No Spa next year?!

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Max Mosley has said it is unlikely that F1 will be racing at Spa in 2003 because tobacco ads have been banned. This is silly, why is Mosley even considering taking the greatest track on the calendar away from F1?! It is one of the few real drivers tracks left on the lineup, and I cannot envision that Bernie and Mosley will receive any of my respect from then on.

Whats your opinion, come on people LETS HEAR IT, EVERYONE!!!

[nichosnz 0]

Actually the first one and the last two. If they get rid of Spa, they will find ways to get rid of Monza (already tried, so far unsuccessful) and Suzuka. Teams didn't run with fag ads on in Spa 1999, and some teams hid them in Indy 10 days ago.

[daz 0]

I also wanted to take options 1, 4 & 5. Max and Bernie are complete idiots if they take the best track off the calendar. Especially with the amount of boring tracks that are allready around. Strikes me that they are trying to do there utmost best to destroy F1...

[nichosnz 0]

They will probably replace it with one even more boring than Hungary.

[daz 0]

Yeah - another Sepang/Hockenheim/Bahrain replica... Why don't they just save the hassle of moving each race around and just hold the entire championship on 1 very boring circuit....

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

That is what came to my mind as well, Spa 1999 was run without tobacco ads. In Indy some teams had to have them off because US law says that in motor racing a tobacco company is only allowed to sponsor in one series, so Ferrari couldn't have Marlboro because that was already in the CART series.

Moscow is still pushing ahead with its GP plans and it will likely happen, but the track will be designed by none other than Hermann Tilke, the one behind all the crap were seeing now in F1.

[nichosnz 0]

Yes I know and so is Bahrain, and I think the new Chinese one too.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

If F1 ever goes to China, why in the hell would they build a new track? They have a perfectly great one at Zhuhai...

[nichosnz 0]

Apparently there is a new one already started, at least in the planning stage.

[Rohan 0]

thats screwed up!!!!! first they change Hockenhiem, and now Spa???? next thing we know F1 will be opting for Daytona 500 tracks...........

this is really pathetic......bernie has gone nuts.....he too old and his eyes are too weak

instead of kikin SPA out i think they shud kick Bernie home lol

[Sato 0]

well i think this is stupid, spa is personally one of my favourite tracks behind melbourne. I say overthrow the fia

[daz 0]

So its pretty unanimous - Bernie & Max suck & we should remove them immediately.... I'm all for it

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

That would be fun to see, the members of TotalF1.com Forums overthrow the FIA

But Spa is no doubt one of the only real drivers circuits left, Suzuka is another.

[nichosnz 0]

The FIA have been trying for a while, Spa has had a provisional placing on the calender every year that I can remember. Now it seems they be really about to strangle it.

And they have the audiasity to complain about dropping TV figures, I have a solution. Bring in more drivers tracks like Spa, Suzuka, more highish speed circuits like Spa and Monza, more changable conditions regions like Spa, Monaco and Silverstone, more incident circuits like Spa and Melborne. Hhhmmmmm, Spa seems to come up a lot doesn't it.

[F1Babe 0]

I was planning on going to Spa next season aswell

[nichosnz 0]

I was planning on 2003 also, although recently that changed to 2004. By the looks of it I will have to wait till 2015 or later, it may take that long to get back on the calender, after the ban on the whole sport is enforced.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

F1Babe you weren't the only one planning on making a Spa trip for 2003, it is the current plan with myself and a couple of friends but we have decided to wait until we know for sure that the race will/won't be run.

[sw4me 0]

Absolute idiocy, I just read on another board that they are doing this to make Bahrain, a sheikdom( a shakedom ) a Formula 1 venue with a track similar to Malaysia, guess it's just $$$ and Pounds to Bernie and Max... gramps you ran the show for a while, now I think it's time for someone else. And everyone knows the temperatures in the Middle East.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

We must be careful that Mosley and Ecclestone dont get heat stroke once the F1 circus heads off to Bahrain!

I think the fact taht Bahrain is getting a Grand Prix and Moscow is still in the hunt means that at least one current track will be dropped but I see no reason at all why it should be Spa just because of tobacco advertisements. Bernie said he was thinking of the fans with all the new proposals, if he really is then he should do away with boring tracks like Hungary (though it has gotten better) or the new Hockenheim which is downright crap. And the Bahrain track will be the same, oh yay *sarcasm*

ps. welcome back sw4me

[nichosnz 0]

And if F1 has to stay in Spain, go somewhere else, like Jerez, even Jarama was better than the current one wasn't it?

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

I like Jerez, and it deserves a GP more than Barcelona, Catalunya is sort of an iffy track for racing. And with Mika (Hakkinen) gone, theres no one to be the master of it anyway!

Jerez is a fantastic track by the way, and should take over as the GP track and relegate Catalunya to only testing.

[sw4me 0]

yeah Jerez is a good track, I'd say. Nice choice btw Jens. My long vacation saw me off to the USGP. By God it was wonderful. And I caught the photo finish on my camcorder too , didn't think Michael willed Barrichello to win, but Happy Anyway as the Top sometimes does slip.

No pun intended.

btw: Thanks to Jens, nice to meet all you good folks in here.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

Where'd did you have your seats at the GP, on the grandstands at the start/finish? Would've been excellent to see that, bloody fantastic!! If I get to Spa next year we're hoping to get a place to spectate at La Source, which will be great, but that depends on the idiocy of Bernie and Max right now...

[sw4me 0]

I was on the Grandstands, at the Paddock Penthouse, way up on top. But then my camcorder has a 20X optical zoom, so cool. I guess I was among the first to realize that Barrichello won, when I viewed the replay on slow-mo in my camcorder. I am yet to digitize it, will let you know once it's been done.

Wish you luck on the Spa race. Hope those 2 loonies don't go moon-crazy and put Spa on the backburner.

[TotalF1 Jens 0]

That would be great to see if you were to be able to digitize it! When I was watching the race I sort of saw that Rubens was ahead at the key moment, right about the same time that David Hobbs and Rick DeBruhl on Speed Channel started to squabble and comment

Thankfully I only have to listen to DeBruhl (a downright idiot on occasion)this weekend, and then Im likely to be hearing the Finnish Murray Walker come 2003