Seeping Matter

So the word on the street is that 2009 will be the last year of F1 as we know it.  With the FIA holding firm to what the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) considers to be unreasonable new rules and restrictions for the 2010 season, FOTA decided this weekend that they will be holding their own racing series in the future instead of racing the current F1 series.

I’m not going to say too much about this, because nobody cares about my opinion on the matter.  What I will say is, as far as I’m concerned, it isn’t Formula One without McLaren and Ferrari, and I don’t think I’m the only one.  So the FIA can continue being obstinate if they want to, but I’m willing to bet that without the bulk of the current F1 teams racing with them next year, whatever the FIA tries to put together will be about as meaningful as the AMA Road Racing series is this year.

With that in mind, it occurs to me that FOTA probably is looking for suggestions.  I’d be happy to take the job, for a lot less than what Bernie and Max get paid, and it’d be a good old time.

To show my qualifications, I present my proposed race schedule below.  It’s a longer race schedule – 25 races – not the marathon of drudgery that is the NASCAR season, but a little bit longer than the current schedule to make the season a bit more substantial.  I’ve included sample dates for the 2010 season, but dear FOTA, this is certainly negotiable.  I’d also propose reducing the sanctioning fees for each race to about $10M-$12M US, down from the current amount (around $40M?) and would allow the venues to keep their signage revenue, which makes hosting a Formula One race much more palatable than the FIA’s current bloodsucking scheme.  This means that there’s a lot more venues to choose from; now the series can be picky about choosing interesting, high quality race tracks at both traditional and new venues.

Also, the races will be held on Saturday instead of Sunday, so I can attend without feeling poorly about myself.  And as you’ll notice, the series stops by Miller Motorsports Park, which is probably the best road circuit in all of North America and one of the best in the world, which also happens to be within day-trip distance of my house.

Yeah, this is going to be great.

• Pacific Leg
  • Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia – February 27, 2010
  • Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – March 6, 2010
  • Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore – March 20, 2010
  • Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan – March 27, 2010
  • Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China – April 10, 2010
• Mid-Eastern Leg
  • New Delhi Circuit, New Delhi, India – April 17, 2010
  • Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi – May 1, 2010
  • Losail International Circuit, Losail, Qatar – May 8, 2010
    • MotoGP and World Superbike both race here. Formula One should too.
  • Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – May 22, 2010
• Greater European Leg
  • Circuit de Monaco, Monaco – May 29, 2010
    • It can’t be F1 without stopping at Monaco on Memorial Day weekend.
  • Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – June 12, 2010
  • Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – June 19, 2010
  • Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, San Marino – July 3, 2010
    • Why did F1 stop racing at San Marino? This is a great track.
  • Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany – July 10, 2010
  • Flins-Les Mureaux, Paris, France – July 24, 2010
  • Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Great Britain – July 31, 2010
• North American Swing
  • Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada – August 14, 2010
  • Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA – August 21, 2010
  • Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA – September 4, 2010
    • Besides being probably the best road course in North America, this track has the additional advantage of being close to my home.
• Second European Tour
  • Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium – September 11, 2010
    • My favorite race track in the entire world – Spa is AWESOME.
  • Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary – September 25, 2010
  • Magny-Cours Circuit, Nevers, France – October 2, 2010
  • Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – October 16, 2010
    • One word – Parabolica.
  • Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia, Spain – October 23, 2010
• End, of course, at:
  • Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Interlagos, São Paulo, Brazil – November 6, 2010
    • The last few F1 races at Interlagos have been so incredible, I can’t imagine not keeping this one on the calendar.

So, FOTA – feel free to give me a call.  I think the choice is obvious.