So how do you feel about 14 cars?

[steveaki13]

Those 6 cars at the back though when watching live could have some great battles. Thus I do not agree with the "Its the front that matters the rest are pointless"

26 cars is much more of a spectacle on the TV and live. It provides more battles and also more cars for spectators to watch. 8 good cars would be enough for TV, but would leave live spectators bored for 65 seconds each lap

[Bagwan]

Compromise starting to edge closer , as Bernie's dare has come good .

He said he was partly to blame , and his hands were tied .

Red Bull blinked first , as Horner has now made mumbles about giving up a few per cent , if Ferrari and Merc do the same .

Now that this has been raised by a front runner , the others must respond , or look greedy and foolish trying to defend the disparity .


Whether it was his own idea or not , this was an extremely clever move from our Bernard .
He'll soon have them all at the table , talking real numbers .

[Tazio]

Whether it was his own idea or not , this was an extremely clever move from our Bernard .
He'll soon have them all at the table , talking real numbers .

With all due respect Baggie, I would say Bernie had, and has a minor role in the decision as he himself stated. There was a time when he did, but I believe he is on a very short leash these days, ands personally think his retirement/replacement is imminent or at least in the foreseeable future. Donald MacKenzie is the prime mover here:

Donald MacKenzie, co-chairman of F1's largest shareholder, CVC Capital Partners, phoned Lotus boss Gerard Lopez and promised to address their concerns. MacKenzie said he would do this irrespective of Bernie Ecclestone's position.
As co-chairman and co-founder of CVC Capital Partners, the main shareholder of the group of companies that own F1's commercial rights, MacKenzie employs Ecclestone to run the sport.
He persuaded Lopez to call off the news conference ahead of the race, Jordan says, promising that he would do something to ensure the smaller teams earned more money from the sport.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/formula1/29888406

[Bagwan]

With all due respect Baggie, I would say Bernie had, and has a minor role in the decision as he himself stated. There was a time when he did, but I believe he is on a very short leash these days, ands personally think his retirement/replacement is imminent or at least in the foreseeable future. Donald MacKenzie is the prime mover here:

With that same respect back , Mr. Bear , his move to divide and conquer in the last agreement has changed to suit his needs here .
He doesn't have to have real control to prompt a response from the big teams .
He just has to open his gob , and the obvious becomes clear .

The whole thing just aint fair .

[Tazio]

I agree Mr. Baguette, I never thought the distribution of F1 monies was fair, in fact it is very inequitable. I was not disputing that, but I think he is much more of a mouthpiece for CVC, and I also believe he will be asked to choose his words, and deeds more carefully. Of course this doesn't change the fact that CVC is in the business of making money, and redistribution in and of itself wont affect their bottom line. However I do think the big teams will want CVC to also "give" a little if they are expected to. This could turn into a Mexican stand off before it's over.

[Bagwan]

I agree Mr. Baguette, I never thought the distribution of F1 monies was fair, in fact it is very inequitable. I was not disputing that, but I think he is much more of a mouthpiece for CVC, and I also believe he will be asked to choose his words, and deeds more carefully. Of course this doesn't change the fact that CVC is in the business of making money, and redistribution in and of itself wont affect their bottom line. However I do think the big teams will want CVC to also "give" a little if they are expected to. This could turn into a Mexican stand off before it's over.

Ah , but Mr. Ursa Major , he's a mouthpiece for CVC for a reason .
And , given his history , and recently demonstrated power , don't think for a second that MacKenzie doesn't follow Bernie's lead to begin with .

Crazy things come from his mouth sometimes , and sometimes they look like they had more reasoning behind them than when they were fresh .
3 car teams once delighted teams like Ferrari , but now they are dreaded even more as the last resort for a dying series .

And , remember , oh fuzzy one , that CVC kept the little guy on , even through a trial they said would end his reign if found guilty , when all and sundry thought he would be .

That's either a reaction founded on fear of reprisal , or fear of not being able to herd the cats as well as he does .
Or , maybe a little of both .

He's still there , and hoping to be the savior .
And , Bernard gets what Bernard wants .

[Jag_Warrior]

Perhaps. In the US, cars have become uncool. The econazis have convinced everyone that cars are polluting the planet and burning resources. Besides, today's kids (tomorrow's fans) would rather keep their noses buried in their cell phones than get laid, so I don't have much hope for racing to survive in this country, at least not at anywhere near the levels we have seen.

Sadly, I can't disagree with you here. I want to, but the data suggests that younger Americans, in general, are not as car crazy as they were in my generation and before. In the south, kids seem to still be gearheads. But one study I read showed that kids 16-24 are not seeking driver's licenses in the same percentages as they were in the years and decades prior.

But still, there will always be niches that racing series can exploit. Just as the major OEMs are producing more high performance cars than ever, F1 (and NASCAR) can "preach to the choir" and continue to do very well, IMO. I just picked up my latest hot car last week. And I've been surprised by how many kids (young enough to be my sons or daughters) make an effort to approach me and compliment it. The big one was a redneck looking kid in a diesel pickup (with a smoke stack coming out of the bed!) who pulled up beside me at a light and shouted "that's cool as hell, man!"... before charging off in a cloud of soot. So they're there. But I don't think Mr. Ecclestone can relate to that generation even as well as someone my age can (and I admit that I don't "get them" either). So I don't think he'll be able to draw them in. He still seems to be stuck in the 80's. Not a bad place to be stuck (I play the soundtrack to Miami Vice in my car all the time), but that mindset offers no help in bringing this generation (the ones at the margin) through the gates of the racetrack.

[schmenke]

... However I do think the big teams will want CVC to also "give" a little if they are expected to. ...

The CVC doesn’t have to "give" anything.
The CVC is in no way involved in negotiations with the F1 teams, or how the revenues are distributed.
The CVC is merely a holding company with one of their many assets being the FOG, whose operations are delegated to Bernie. It is Bernie alone who negotiates the revenue distribution between the Formula One Management and the teams, as specified in the Concorde Agreement.

[Doc Austin]

Sadly, I can't disagree with you here. I want to, but the data suggests that younger Americans, in general, are not as car crazy as they were in my generation and before.

Hell, they don't even care about p*ssy any more. All they care about it their cell phones.

[Tazio]

It is Bernie alone who negotiates the revenue distribution between the Formula One Management and the teams, as specified in the Concorde Agreement.

The following seems to contradict this notion

Donald MacKenzie, co-chairman of F1's largest shareholder, CVC Capital Partners, phoned Lotus boss Gerard Lopez and promised to address their concerns. MacKenzie said he would do this irrespective of Bernie Ecclestone's position.

I never said that CVC has to do anything, but it appears that there is a feeling by those in the know that this idea I put forward (as abstract as it is) may have some traction:

Some key members of the paddock feel that CVC can afford to solve the three teams problems from their enormous profits.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formul...e-deal-4563136

Then again it is The Mirror, and they are not naming names.