The teams worry about the future of the historic Grand Prix races

Through its spokesperson and head of the FOTA, the teams have expressed their concerns about the fate of certain historic Grand Prix events. Mario Theissen wants to discuss the future of some races with Bernie Ecclestone as soon as possible to prevent any escalation of the situation between the FOTA and the FIA.

Recently, it’s the German Grand Prix that seems most threatened. The Nürburgring circuit has indeed refused to participate in the 2010 championship if the costs are as high as this year. The German Grand Prix could thus disappear eventually, already being shared between Hockenheim and the Nürburgring. The British Grand Prix is in a similar situation. Starting from 2010, the event might well be alternated between two circuits; Silverstone and Donington Park.

The problem lies in the very high registration fees for the F1 World Championship. Circuits then struggle to make profits and prefer to forget about Formula 1, leading to significant visibility losses for the automotive manufacturers present in F1. The Grand Prix of China, Japan, and France are also in this situation.

With Mario Theissen – director of BMW Motorsport – and spokesperson for FOTA, he intends to discuss the issue at the next meeting with Ecclestone: « We will talk about it as soon as possible with Bernie [Ecclestone]. »

The concern is all the more significant for BMW because the three largest global markets for the German manufacturer; the USA, Germany, and England, could be absent from the F1 calendars in the short term.

« It’s obvious, the subject needs to be addressed as soon as possible and Bernie has understood it well. It’s always complicated because a fair balance must be found and, above all, everyone must be satisfied. Negotiation is necessary, with the risk of vetoing future calendars according to the proposed Concorde agreement. The commercial rights holders and the teams must be in perfect harmony! » Concluded the German official.