Night, night Australian Grand Prix
Posted by Jamie Hibbard at 4:30PM on Wednesday 12 March, 2008 10 Comments
Bernie Ecclestone has been on a mission for the past couple of weeks to force the powers that be in charge of the Australian F1 Grand Prix to put their race on later in the day, or even at night.
'This is the only way the race could stay in Melbourne or anywhere else in Australia,' he's been quoted as saying. '[If not] I guess we won't be going to Australia for much longer.'
His reason for wanting to do this is so that European audiences wouldn't have to get up at stupid o'clock to watch the Grand Prix action. Yet this Sunday, those of us committed or stupid enough will happily be up and ready for the 15:30 local time start.
And to be honest, as usual, I'm looking forward to it.
Having to get up for the first race of the season is part of the fun. The quicker I can get my eyes on the action the better, and I much prefer it this way round to waiting for the early evening start that Brazil, for example, forces upon me. That's just too long to wait.
I'd rather Bernie concentrate his energies on bringing Brazil forward than put Australia back, or is there something else at work here?
Mr Ecclestone's been needling away at them for some time now to get more money, so this new crusade for a later race would seem to be just another thing to batter Melbourne's GP organisers over the head with until they say no to his demands, allowing him to cut the race loose, now armed with a supposedly plausible reason.
All of which would be a shame, because I'd miss the yearly question that my brother and I ask each other while we're in the pub on the Saturday night before: 'Do we stay up drinking until the race finishes, or go to bed now for a few hours and then get up for the start?'
In the spirit of the thing, we usually phone our mate Benny in Sydney and crack open a few more tins of Fosters, staying similarly inclined until well after sun up and the corks have popped on the winners' podium.
It's the Australian way after all, which Bernie would do well to learn from.
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Absolutely, couldn't agree more. This year is my turn to host, and we'll all be there, filter coffee in hand, blinking blearily at the TV. We'll be going for the 'grab a couple of hours' option, although I don't doubt that it'll turn into more of a 'one for the road' kind of evening...
I can't stand how everyone seems to love the new Fiat 500! It's a Ford Ka that swallowed the front end of the VW Beetle. And neither car will ever be cool. Two wrongs don't make a right.
And as far as harking back to the 'retro style of the original Fiat 500', forget it. It looks nothing like it. The Peel P50 looks more like it than this one does!
For me, this is the single most annoying car in the history of the world, ever. Anyone agree?
As usual, Bernie is chasing the money. He's not interested in staging GPs in commercially unviable countries. Oz's problem is that half the world won't see the action as it unfolds, rendering most of the sponsorship and advertising useless. The money now is in Asia and the Middle East, and they are prepared to slot into the calendar wherever it suits Bernie.
Anyway let's face it, aside from being the first GP of the season and the excitement that brings, what else is interesting about the Albert Park circuit?
Getting up in the early hours... or quite rightly so staying up until the sun comes up is all part of the fun. It's a great way to start the racing year and I wouldn't want it any other way. And let's face it, there are not many early starts for races anyway!
Not to mention you don't normally get disturbed in the early hours and can watch the whole programme in full and in peace!
I am an American, and look forward to the Australian GP because I only have to stay up until midnight to watch it. For almost any other GP, it's 4 a.m.- and with the USGP gone, my drive to wake up might be even harder than ever...
Apart from two races a year, I have to record each race. Then spend all Monday dodging all newspapers, radio, TV and anyone I might know that watched F1 as well. At least the Euro countries can watch it on a Sunday still.
I'm happy to do this to enjoy F1, just leave an F1 race in Australia.
Unfortunately F1 is Bernie's own little play toy...to the detriment of fans everywhere. Bernie's interest in chasing purely the commercial aspect has hurt F1 in recent times. Traditional tracks threatened with being struck off the calendar to make way for tracks in countries where no one turns up (check out the stands in Malaysia and Bahrain...ghost town). The reason? These countries have far more liberal laws when it comes to tobacco & other sponsorship.
It will be a great shame if the Oz GP disappears (particularly since it''s my home GP)...F1 is losing it's heart & soul very quickly!
While Melbourne doesn't make money for F1 right now and it all looks likely to fold, Bernie's only interested in getting one thing from an event to line the coffers and it's banned in Australia. Cigarette advertising.
You lot are lucky, for a Kiwi watching an F1 race in daylight is a novelty!
Another Aussie here who's rather annoyed. We have to watch the F1 at 'ridiculous hours' for pretty much every race, why isn't Bernie just honest and say it's about the money?
p.s. we don't drink Fosters here.