It seems that Bernie Eccleston has finally decided that the
With
In other developments in F1, further to my posting a few week ago (see Stepney get the stepping) it seems as though the inevitable will happen and McLaren will get a points deduction as a penalty for the espionage scandal. Representatives of McLaren have been summoned to appear before the FIA to answer charges relating to that Ferrari dossier that was found in Mike Mike Coughlan's home. It just so happens that Mr Coughlan, after gaining possession of the dossier, he gave it to his wife who then went to a photocopy shop getting copies done.
It makes me wanna ask: "why is it that the Coughlan's never thought of buying a photocopy machine and do it at home?"
Thursday, 12 July 2007
Drop the bomb
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I think it is true, as has often been said, that some people just want to get caught. I can't understand why Coughlan was not more discreet. In any case, had that been America, he'd have gotten away with it because I don't think an American Kinko's employee would know what a Formula One car looked like, let alone the technical schematics for such a machine (or even that they would then assume that fraud was being committed).
As for attendance for the USGP, it's an amazing fact that many people think it has the lowest figures while it's often one of the highest attended Grands Prix on the calendar (it holds the modern-day attendace record - year 2000). I think even this year, Silverstone only had about 85-90,000 attendees or something even with the Hamilton Effect, while the USGP had over 100,00 and usually trails only big markets like Germany and Italy (the former itself lagging in recent times with the absence of a certain German).
The figures are hard to get; nay, almost impossible to come by but most estimates reflect this. The GP also brings a lot of money to the Indianapolis economy because of the amount of money F1 tourists specifically spend and the business they bring to the area.
While I could be wrong since I am just now reading about the decision, I believe, as I've always moaned, that the lack of good, consistent national tv coverage, in addition to promotional and sponsorship details which Tony George thinks they could do better on, have more to do with the falling apart of the deal than attendance figures and global TV figures.
The probability of not having a USGP in two years is 0. I can't speak on next year, though. All the manufacturers involved in the sport, with the exception of Renault, have huge stakes in the the U.S auto market and they feel that F1 is the best showcase for their technology, the other race series having homologous chassis and engine rules. Some manufacturers have gone on the record as wanting two USGPs. I believe Bernie is the one trying to impose himself on Indy's lucrative motorsport pedigree.
In the end, Tony George and Bernie are both businessmen, smart ones at that; they'll figure this one out.
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