The Unfortunate but Predictable Bernie

Back to the Canadian Grand Prix for a moment. Although I am very disappointed in the outcome as it stands now, I am happy at the way the Canadian Government, race organizers, and representatives of the city of Montreal have handled the grand prix situation. It is a tough pill to swallow having your grand prix in jeopardy, but it is about time countries stand up and say enough is enough. Just like we here in Canada are doing.

This is a grand prix that has been around for many years and has a rich history that has captured the racing world and has produced some of the most exciting races in F1 today. Sadly and frustratingly this doesn’t seem to matter to Bernie Ecclestone and his insatiable thirst for money is starting to crack the world of F1. The British Grand Prix is on the rocks, Disney has pulled out of the French Grand Prix stating the same thing Canada has said and that is, it is not financially responsible in these uncertain times. China is saying the same thing although they have a fan interest problem as well and the reaction of Ecclestone at the China situation says volumes to me. He is losing a part of his expected Asian content.

This is a terrible but inevitable trend and we can see the history of F1 being lost as long standing countries like Canada put their foot down and say no. Clive from Formula 1 Insight has a great article on this subject called Bernie Loses His Grip on F1 and is worth a read.

Right now there is no grand prix in North America and this makes no sense to me at all especially when the auto manufacturers need all the help they can get and when the fan base in Canada is second to none. The uproar here is astounding as I have shown with the editorial picture at the top of this story from La Presse, a newspaper from Montreal that has top notch F1 coverage and it shows no sign of trailing off, but at the same time we are all suffering with the economic downturn centered in the US and are unwilling to put our hard earned tax money in the pockets of Bernie.

Bernie says he wants a grand prix in Canada. He says the Canadian Grand Prix could replace any race on the schedule, but only if it meats his financial demands, but a savvy business man by the name of Pierre Boivin, president of the Montreal Canadians of the National Hockey League says this:

“The current economic model of Formula One is apt to hit a wall,”
“I think governments made the right decision (by refusing Ecclestone’s demands). It was completely unthinkable that they might break even under the terms put forward by Mr. Ecclestone.
“He was clearly intransigent.”

Bernie of course disagrees with this and as long as he is alive and up front in F1 we may be in danger of losing F1 as we know it.