By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. Amid the breathless reports surrounding Liberty Media's financial takeover of Formula 1, there's a naive notion floating around that this will bring a fundamental sea change in the way F1 is presented - and followed - in the United States and the resulting breath of fresh air will bring the sport to the fore here.
Really? Don't count on it.
Let's review, shall we? Formula 1 has been run like a personal cash machine by Bernie Ecclestone for decades now. In that time he has defined the art of selling potentates and fiefdoms on the value of spending upwards of $75 million - each - for the "privilege" of bringing the F1 circus to their countries. He has convinced the various entities hungry for the magic of F1 - and the tourist dollars it can allegedly bring - to build bespoke tracks suitable for the event, complete with the mandated garages and other accoutrements consistent with the stringent requirements demanded by Ecclestone & Co.
Here in the U.S., Ecclestone, after putting the historical legacy of the U.S. Grand Prix once held at Watkins Glen in his rearview mirror, departed F1 for greener pastures including stops in Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit and Phoenix before conning Tony George to upend the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to accommodate the American stop there. George spent countless millions "improving" the track in accordance with Ecclestone's wishes, building the requisite garages and basically bending over backwards for the privilege of hosting the U.S. Grand Prix. That the road course inside The Speedway was - ahem - featureless and boring, and nowhere near acceptable or challenging for the capabilities of a modern F1 car didn't matter. Ecclestone's whims were indulged, George drained the family coffers of $75 million, give or take millions, and the U.S. Grand Prix had its new home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That the novelty of the race wore off after the first event, and attendance and interest accelerated downward after that - including the tire debacle where just six cars started the race - was no surprise, and that Ecclestone divested himself of the whole thing in a nanosecond was no surprise either. Once he had gotten the money from George and the IMS his interest in America and the U.S. Grand Prix waned almost immediately, and he was on to the "next" country that would acquiesce to his wishes and pay the staggering fees.
And when rumors of a new American circuit just outside of Austin, Texas, surfaced, one that would be built specifically to Ecclestone's F1 requirements, I thought, "Here we go again." Yes, the Circuit of The Americas was actually built - to the tune of an astonishing $400 million - and it was promised the U.S. Grand Prix, and had the contract with Ecclestone to prove it. And it was good, until it wasn't, of course. The circuit, though initially impressive, was oddly cold and antiseptic except for its run up to the hilltop Turn 1, and lo and behold, Bernie, as is his wont, was in no time talking about "new opportunities" in the U.S. to hold another Grand Prix, perhaps in California, or Las Vegas, or points unknown. Yes, true to form, Bernie had moved on.
And guess what? Under the new buyout arrangement with Liberty Media, the 86-year-old Ecclestone will continue in his role as Carpetbagging Mercenary In Chief, so to expect some momentous bolt of lightning to strike that will fundamentally change how F1 views America - or how it will transform its presence here in America - is to be completely naive.
Ecclestone & Co. loves the promise of yet another financial windfall for F1 in the U.S., but only on his terms and only with a "package" suitable to their tastes and strict requirements. Thus the idea of F1 running at one of this country's proper natural-terrain road racing circuits like Road America or Watkins Glen is out of the question. Meanwhile the sport of F1 chugs along with its pasteurized version of overregulated motorsport complete with its mind-numbing predictability and rote weekend regimentation at sanitized tracks (the exceptions include Monaco and Spa, etc.) around the world.
I can assure everyone that there will be no spike of interest in F1 here in the U.S. due to the Liberty Media takeover. There will be no remarkable increase in the dismal TV ratings, no miraculous social media uptick that will make one damn bit of difference, and no parting of the waters of any kind.
F1 - in the guise of Bernie Ecclestone - has treated the U.S. as an inconsequential backwater only worthy of pursuit on the odd chance that more money can be extricated. In the meantime he has squandered F1's legacy to such a degree that only a handful of enthusiasts actually care anymore.
Nicely done.
And that's the High-Octane Truth for this week.
Editor's Note: Many of you have seen Peter's references over the years to the Hydrogen Electric Racing Federation (HERF), which he launched in 2007. For those of you who weren't following AE at the time, you can read two of HERF's press releases here and here. And for even more details (including a link to Peter's announcement speech), check out the HERF entry on Wikipedia here. -WG
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Watkins Glen, New York, October 6, 1974. Emerson Fittipaldi (No. 5 Marlboro Team Texaco McLaren M23 Ford-Cosworth) on his way to a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. Fittipaldi clinched the 1974 World Championship with that result. Carlos Reutemann (No. 7 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT44 Ford-Cosworth) won with teammate Carlos Pace (No. 8 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT44 Ford-Cosworth) finishing second. James Hunt (No. 24 Hesketh Racing 308 Ford-Cosworth) finished third.