The Racing Media

"They're Sheep. And sheep get slaughtered" -- Gordon Gekko

Excellent post found on Checkpoint10, one of the most spirited I've found on the racing blogsphere in a while. Checkpoint10 was responding to an article on GrandPrix.com, that takes potshots at "the ever-excitable Formula 1 Internet media - most of whom have never set foot in a Formula 1 paddock and make it up as they go along by putting their own spin on other people's stories." Now to be fair GrandPrix.com makes no specific mention as to who they mean by this. It could be (and probably) are fan sites for sure but internet media also include folks like PlanetF1 who by their own admission never get to step into the paddock having never been granted passes by the FIA (or is it the FOM?). However, Checkpoint10 do make some excellent points including the fact that "Grandprix.com's theory is that we should be excited enough by the dry news that is fed to us via the proper channels. No scandals, no intrigue, no speculation until the official press conference." I'd like to add to Checkpoint10's great article with a few points of my own about GrandPrix.com and the racing media in general.

First, I wonder who are GrandPrix referring to by "the ever-excitable Formula 1 internet media" who have "never set foot in a Formula 1 paddock." For it seemed to me that it was no less an esteemed and highly respected print publication than Autosport who got really excited about the prospect of a settlement between CVC and the manufacturers, led by the nose by the highly influential, highly political good friend of Max and Bernie E, Flavio Briatore. The fact that some of the internet media did get excited about this was no thanks to Autosport who as some of you may know gets priority over all other media in the Formula 1 paddock, thanks to their own close association with Max and Bernie stretching many many years. For my part, I never believed there was going to be any agreement between CVC and the GPMA until the 2008 rules have been agreed by all. (Sometimes, I think I read too much Racefax).

Secondly, I believe GrandPrix.com itself is part of the internet media and itself is no stranger to flaky reporting. In this article, fellow internet media publication and paddock pass holder Pitpass lambasts GrandPrix for some highly speculative reporting. Pitpass was referring to an article written by GrandPrix.com that it claims attempts to make much over the whole MF1 for sale issue and the presence of a prospective buyer near its motorhome. Perhaps GrandPrix.com is merely taking out its frustrations then on the "internet media." GrandPrix.com is a good website I must say but sometimes is given to moments of idiocy like all the rest of the media. Witness this recent article on GrandPrix entitled "Alpha, Beta, Gamma." The fact that there is no Gamma Prema or Gamma Topco registered at Companies House does not mean anything and certainly does not indicate CVC's state of mind which according to GrandPrix.com "would seem to suggest that CVC is not currently planning any more acquisitions for its investment in Formula 1." Thats just bullshit and seems to me that GrandPrix are simply plucking things out of the air. Thats fine for blogs but certainly for a publication that purports to be better than the rest of the internet media, its incredibly spurious reporting.

Third is the assertion by GrandPrix.com that most of the internet media have never set foot in a Formula 1 paddock. Fair enough but there are a few interesting points about this. As far as getting close to the action, I have it on good authority that in the media center, hacks are watching the exact same feed that we all receive on the telly and base their race reports on these. And as far as timing information is concerned you merely have to log on to Formula1.com's live timing and you'll get the same data as any of the hacks. So much for getting close to the action. But this is a small issue.

Those with their stylish media passes get closer to the teams, the bosses and the drivers, not to mention of course, Max and Bernie. But this is a double edged sword as all passes are controlled by the FIA. This comes at a price. You start losing your soul because of it.

Its rather like the motoring press in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the media is subject to strict government controls that govern content. Step out of line from the "official" government point of view and you're liable to lose your publication license and at worse be sent to prison under draconian colonial (i.e. British, thanks a lot Your Majesty!) enacted laws that have survived to this day. But automotive industry being what it is, the motoring media are unlikely to have much to say about politics. After all, they write about cars and bikes.

However, the motoring media in Malaysia are very much under the influence of the car manufacturers. Journalists I know would love to write as freely as they wish and call a bad car a lemon. Doing so however, would put them at severe risk of losing that car maker's advertising revenue and not being invited to press launches or being given cars for road tests, all considered vital by senior editors for the financial health of their rags. Thats why all the car magazines in Malaysia adopt that ubiquitous tone of arse licking flattery even when writing about that pointless god awful excuse for an automobile, the Proton Chancellor. Editors of local editions of foreign magazines are no better. Oops did I mention Evo's Donald Cheah? Sorry.

Anyway, back to the paddock media. That media pass places them under similar but albeit lesser restrictions. But they all have to be very careful about not biting the hand that feeds them, be it the FIA or the teams themselves. Anger the former and they'll quickly have their passes revoked. Irritate the latter and step out of line of the press releases and they'll find it hard to get close to the team members for that all important exclusive. Autosport and sister rag F1Racing, guilty as charged.

And it seems to me, that the paddock press acts sometimes as some sort of damage control spin doctoring for the FIA, under the auspices of "for the good of the sport," a phrase GrandPrix.com loves to use. Yes, I do realise that bad news damages the image of the sport but this a financial concern, to protect sponsors and to keep attracting new ones. The other concern is of course driving away the so called "casual viewers" (and readers of publications like GrandPrix.com) of the sport.

But here I was thinking that the media was there to report the truth. Take this article by GrandPrix.com about the continuing debate on the rubber band Ferrari wings. The article concludes that "hopefully all of this jiggery-pokery will remain in the shadows as F1 can do without technical scandals this year." Scandals last year's BAR and Indianapolis and 2003's tyre rule change post Hungary? But what about the truth? Do we as fans not deserve to know the real story? Must it always be about projecting a good image? All those episodes I mentioned reeked of controversy, cover up and a complete lack of transparency and proper governance by the FIA. But how many publications out there dared mention it?

Take the BAR fuel tank scandal. I have to admit that I actually bought the "official" story created by the FIA, reaffirmed by their kangaroo court and flogged by the media. After reading Forrest Bond's article on Racefax on that matter, I'm now not so sure. If Mr Bond's allegations are true, then one can only conclude that the FIA downright lied to the public at large, aided and abetted by the paddock media in general and that it, not those poors sods at BAR, were the ones who committed fraud.

I cannot confirm the exact truth in the BAR matter for I have no inside source at the FIA or the teams. I have only my analysis of the general media's statements and that of Forrest Bond. However, I did know someone who was a scrutineer at the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix who swears that the Ferrari barge boards were purely and simply illegal (and this from a Scuderia fan) and yet the FIA chose to let them off the hook on that one. For the sake of a big showdown in Japan no doubt but again, ask yourselves, how did the media react? A small racket for a short while then a quick sweep under the rug. The fans are left with just one version of the real story. That is the one authorised by the FIA. Looking around in forums all over the web, it would seem to me that a large number of fans actually buy into the crap as well.

In my mind, the compliance of the racing media and the ease in which they can be appeased and coerced allow the FIA and the FOM to carry on making apocryphal decisions in perpetuity. I am here to watch racing. More than that, I am here to watch sport refereed in a just, fair manner. If I wanted bullshit then I'll watch WWF Wrestling. The great thing about the "excitable internet media" is that unlike the submissive paddock media, they aren't afraid of raising hard questions. This is something the racing media should be doing but have consistently failed to do so. Publications like GrandPrix.com in fact actually think that sweeping things under the carpet is a "Good Thing."

I do not disagree with everything the racing media sells us. For instance, Pitpass likes to say that hardcore racers like Frank Williams are much preferred to big spending soulless, faceless corporations and I agree. However, I am much more against the FIA's atrocious governance of the sport and their questionable decisions. Because of that, a part of me actually wants The Big Split, however unpalatable that seems. I've always counted myself a die hard fan of grand prix racing especially and motorsport in general. I can live through the periods of McLaren, Williams and Ferrari dominance when others scream for variety. Because thats racing and I love it no matter what. But I simply cannot abide the way the FIA has run the sport and I can't stand the greed of the FOM (insofar as that greed takes away revenues that rightfully belong to the teams). And I simply hate the way the paddock media lets them get away with it time and time and time again, so obviously part of the conspiracy.

I wholeheartedly agree with Checkpoint10 that sometimes, the paddock media expects the rest of us to "be like sheep and accept the word of journalists like Alan Henry and Joe Saward as gospel, passively read the opinions from their more enlightened minds, and get on with our lives." Thats just bloody patronizing and very nearly causes me to use the four letter expletive. But the truth is sometimes, its the paddock media thats sheep, shepherd by the FIA and the rest of the Formula 1 circus.

Oh well, thats the opinion of this member of the "ever excitable internet media" anyway. Do bloggers count as media? I think not but who cares. Anyway, I look forward to Checkpoint10's next installment of "The fictional F1 media."

The Mole And NASCAR

So it seems with coinciding the recent reshuffling at ITV, The Mole is now come to GrandPrix.com. Before going on further about The Mole, I must say that some folks have been quite critical of ITV and its recent changes, particularly in the UK. To the rest of world and here in Malaysia, the quality of the show has hardly changed or diminished.

To those who would like to see James Allen in front of the firing squad, let me assure you there are far worse people than he. Take Steve Slater of Star Sports (Sky Sports) for instance. If you thought James Allen was bad, this man makes the mentally challenged seem like Einstein. Every commentator has their favourites. Both James Allen (allegedly) and Steve Slater (definitely) have a thing for Herr Schumacher the elder. Whilst James is rather controlled about his enthusiasm for Michael, Steve Slater barely conceals it, drowning us with speeches of "Michael Magic." Its disgusting. If Michael were to tell Steve Slater to pull his pants down and bend over, I just bet he'd do it. As usual, both these characters are ably aided by their co-commentators, Martin Brundle and Chris Goodwin, both racing drivers. Thank god for their knowledge and insight.

Was it any different with Murray Walker? Whilst a lot of people have a soft spot for Murray, I always thought he bordered on senile. He too had his favourite which was Nigel Mansell. For him, The Tash could hardly do wrong. Plus they're both British so the biasness was even more apparent. I used to switch over to Eurosport instead. Alright maybe John Watson's a bit dry but at least I didn't have to hear Murray squeal on about the great moaner and drama queen. If it weren't for James Hunt and later Martin Brundle I would have never watched another BBC then ITV broadcast again ever.

So anyway, back to The Mole. Not long with GrandPrix.com, he's already fully immersed in their culture. Which is to say, drivelling on and on about bloody NASCAR. Pretty soon, The Mole will be advocating promoting Formula 1 in some silly Hollywood production about some silly Beetle to gain younger fans. I was 10 when I first watch a Grand Prix on TV. I didn't need some stupid movie to get me hooked on it, although I must say the owner of the said Beetle in that movie is rather delightful.

If GrandPrix.com is so in love with NASCAR, I suggest they focus on NASCAR instead. The commercialism is so rampant, and the sport itself with its constant rule adjustment reeks of World Wrestling Federation. And yet, there are those who would want Formula 1 to follow the same route. All the commercialism and corporatization in the sport to my mind is ruining it. Its rather like if Ferrari were to open up a crass and classless showroom in some casino hotel in Las Vegas. Oh, wait a minute..... they did!!

I know those involved with the sport want to make more and more money through an ever growing fan base. Websites and publications included. But think for a moment. All those new fans will attract a whole load of new sponsors wanting to reach those fans. Good for the teams and Bernie's profit margins. Great for folks like GrandPrix.com who will get more readership. But with ever increasing sponsorship means teams will spend more. How do you think the spending war began? And then we get all sorts like two weekend engines, 4 weekend gearboxes and dumb ass twin wings all in order to "save costs" which are not only complex and silly but also downright artificial. Just like NASCAR.

I guess I'd like a "purist" sport. Simple or at least stable regulations that promote innovation. I'd like a sport where drivers can be human beings and show some character rather than be some corporate drone with an artificial smile and PR sanitized speeches forced on by their corporate sponsors / paymasters to put on "The Show" and keep the "good name" of the corporation.

Just give us straight forward television coverage. The next generation of fans will discover it somehow because the sport has always been good, even during days of Ferrari, Williams and McLaren domination.

You Gotta See This

Having read this article on F1Racing.net, I was lead to RaceFax dot Com, a truly great website that focuses a lot on the inside scoop into the world of Formula 1, Indycars, Champcars and MotoGP. I seriously suggest all you serious fans of Grand Prix motor racing to pay the website a visit. Unfortunately its not free and its articles are available only to subscribers. However, you do get a 30 day trial to which I signed up for.

There are some amazing content in there that talks about both the business and technical sides of the sport. The feature articles on it are of exceptional quality with a mixture of inside knowledge and intelligent analysis and reading between the lines. Some of the things you discover in there are very enlightening especially to those (including yours truly) who are mostly fed by the mainstream racing press, who in turn only report the stuff that the teams, Max and Bernie want you to read. I doubt it very much, but I wonder do these guys have FIA media accreditation?

Anyway the website isn't without its own speculations and hypotheses. Some of which are truly eye popping but they do present their arguments in an untypically considered and thoughtful fashion.

Some of these speculations include:

- The FIA in the shape of Max and FOM with Bernie are deliberately messing things up with all the rule changes and proposals to drive away the manufacturers. Its close to something this editorial on PlanetF1 stated about the new proposed 2008 rules. Its bound to drive the manufacturers up the wall. RaceFax argues that it is Max's intention to do so. For years lawyer Max and used car sales (con) man Bernie has given the team bosses (previously independents like Ken Tyrell et al who are racers first, businessmen second) the run around. Now they have to deal with these manufacturers and their high priced lawyers. An entirely different kettle of fish and unlikely to be easily bent to their will.

- The reason why the GPMA has not released any concrete rules and regulations is because they have already drawn it up but are in no hurry to reveal to Max. The reason for that is that they are indeed already committed to a separate series in 2008 and can see no point in participating with Max's brigade in formulating the rules for that season. The recent World Motorsport Council's decisions to support Max's proposals for the 2008 rules with scant attention or comment from the GPMA teams is offered as proof.

- The proposed Centreline Downwash Generating wing is complete bollocks and merely a smoke screen to divert attention from the real commercial and governance issues at hand. It is nothing more than a napkin sketch from the FIA technical team who only recently acquired AMD assistance and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology. The fact of the matter is the Technical Working Group (comprising tech bosses from the teams) rejected the wing proposal for 2007. In 2008 it is alleged, they couldn't be arsed anyway since they're going to bail out of the FIA World Championship.

I get my printed copy of Autosport more than a month late here in Malaysia but reading the very latest I have, it is true that more than one technical director and aerodynamicist has rejected the concept sight unsound. If Max seriously wants to push the concept, it is highly unlikely to bring about more overtaking. If anything it will make matters worse because all that turbulence on the rear wheels is not going to make those two tiny wings work at all. Any downforce you might have in the front wings (in the FIA sketches 2005 vintage items) are going to move the centre of pressure of the cars way forwards to make the cars wildly oversteer.

As RaceFax.com states, its all smoke and mirrors from Max to demonstrate publicly at least to fans and sponsors that he has "the show" at heart and only he can guarantee the future of Grand Prix racing. In fact, the CDG in my view is Max's technical incompetence at its worse.

There are lots of other stuff on the website, too numerous to mention here and I won't because RaceFax.com tells them far better than I ever could.

If you are a serious fan, then you have to at least take a look. This is important stuff and affects the quality of racing you will see (or not) in the future. Oh and if anyone of you have subscribed to it, could you please give me a copy of the Concorde Agreement? I'm just dying to know whats in that confounded document.

Jeers To Eurosport

I am terribly disappointed. Checking the results for the FIA World Touring Car Championship today, I saw a link on the Eurosport FIA WTCC website that indicated the availability of "Live" streaming video. This promises to cover the first two rounds at Monza today.

You can imagine my excitement. I had missed the first race but I figured I would be able to see the second race live from Monza. Fantastic!

Alas, due to technical troubles on Eurosport websites, us touring car fans are left with just reading the results of the race. What a huge let down. Checking the error message on the Windows Media player it seems that the server could not be contacted.

Eventually, Eurosport removed the live link. Boo!

Really, I don't know how one would create a world championship without the ability for viewers to watch the races. Its all and well if you live in Europe and get Eurosport on satellite. The rest of the world isn't that lucky. Sadly, if this is the case then the WTCC is destined to be a European affair cutting out the excitement to the rest of the world.

I'm a die hard fan and would enjoy it simply by watching a live web stream. But even this is denied us. Sorry, but this simply wouldn't happen if Bernie was running this show or them good ol' boys at NASCAR.

I think Eurosport and the WTCC organizers are missing out on a potentially huge market in the rest of the world. They won't create a following if they don't have viewers. A pity, since touring car racing usually has more action in a single race than Formula 1 has in an entire year.

I hope they do something about this. And I hope manufacturers like BMW and Alfa Romeo get them to do something about it too. After all, the big boys are out to get the largest possible viewership and the blokes running the show are not doing a great job at it.

And the official WTCC website completely, utterly and pathetically SUCKS!

ITV Coverage

In this story on PlanetF1, they take yet another swipe at ITV's Formula 1 broadcast for last Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. PlanetF1 has twice criticised the UK television station for not covering Takuma Sato's allegedly brilliant pass into Turn 1, overtaking Jenson Button and de la Rosa. The incident happened early on in the race. They further lambast the lack of coverage on the Villeneuve vs Coulthard incident.

Granted us viewers missed that on the telly. I'm not entirely certain about this, but I thought the television shots we receive are really at the discretion of the local broadcaster. From time to time in races, you can hear Martin Brundle for instance praying for the broadcast director/producer to switch to another piece of action happening on the track. If this is true in Bahrain, then PlanetF1's pot shots at the ITV team seem to be misplaced.

Of all the broadcasts I've seen on TV and this includes the BBC, ITV, ESPN Star Sports and Eurosports, I think the ITV coverage is the best by a country mile. Of course, the ITV team largely transferred from the BBC when ITV took over the broadcast rights. They do make mistakes especially when Murray Walker was around but live broadcasting rarely is perfect.

But their added value as compared to Eurosport and ESPN Star Sports is that they have these roving reporters on the scene to interview the drivers and team personnel whereas the satellite broadcasters simply view the race from the commentary box. Also, getting folks like Mike Gascoyne to join them from the pitwall is priceless. You get to sit in with a real pro.

Eurosport commentary is a bit dry. The worse has to be ESPN Star Sports. Chris Goodwin is ok to listen to but that Steve Slater is a complete moron at times. Not helped that he's such a Ferrari fan and especially a Schumi fan. OK fine you're allowed favourites but the way the slobbers over the Italians and the German is disgusting. Martin Brundle may be Coulthard's manager but at least his commentary seems less biased most times. Well, its nice having Goodwin around to keep Slater in his place. In any case both Eurosport and ESPN Star Sports commentators sound like they're just living in the commentary box with very little knowledge of whats going on elsewhere. And Slater's level of knowledge is very wanting.

So give the ITV guys a break, won't you? Perfect they are not but the best available I think they certainly are. Well, from my limited experience anyway. Here in Malaysia, its either them or ESPN Star Sports. I pick ITV every single time.

Covering Motorsports Outside Formula 1

True racing fans with a healthy appreciation of the sport naturally appreciate any form of motorsports be it F3000, F3, touring cars, rallying or sports cars. However, being stuck in Malaysia, I find it quite difficult to follow closely events outside Formula 1. Thank god for the internet else we'd largely be in the dark here in Asia.

I noticed many racing related Blogs cover NASCAR. I confess, I have very little liking for that, the second largest motorsport category in the world. But nevertheless, you can tell its easier to follow the sport in the US due to massive TV coverage and media information.

Outside Formula 1, my favourite categories are Touring Cars and the Super GT (aka the Japan GT). I know what you're thinking, I watch Super GT merely for the babes. I would be lying to you if I said I didn't watch the babes. But then, so does every bloody one else if you ask me. Nevertheless, the racing is exciting and always unpredictable.

Touring cars though is a highly serious sport. Though in current times, it has lost its sparkle if compared to those heady and glorious days of the 90s when the action simply had Formula 1 beat. The racing was simply out of this world. Formula 1 drivers who entered touring cars found great difficulty because it was door to door, wing mirror smashing bumping all the way. Something unheard of in Formula racing.

This year, the FIA has seen fit to organise a world championship for touring cars. And not forgetting of course, there is still that grand daddy of all touring car events, the British Touring Car Championship. The event really that started the 90s supertouring rules rolling.

Whilst I follow the action on the various websites with anticipation, nevertheless its hard to feel passionate if you don't actually get to watch the bloody thing. Oh sure, Motorsports Asia on Astro satellite TV will show highlights. Like in a few months time, its not the same as actually seeing it in real time. I doubt if the situation will improve since sports channels in Asia seem obsessed with football all the time. Which is not bad. But then they also like to show lots of these stupid golf tournaments, which is not only boring but appeals to bloody cronies.

I could take a week's delay in showing the highlights. Much like what the BBC used to do in the UK for the BTCC. But over here, I don't even know what event they are going to show on Motorsports Asia next. There's never any details for racing fans like us.

Outside the WTC and BTCC, there is of course the DTM. This series and the V8 Star series are to the rest of the world, what NASCAR is to North America. Big engined, brutal saloon cars. Lots of noise, horsepower and action. Again, the Astro channel over here does cover it in Motorsport Asia but I just never bloody well know when they do it. And hence, I always miss the bloody coverage.

Thankfully though, the Macau Grand Prix is always broadcasted live at the end of the year. And this year, Macau will be part of the World Touring Cars. And of course its sort of the F3 race of future champions. Fingers crossed, I hope I finally make it to Macau this year.

I really wish I was back in England. Sky Sports and Eurosports expanded coverage of motor racing now covers the DTM (live!) and Touring cars. And I really miss watching BTCC before the Grand Prix coverage. I'm pretty sure there are enough racing fans in Asia (if you add China and India) to make some sort of Speedvision channel a viable option. Are you guys at ESPN Star listening?

At the very least will you buggers please give some detailed information on exactly what event you are going to cover next on Motorsports Asia.

Back Behind The Scenes

GrandPrix.com has a very interesting article on Ferrari's response to the eight teams on the subject of "illegal" testing. The article is absolutely spot on in its analyses and the views expressed are shared by many fans, hacks and most people who have an interest in the sport.

Among the more interesting points the article notes are:

1. "Ferrari either does not see the wave of feeling that exists against its current policies amongst F1 fans; or it does not care."
2. From the feedback received by fans, GrandPrix.com concludes "that the majority of this is anti-Ferrari."
3. However, "there is a small but voceriferous pro-Ferrari minority who criticize any stories which reflect the feedback we receive from other fans."
4. Furthermore, "Ferrari has now reached the point at which it no longer listens to the other teams and no longer listens to criticism in the media."
5. Most damning of all, "There was a time when one would never hear the suggestion that the sport would be better off without Ferrari but increasingly that is a view being heard in F1 circles. We believe the trend is increasing." Hear, hear!

It would seem that Ferrari bashing bloggers like me are not alone. Whilst I do commend their exploits on the track and the magnificent record they have thus far, it is extremely frustrating that a so called "great" team would resort to tactics normally employed by cronies and dirty politicians. Such Machiavellian behaviour debases their proud achievements and make their victories seem hollow. I shall not recount the long list of Ferrari politicking in this article, you can read it for yourself in my previous articles and elsewhere.

What makes the achievments of blokes like Renault so delightful is that fact that these fellows play by the rules agreed by all and in the face of gross injustices from people like Ferrari. And by that same thread, that makes Ferrari despicable because they think they can make up their own rules. Yes, Renault have not won this year's championship but there are many out there who really hope they do.

At most of all, it would seem that I am not alone in my disposition. That Ferrari should be kicked out for the good of the sport. But not before some team like Renault beats them. And beats them good. Whatever the outcome, come 2007, either Ferrari engages in sporting behaviour or there shall be championships without them.

So much for the Ferrari issue. Elsewhere, it seems that Bernie and Speed Investments, the holding company formed by the three banks that control Formula 1's commercial rights have come to some sort of settlement. Read about it here, here, here and here. Not surprising given the increasing threat of the GPWC and Bernie probably need the banks to help him out on this.

The situation is increasingly tenous for Ecclestone. He had expected to some sort of settlement with the teams by Melbourne but this has not materialised. In fact, I believe as more details of the new Concorde come to light, teams are staying far away from signing a new agreement. The banks I would imagine are also increasingly worried that their investment, gained by Kirsch's default, is increasingly likely to being worth bugger all, should the teams' threats of a rival series come to fruition.

In fact, this article on GrandPrix.com seem to indicate that the teams, far from simply making empty threats are indeed pushing ahead with serious intent on realising the GPWC's rival series.

Moreover, should the rival series be realised, it could be heading to that wonderful street circuit, Adelaide. And they thought a rival series would have no circuits to run on. Hah! Bring back the classics, I say. Throw out the mangled Hockenheim, the silly Shanghai, the boring (and commercially unsuccessful) Bahrain and all these dogs designed by that imbecile, Hermann Tilke. (With due apologies to my readers for bringing up this guy again)

As for Bernie, it is reported that the banks via Speed Investments now have a greater say in the commerical decisions in Formula 1, proportionate to the size of their holdings. Whether or not this be good for the sport remains to be seen. And yet this feature on ITV-F1 written some time ago, may give an indication of things to come. Bayerische Landesbank, one of the three banks and BMW are old chums according to the feature. Intriguing n'est ce pas?

Old hands in the investment business JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers are also surely too shrewd not to see the folly of the current situation. Let's break it down simply. Should Ferrari throw toys out of the playpen and threaten to exit the sport, of course this would be to the detriment of the sport's commercial value as a whole. And yet pacify the "star" and in turn alienate the teams, and there simply wouldn't be any sport altogether. As investment bankers, they would be wise then to insist on more reasonable terms to protect their investments. There are signs that even Bernie is now seeing the light. Recently, in this article on ITV-F1, Bernie is reportedly backing the eight teams in the recent spat regarding Ferrari's extended testing of the F2005.

And yet, if GrandPrix.com is right and there is indeed a growing trend of hostility against Maranello and FIAT, fans and spectators would simply pick other heros and support other teams, thus still remain faithful viewers of the sport. Of course, if Ferrari exited the sport, who would bet against Michael Schumacher joining some other squad if the desire to compete still remains strong within him? I believe there are a lot of fans out there who are HIS fans and not necessarily that of Ferrari.

There would still I believe be a large enough of a following to entice sponsors eager to reach them. As a whole then, the commercial value lost should Ferrari leave, whilst not insignificant, would be minimised.

It would be sad to see the Scuderia leave. I for one, would prefer their presence in motor racing's highest echelon. But only if they agree to play by the rules. Surely they must realise that given Ferrari's resources, they can play by the rules and still win.

F1 Media and The Sport

An editorial on PlanetF1 had this to say:

"Now your full-time professional news journalist is going to ask a lot harder, more searching questions than the F1 media pack who are continually fearful of losing their FIA pass, their regular seat in the media centre and their place in the “claret club”."

I have it on good authority that this statement is entirely true. And you thought they only control the press in crony economies? Let's consider some facts.

To get an FIA pit pass you need to be an accredited member of the press corp. You need to apply to the FIA submitting your name, photo and publication details. Should you produce an FIA pit pass during a Formula 1 event, you may enter the paddock area and have close access to the teams. This does not mean that you are allowed to write a race report. To be able to do that, you need to pay the FIA/FOM (I can't remember which one) for the "right" to produce your own race reports. Otherwise, you pick up a copy of the official race results plus the press releases from the teams and you can stick that in your publication. If I'm not mistaken, the same applies for pictures.

Ever wonder why a lot of race reports in a lot of publications all look the same? The rights to report on a race carries with it a huge cost, that of course is paid to Bernie. Now, these rights as I have mentioned are really privileges because the FIA/FOM have the right to rescind such privileges, leaving the journalist and his / her journal with bugger all.

Publications such as F1 Racing, have great access to drivers, teams and the establishment. Lately, I've noticed that they take great care not to offend any of these parties. After all, some choice words, harsh or otherwise, may lead to any one of those parties never ever speaking to them again. That would be bad for the publication's economic health. Write a scathing report about Bernie and Max for instance, you can probably expect your pitpass to be taken away. Especially if you're a small publication or are an up and coming.

Despite all this, some publications like F1 Racing continue to be an excellent source of information, packed with stuff you'd be hard pressed to find in a lot of other magazines and in newspapers. It being affiliated with one of the oldest motorsport journals in the world, Autosport, means that they can put the players under scrutiny more than the other journals can.

And yet I think, the fans does deserve to know more about the inside stuff. After all, what goes on in there inevitably spills on to the track and can determine whether we're in for a great season or if we're better off doing better things with our time. There has to be some balance between public opinion and the sport's establishment (the FIA / FOM / teams). After all, its the fans who pay to watch the sport and sponsors are there to get their attention. So, I believe the fans should have a say on what they want to see.

The fans cannot form an opinion, unless all the facts are made public and counterpoints to the views of the establishment are made known. However, these facts are not fully made known and the counterpoints and comments on the establishment are supressed.

In the larger scheme of things, one must remember that Formula 1 as a sport and as a whole economic entity encompasses a lot of stakeholders the teams, the governing body, sponsors, circuit owners and these days, governments and therefore taxpayers. A lot of cash sloshes in and around the whole circus. Taxpayers for instance, ought to know what their tax money is being put to us for. Are these being put to good use or is the money being used to feed the pockets of the greedy few. Hard questions need to be asked by the public and the media, even the F1 media.

Sponsors also should have an interest to know more behind the scenes. Their sponsorship dollars and euros are at stake. Its one thing to hear a marketing presentation from the establishment, its another hearing a counterpoint from a independent party.

Bernie and Max I suppose still live in that era, where the establishment judged what is good for everyone. In this day and age of information especially, they realise the need to control access to information, for them to maintain the status quo. Their status quo that is. This leads to corruption as we can see in the sport today and inevitably this short changes the fans.

Whether you are a Ferrari fan or not, you can't help but feel that gone are the good old days, when there was less greed, better action on the track and the fans had a great time. A good, fair and unabashed media, can help to ensure the continuation of those good times. That the sport has degraded to the level that it has, inevitably means a failure of the F1 media corp.

End of an Era

I've been reading Autosport almost as long as I've followed motor racing. That is to say a long time. It's becoming a habit to browse their headlines first before any other activity when I'm on the net.

Alas, this is all coming to a sad ending. They are going the way of my other favourite F1 site, Atlas F1, by going to a subscription only model. This truly sucks. Perhaps, magazine subscriptions have decreased or perhaps they're just being greedy but surely, they can make the news free. Lots of other websites still do it. I don't understand why they need to make us pay for the news.

All in all, I absolutely refuse to pay to read F1 news, so unfortunately I will no longer be recommending Autosport as an excellent source of F1 news. I guess I will be frequenting F1Racing.net more often from now on. And it's time to trove other news sources as well.

Its really very sad. I was going to subscribe to Autosport online anyways to read their technical articles but now, forget it. Well, I'm sure Autosport are driving away thousands of people from their website with the latest move. I guess they still have old school mentalities over there.

Same Old Same Old

Have a look at F1Racing.net or Autosport's headlines these days and you will inevitably find drivers comments about their preparations for the next race or next few races. Invariably you find the same headlines being repeated: "Montoya looking forward to Canada," or "Sato looking forward to Canada." You also find similar quotes like "we have been working very hard to find a right set up for the next race."

It seems there is a standard party line from teams' PR department to their drivers, who simply parrot these same quotes again and again before each race. It is becoming quite stale and yawningly boring. I wish these guys had something to SAY everytime they speak. What comes out of their mouths these days are just pure PR talk.

I hate to say it again, but this is just another sign of the corporate takeover of Formula 1. And I hate to say it again, that I wish for times past when drivers were more free to say what the hell they wanted. And they usually did.

Ralf Schumacher's quote here, JPM's quote here are just sooo upbeat and touchy feely aren't they? I suppose they have corporate sponsors HP to appease but I sure wish they'd just call it like it really is. The Williams FW26 is a dog. Fighting for scraps are all that they can really hope to achieve.

This headline is the same as Ralf's Schumacher's. Both him and Heidfeld are "looking forward to Canada." Please Nick. What do you really have to look forward to? Positive preparations? You've been kicked out of a middle rate team into a bottom feeder, and if someone else comes along with a bucket load of cash you're gonna be kicked out of that too.

I think the sport could really use Jacques Villeneuve here. Even Juan Pablo Montoya it seems is towing the corporate line. Perhaps I think he's just tired and quite fed up of waiting for a chance of having a good car from the start of the season.

At least Martin Witmarsh has the guts to admit here that McLaren are really in shambles. Tell us something we don't already know Martin. Like has Adrian Newey really lost it now? Like when are you going to get fired? Or when Mercedes will actually do something about their damned engines. Why don't you come out and tell us that all this corporate pampering is really damaging the focus of your team. Like that new tech centre seems a waste of cash.