to see cars that run full time on quialifying mode- not 8 seconds off the pace on race day , light – refueling to be reintroduced , fixed diff mode and no funny hydrolic devices on suspension, simpe and cheap 1200 hp turbo motor ( no MGUs ) , no DRS , fat tyres , and big hairy …. drivers :).
11. 

    Philip (@philipgb)
    17th June 2019, 14:35

    I think Ferrari missed a trick not taking Ricciardo this year. Leclerc could happily have stayed with Alfa Romeo for 1 or 2 more years, growing into a more mature driver to compliment his talent

    We’d be looking at a season where Ferrari had two victories, possibly three with the uncertainty of how Bahrain would have gone
    1. 

       RP (@slotopen)
       18th June 2019, 2:43

       @philipgb
       I wanted to see Ricciardo at Ferrari too. But there was no way for it to happen. They weren’t going to dump Vettel or leave Leclerc.

       It is a pity, I think he is probably better than Vettel or Leclerc.
12. 

    Biggsy
    17th June 2019, 19:45

    F1 never made economic sense, but it made everyone involved insanely rich, nevertheless. It’s been going on this way for over four decades.
    The economic sense Brown is referring to, is absolutely welcome, but it’s the way of the predatory capitalism.
    There was never any problem with shortage of money.
    There’s no shortage of food.
    There’s no shortage of water.
    The problem is, the greedy sociopaths, who would walk over dead bodies, just to hoard one more penny, on top of the billions they already have.
    1. 

       RP (@slotopen)
       18th June 2019, 2:46

       So I’m not the only one who wanders if F1 needs a profit cap instead of a budget cap?

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