The Formula 1 season is a thing of beauty, so long as you don’t mind fly-away races in far-flung places like Singapore, Shanghai, Yeongnam, and Bahrain. The typical season starter, at least in my experience, is the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, New South Wales, Australia. From there, the season schedule twists and turns through Malaysia, China, and (sadly) Bahrain. After the race at Bahrain, the European schedule typically kicks off, with races at Catalunya, Monaco, and sometimes Istanbul Park.
This year, after Monaco, the boys with the fast cars go to Montreal, so at least it’s in alphabetical order. After the Canadian Grand prix it’s back to Europe, and more specifically, the European Grand Prix at Valencia. That’s right, Spain gets two Grands Prix within six weeks of each other.
The point is, the schedule keeps growing. When I first came into F1 in 2008, the schedule was comprised of 18 races, ending on November 2. This season, a mere four years later, the schedule is comprised of twenty races, ending on November 25. The reasoning behind this growth is simple, as Bernie Ecclestone (he of the “fifth Beatle” moniker) has realized the rich fields of the US can be tapped by F1. The 2012 season will ostensibly see the first US Grand Prix in many years, run on the Circuit of the Americas, currently under construction just southeast of Austin, Texas.
But we all know Bernie, and we know Bernie is a schemer. He has always wanted a race in New York City, or at least a race overlooking New York City. Well, recently he got his wish, as several factors came together to produce the Port Imperial Circuit, a street circuit on the west side of the Hudson. I’ll admit, I’m not much of a street circuit fan, but this one looks different. The streets in the US are wider than streets in Europe, so the overtaking chances will likely be higher. The course is a 3.2-mile, 19 turn monster with an overall elevation change of 150 feet, instantly giving it one of the greatest elevation changes on the calendar (Spa-Francorchamps has over 300 feet of elevation change).
Still, this is Bernie Ecclestone. Fifth Beatle has now reported that the New York race might not happen. He did the same thing with the Circuit of the Americas, reporting that it might not take place. He did the same thing, to an extent, with Yas Marina at Abu Dhabi. He’s a man who, in lieu of drama, creates his own. The Port Imperial Circuit is not due for a race until 2013. The track surface, minus curbing and walls, already exists, and yet Bernie has already cast a pall over the entire affair.
I often wonder how Formula 1 is even still alive, given that Fifth Beatle is constantly acting as though the entire infrastructure of the “Apex Motorsport” is on the verge of collapse. We’re led to believe, per Bernie, that the US is incapable of handling Formula 1. Well, naturally, that’s his belief, as he tells himself every day, without a shred of evidence, that F1 will fail in America.
Now, word is flying that Valencia and Catalunya will begin alternating hosting the Spanish Grand Prix. France is returning to the schedule soon, with the Circuit Paul Ricard poised to enter the calendar. Sadly, this will cause the Belgian Grand Prix to occur only every other year, as they will alternate. That saddens me to no end, as Yas Marina and Bahrain will both be on the schedule every year, but Spa will not. Yet, this is Bernie's F1.
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