How Could F1 Improve Its Calendar?

There a number of different factors involved in creating the perfect F1 calendar, because there are so many people to satisfy.

• As F1 is a worldwide sport, the races have to be as evenly spread as possible around the globe so that the impression that F1 is global sport. Also, this gives added exposure to the big manufacturer teams.
• All the tracks need to have good enough facilities to hold F1 races or the potential to have good enough facilities built.
• The tracks need to suit F1 cars so that good racing is possible throughout the season. Nothing wrong with the odd one or two tracks where it is difficult to overtake (like Monaco), but not too many.
• Races should be held where there is a very good F1 following or at least the potential to create a large F1 following.
• Races need to be spread evenly apart, so the season flows nicely without too many big gaps, apart from the three-week break in summer.
• Races in the same region to be grouped together so that teams save money and not so many miles are clocked up. Also this is a step towards a greener F1.
• Seasons need to be considered; it’s not a good idea to hold an F1 race during winter, or British springtime for that matter.
• It’s very important that the first and last race of the season attracts large audiences worldwide—the first race so people get interested in the season and the last race since the titles are often decided.

These are some of the key factors which I feel need to be considered when creating the F1 calendar, and often not all the right facts are taken in consideration when choosing which tracks to visit and when.

Certainly in Bernie Ecclestone’s, case it’s often about where the most money is. For him, that is maybe the only bullet point in his criteria list. This is at the risk of great tracks which have always been successful for F1 and that the fans and drivers enjoy.

So taking these things in mind here is my ideal F1 calendar with explanations of some of my decisions below. I made my version by being fairly realistic of tracks possible to F1 and countries where there is the possibility for F1 to be held.

I haven’t included dream races (like my back garden), which are just totally unrealistic. I have created an ideal calendar within reason, and that wouldn’t be totally out of the question if Bernie Ecclestone decided to engage his brain rather than his wallet and listened to my advice:

MARCH                     Abu Dhabi

MARCH                     Malaysia, Sepang/China- Shanghai (alternating)

APRIL                        Australia, Melbourne

APRIL                        Spain, Valencia street circuit

APRIL                        Turkey, Istanbul Park

MAY                           Monaco, Monte-Carlo

MAY                           Canada, Montreal

JUNE                          US GP, Indianapolis

JUNE               US GP, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen or Las Vegas* (possibly alternating?)

JUNE                          France, newly built track for 2010

JULY                          Britain, Silverstone (then Donington)

JULY                          Germany, Hockenheim/Nurburgring (alternating)

AUGUST                     Belgium, Spa Francorchamps

AUGUST                     Italy, Monza

SEPTEMBER              India, New Delhi

SEPTEMBER              Singapore (night race)

SEPTEMBER              Japan, Suzuka

OCTOBER                  Pacific GP, Japan, Fuji

OCTOBER                  Brazil, Interlagos

*Either of these circuits would need to be upgraded to meet current F1 standards

Axed races

You will notice on this calendar that there are three current races which I have dropped.

Bahrain: I have removed Bahrain simply because it is one race in the Middle East too many. There is no need to have a huge Middle East presence on the F1 calendar.

Only one race in this area of the world is necessary in my view. There is simply not enough interest. This is shown by the consistent low attendances at the Bahrain GP.

As a circuit and event, Abu Dhabi will be the more interesting spectacle in my view. They are currently in the middle of building a stunning race track. With the spectacular scenery, I think Abu Dhabi will be the more interesting and unique venue.

Spain, Catalunya: This track has consistently provided very dull races over the years. The track layout is extremely bland and just doesn’t suit Formula 1 cars in terms of providing wheel-to-wheel racing. There is no point in keeping a circuit like this on the calendar.

The other main issue is that teams test at this track more than anywhere else on the calendar, which is one of the factors contributing to processional races. Everyone knows the perfect setup practically before they enter the circuit gates on Friday.

However, Spain needs to be on the F1 calendar so the best option in my view is to rename the current European GP in Valencia as the new venue for the Spanish GP.

Hungary, Budapest: I would axe this event for similar reasons to above. F1 cars don’t suit this circuit. The layout is too twisty and narrow. Two F1 cars can barely go wheel to wheel anywhere apart from the pit straight.

With barely an overtaking move occurring throughout most races here there is no point in keeping it on the calendar.

It is a shame in one way, because attendance is very high for the event as Finns and Poles currently use this as a home race to support their drivers.

However, until a track is built in this part of the world that facilitates decent racing for F1, then there can’t be a Formula One race in my opinion here. These fans will have to make longer journeys for the time being.

The first and last races of the season

It’s important that the first race and last races of the season can be seen by as many people in the world as possible. Europe is the biggest market for F1. It’s where there is the biggest following and passion for it. F1 is based in Europe.

So despite always trying to promote F1 around the world, it’s important the European fans are thought about first, just as NASCAR would think about its American followers first.

I have always enjoyed getting up in the middle of the night to enjoy the Australian GP. For hardcore F1 fans, it’s the tradition and a magical way to start the season. It’s similar to New Year’s Eve.

I have known some F1 fans to party on the Eve of the race and then stay up to watch it. This is all well and good if you are a hardcore F1 fan, but casual fans aren’t going to get up to watch the race and casual fans represent the majority of the watching audiences.

The audience for the live race is often particularly low because of timing of the race. I feel it’s very important that the first race of the season gets a big audience and that F1 starts the season with a bang rather than starting quietly in the background.

A lot of people don’t even know that the F1 season has started at times. On the other hand, the 2006 opener in Bahrain was one of the most successful F1 openers and got people talking about Formula 1 straight away.

On this occasion people I know who weren’t F1 fans knew it was starting and some watched it too. I think it was a big mistake giving the first race back to Melbourne. This is nothing against the Melbourne organisers. They always put on a great show, but no way should it be the first race of the season.

The finale race is the most important, as it is often the title decider and can be very dramatic. It’s important that is attracts the widest audience possible. In Brazil F1 has the opportunity to have a prime time race in Europe.

Prime time races in Europe have received very high audiences in the last few years so this is an opportunity not to be missed. Brazil is also a great place to have the last race. It has a bit of everything, fast and slow corners along with two long straights where overtaking is possible.

Plus this race always has a great atmosphere. The Brazilians are very keen on Formula 1. This is the ideal place for the title to be decided and has worked very well for the past couple of seasons.

Doubling up in the US and Japan

Japan and US are two huge markets and both very highly populated countries. The Japanese are all fanatical about Formula 1 and all the races in Japan always have an extremely good atmosphere.

With two races in Japan, the Japanese would be rushing to get tickets for both. Also in Fuji and Suzuka, Japan has two very good tracks.

Suzuka is one of the all-time classics with the famous figure 8 layout including: the Dunlop corners, 130r and Spoon. Suzuka has held some memorable title deciding races in the past such as Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher’s duels in 1998 and 2000.

On the other hand, the Fuji Speedway has been converted into a decent modern track characterised by the gigantic straight, elevation changes and a couple of blind corners. Let’s not forget the microclimate, which started the dramatic run in last season with those heavy downpours.

These would both be good races and a good opportunity for the manufacturers to crack the Japanese markets. Overall good for everyone concerned.

I think it is extremely wrong of Bernie Ecclestone to not have a GP in the States. Not only due to how large the US is but also how big the market is and number of motorsport enthusiasts there are.

I think it is vital that there are two different races in the States, not just one. In my version of the calendar, I have put two US GPs together along with Canada in an American tour.

Indianapolis definitely has to be one of the events. It’s one of the world classic circuits with the facilities to host a F1 race. It’s a track that produces good racing with the long straight on the big oval.

For the other race there is a range of options. Laguna Seca and Waktins Glen could both be upgraded to match F1 standard. Another option is a street race in somewhere like Las Vegas. A unique event like this would create a lot of publicity, which is what F1 needs in America.

Maybe a different area of the US will take to F1 better than the Indy-surrounding areas and states. Two F1 races in the US will give out a signal of intent as far as Formula 1 is concerned in the USA.

Up to the 2005 tyre farce at Indy, F1 was making steady progress in the States. The 2003 and 2004 races were both dramatic, for instance. It was hard to recover from 2005, but in 2006, F1 produced a successful comeback and in 2007 Lewis Hamilton brought new fans to F1 in the US.

With two races a year and the competitive field which F1 currently has, F1 can make headway in the US. As a world series, Formula 1 is making a real mistake if it doesn’t go racing in the states again. It would be a good time to return to the States.

With the new unified Indy series, which still requires a lot of hard work to make successful again, F1 could potentially compete with it as far as open wheel racing goes. Most American racing fans seem to be turning to NASCAR for their motorsport fix at the moment though.

Alternating in Germany and swapping China and Malaysia

I think the Chinese and Malaysian GPs should alternate with each other every season. If we had both in the calendar, there would be too many races in the Far East with an extra Japanese track and India being thrown into the mix. Also, neither have a huge following for F1.

Both have world class race tracks, though, so we still want to see them in action. I think this would be the best arrangement and the Far East then doesn’t get too swamped with races.

Both Hockenheim and Nurburgring are decent tracks and I like the idea of a country switching tracks for the GP. I think there should be more alternating like this in the calendar either between tracks in an individual country or between countries in the same continent. It means two consecutive seasons will never have the same line-up of tracks.

Ideally, I would do this in Britain as well, but as Bernie hates Silverstone so much, that isn’t realistic. Perhaps alternating is possible for the second US race I have on my calendar.

New tracks

Abu Dhabi:We definitely need to have one race in the Middle East on the F1 calendar. As mentioned earlier there is no need to have more races in this area of the world. Overall once the Abu Dhabi circuit is finished, this I think will be the most impressive and unique circuit in which to hold the F1 race, which means axing Bahrain.

It won’t be one of the great races atmosphere/crowd wise but the main thing is that it is interesting to watch for the fans at home and with the scenery around where the track will be built which will be designed to facilitate good wheel-to-wheel racing it should be good to watch and will be at a good start time.

India: India has the contract for F1 with a track about to built and I agree that there should be a race in India, so I have included it on my ideal calendar.

With the new Force India team in F1, there is a lot of passion for F1 suddenly in India. Therefore, the race in India would get good attendance and a good atmosphere.

If the Force India team didn’t exist, then there would be no point in holding a race in India, as there would be next to no interest and it would be extremely difficult to develop it without any Indian participation.

Logistics and Environmental factors

Travelling costs the teams a lot of money, and that gives reason for Environmentalists to point the finger at F1. Overall, the calendar does a decent job of trying to limit the amount of miles.

We would start the season with three flyaway races grouped together before heading back to Europe.

In the middle of the European section would be the trip to America to do three races in a row. This season, F1 went to America to do one race in Canada and then came straight back again.

After doing the second part of the European section of the season, F1 would then go onto another four flyaway rounds grouped together in India, Singapore and the two Japan races.

The only real problem with the calendar in this respect is F1 having to go all the way back to Brazil for the season finale, but as explained earlier, Brazil is probably the best option for the season finale.

This would be the only real weakness in the calendar, with regards to being green and saving money. So it’s a sacrifice but a very worthy one in terms of the show.

A mixture of styles and challenge along with plenty of overtaking

I think this calendar definitely would have a very wide range to it. There are classic race tracks such as Spa, Suzuka and Monza. We also have newly developed and advanced circuits such as India and Abu Dhabi and the new circuit in Paris (they will be once they are finished anyway).

Then there are street circuits such as Valencia, Monte Carlo and Singapore, which are all very different in their unique ways and will always provide a good spectacle.

Keeping the classic circuits is particularly important. Tracks like Spa and Monza are full of history and passion from the fans. Also they are the most challenging for the drivers, probably more challenging than the currently new developed circuits.

Having them axed in favour of races in countries where there would be no following or atmosphere would be a real tragedy. We can’t lose the tradition, atmosphere and character from the calendar.

Therefore I hope the British GP goes ahead at Donington and it isn’t some evil secret plan to get rid of the British GP, as many suspect it will be.

In this calendar, there would be more enjoyable races. The removal of tracks such as Hungary and Catalunya, which are always boring races, would be a huge bonus. If they are not entertaining, then there is no point in having them.

The Valencia street circuit looks a decent circuit and would make a good Spanish GP. A new track outside Paris would be very welcome for the French GP (and it looks as if exactly that will happen).

Magny-Cours was looking a bit tired and worn out, and its never been a great track for overtaking, so it would be one most fans would be glad to see the back of.

How realistic is this calendar?

Some of it is realistic and some of it isn’t. Unfortunately, Bernie Ecclestone goes where all the money is, so it is likely that we will see more races cropping up in the Middle-East rather than just the one in my ideal version of the calendar.

Other countries like Hungary give Bernie the money he wants, too. So despite that being one of the worse, if not the worst spectacle on the calendar, it is more secure than most other races on the schedule.

The classic tracks, despite their character and challenge, will always be under threat whilst there is interest from elsewhere round the world from countries who can afford to pay Bernie’s extremely expensive bill.

The British GP is going to continue to be under serious threat despite Donington winning the contract from 2010 onwards. I do wonder whether in fact Bernie knows Donington will fail to get the track ready in time and then use this as an excuse.

“Well I gave Donington a chance but they failed to what I asked them, so I am taking my business elsewhere,” is something I can imagine Bernie saying.

I hope I am wrong of course. Could India be the new venue of the British GP? In my opinion, I think it was fine where it was at Silverstone.

With regards to the two races in the US, I think it is very possible that Bernie will choose to race again the US, as I think F1 definitely needs it. It was actually rumoured a negotiation for a second US GP was being made possibly for Las Vegas. So two US GPs almost became a reality.

So this idea isn’t impossible, but I can’t see it happening just yet. With the open-wheel situation in America as it is right now with the new Indy series, I do think there is a gap in the back door for F1 again to make a re-entrance.

The Japanese GP looks as if it will be alternating between Fuji and Suzuka for the time being. There were talks at the time Suzuka left the calendar that it would come back as the Pacific GP ensuring two races in Japan.

At least we will see both the Fuji Speedway and Suzuka being used for F1, albeit not in the same season.

I would love to see Africa back on the F1 calendar but I think in F1’s present climate that is just too unrealistic so didn’t include it on my version of the calendar.

There isn’t a track suitable for F1. A lot of upgrading would be needed somewhere plus Bernie’s extortionate fee would need to be paid. I doubt we see F1 in Africa until Bernie passes away.