The Finger on the Button...? (Grand Prix Spectating)

Member Name: thedevilinme

Product:	Grand Prix Spectating
Date:	23/06/09 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Silverstone stays!

Disadvantages: Ecclestone

So, the half-way point of the season and the Brawn team have tacked around the buoy with the spinnaker up, the wind flapping through the mainsail and the spree in their faces, now racing towards the finishing line. Silverstone wasn't as productive as they had hoped and the first real signs another team may catch them up but Barrichellos third place suggesting there's no real panic yet. It would be the 'curious race of Jensen Button', this time around. I had a little side bet against Brawn with 50/1 e/w on Ferrari perhaps finish third and with a splash of red in the top six last weekend there's still hope but you do feel Vettel and his Toyota team are the only ones that can catch Button and Brawn now. Nice to see Williams score some points at Silverstone and you must fear for McLaren's future, the first time since 1990 they haven't been on the podium this deep into the season. 1980 was the only season in their 43 Formula One campaigns they failed to make the podium for the whole campaign. Life is not great for Lewis Hamilton, his annoying father also being nudged off he pit lane camera by Jensen's equally media hogging John Button.

British Grand prix 2009 result

1 Germany - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) 10pts
2 Australia - Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) 8pts
3 Brazil Rubens - Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes) 6pts
4 Brazil - Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 5pts
5 Germany - Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota) 4pts
6 Great Britain - Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes) 3pts
7 Italy - Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 2pts
8 Finland - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1pt

This time last year Bernie Ecclestone cruelly took the opportunity to announce that there would be no more British Grand Prixs at Silverstone, smugly standing in the Silverstone paddock when he did. I think I wrote this time last year on dooyoo that I didn't believe that would happen and the midget was up to his Machiavellian tricks again, which seems to be the case as the preferred alternate, Donington, as excepted, is nowhere near ready, the tough financing conditions likely to see them sell the rights back to the purpose built Northamptonshire track. I have it on good authority the race will stay at Silverstone and tickets went on sale for the race today - if there is an F1 series next year of course, the big story on race weekend as Bernie again worked his evil.

As I do write for the local paper in Northampton we were party to some inside information on that story. Our understanding is that Bernie holds the key components to the F1 series and even in the cars leave he has the clout to keep the TV deals in place for F1. With Setana going bust and credit hard to get it's almost impossible to fund a rival series. We understand there is big Indian money interested in F1 as it is, hence Force India staying put with the other team Williams. But we also understand that is being countered by the Middle East oil trillions, they and S E Asia where most of a possible new series would be based. But as Bernie holds the best cards and this is really an exercise in trying to get Max Mossely to resign then I do expect normal Formula One business to resume next year, be it minus one or two European tracks and teams, Silverstone being one of them to survive.

As I live in Northamptonshire I would religiously go to the British Grand Prix as fan and spectator, although not so much of late. We have been priced out of it by Ecclestone and now and it's a corporate event, why Bernie name is mud around here. Eight F1 teams are currently based within twenty miles of the track and motor racing is part of my counties heritage. To lose the Grand Prix will be huge blow, not only for fans but for industry and jobs in general. Ecclestone would rather take our race to the new tobacco markets of South East Asia for twenty million more quid in his pocket than protect the home of motor racing and the thousand of jobs dependant on it. Max Moseley may not have many supporters after his antics and his cost cutting budgets would put engineers out of work but at least he has the fans at heart.

Spectating at Silverstone has always been a hardy affair, the proles having to rise at 4am to beat the traffic and get to the gate early so to find somewhere to sit on the increasingly limited grass banks. If it rains it's a horrid day out and you slowly slide down them into the pile of rubbish at the bottom. If its sunny it's the only place in the world to be, and it's not often you can say that about Northamptonshire. While middle-England rock up to Wimbledon and Glastonbury yours truly will be watching real men do real men things in big noisy cars.

Cost wise the grandstands are extortionately priced to make sure the corporate crowd buy them up as they know the race will stay elite that way. The corporates won't sit in the mud after hopping out of the helicopter and into the limo. The new breakaway series are promising much cheaper tickets on their tour. Silverstone is one of the most expensive out of the 17 although this year they did a general three day ground pass for £99 if you bought before Christmas. That ticket is on sale again. The huge crowd this week didn't reflect those cheaper passes but the fact that Button could have won and more importantly it was probably the last Silverstone race in their minds. Neither of those things has happened though and one will be back next year at the front of the grid - and it won't be Button.

It makes for fascinating reading looking at the standings before the British Grand Prix in 2008 and 2009. The standings have quite literally been tipped upside down, hence Button starting the season with the bottom ranked number 22 on his car.

2009 mid season top drivers...

Button 61 pts
Barrichello 35 pts
Vettel 29 pts
Webber 27.5 pts
Trulli 19.5 pts
Glock 13 pts

2008 mid season top drivers

Massa 48pts
Kubica 46 pts
Raikkonen 43 pts
Hamilton 38 pts
Heidfeld 28 pts
Kovalainen 20 pts

2008 mid season bottom drivers

Vettel 5 pts
Glock 5 pts
Barrichellio 5 pts
BUTTON 3 pts

The truism that ok drivers in great cars are quicker than great drivers in ok cars seems to be the case. Buttons a neat driver but the pressures on now and I expect the rest to close him down. Hamilton, on the other hand, is just sulking and needs to put the test hours in to get the car up the grid some. It's not the most exciting season though and I'm bored of hearing about double-diffusers.

Watching Formula One around the world isn't cheap, of course, Monaco, rather surprisingly, the cheapest for standing areas, the grass verges high on the hill totally free. The Prince subsidizes places for the locals in his kingdom and only the seating areas are pay. It cost about twenty quid to stand when were there in the mid nineties although there's a lot of messing around to get in and out of the principality.
The Australian GP in Adelaide was very cheap considering and set me back about £45 quid for a two day pass in 1992. The access was superb and the support races and things to do very good. The only other race I have seen on my travels is Barcelona and that was more expensive, around £95, although well worth it to be in and around that stunning city. We all know how beautiful those Spanish girls are.

With nine races to go I may do one race if Button can win it as I am very patriotic and was there when Hill and Mansell were crowned champions. But what I do know is F1 needs to change as it's very boring and unless we have a figure-of-eight track (without a bridge) then I'm ready to give up on it...

Summary: F1 no more?