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Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:35 pm
by Jay-1.1
Bernie has apparently told the organisers to arrange night race or lose grand prix. I don't see the organisers being that keen to move it to a night race because of cost of lighting the full circuit and I think they will be worried of attendances going down. I don't want to lose Melbourne from the calendar.

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/new ... ld-be-axed

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:43 pm
by hittheapex
Compromise should be that Bernie underwrites the cost for lighting the track if that is the major sticking point, after all he gains directly from increased TV audiences that the night race could bring.

Bernie actually underwrote the race itself at Watkins Glen one year, such was the will to promote F1 in the USA. He must have some spare torches knocking around in one of his houses.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:45 pm
by Gaz
Would be a shame. I think the circuit is glorious, street circuit but without the buildings surrounding it everywhere :)
I highly doubt the night racing, hardly commercially viable I think

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:47 pm
by SehnKhan
Bernie trundles this one out every single year.

And every year he will be told "NO". The Grand Prix is already a contentious issue for Victoria - added expense in the form of floodlighting will be shot down with a unanimous "NO" from the organisers and public combined.

I don't want to lose Melbourne from the calendar either - it's a fantastic street circuit and all the drivers seem to like it.

But perhaps the option would be moving the Australian Grand Prix to Perth - given that currently Perth is sitting some 3 hours behind Melbourne time (thanks to daylight savings) the race could be run at 5pm WST which would make the race a little easier for Europeans to watch.

I have little sympathy for the rest of the world having to watch the Melbourne GP at odd hours - I feel the race has suffered by moving the start time back from the usual 2pm start to the current 5pm start - nowdays we see extremely long shadows across the track, and drivers have complained of impaired vision from the setting sun. It's less enjoyable for the fans at the track aswell, being made to sit almost all day until the race starts - as a spectator, I much preferred the 2pm starts.

Move the Melbourne GP back to a local 2pm start, and tell Bernie to "sod off" with his lighting plan. If we lost the GP after the current contract expires in 2015 then so-be-it!

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:58 pm
by Toby.
Another year, same threat. It's getting ridiculous.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:02 pm
by paulsf1fix
Bernie sounds like he's getting obsessed with night races, come on Mr E it's F1 not Le Mans, Australia and the British GP are threatnend every year

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:03 pm
by sinstorm
I see Bernie's propensity to talk out his rear hasn't escaped him, lol :lol:

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:06 pm
by Adaemus
I miss it being on earlier as well...and I'm in the UK! It used to be 2/3am...which was always awkward but easy enough to just stay up late and watch. Now it's at around 5/6...which means you have to go to bed, and either go early and stay up all day afterwards, or go back to bed and not emerge until later.

This may seem like a trifling concern to a lot of you...but rest assured it keeps me awake at night...or not...at least once a year in mid-March... ;)

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:09 pm
by pbchillin
All of this effort to please the majority of viewers in Europe...

Why not just have more races in Europe, and sack off fairy cakes races like Malaysia, China, Korea and other venues where the stands are empty?

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:12 pm
by dizlexik
pbchillin wrote:All of this effort to please the majority of viewers in Europe...

Why not just have more races in Europe, and sack off fairy cakes races like Malaysia, China, Korea and other venues where the stands are empty?
Malaysia and Korea are good races :!:

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:19 pm
by Tassadar
I'm not too worried, I mean silverstone is still around and he's been harping about that one for years.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:22 pm
by BoxFullofNeutrals
pbchillin wrote:All of this effort to please the majority of viewers in Europe...

Why not just have more races in Europe, and sack off fairy cakes races like Malaysia, China, Korea and other venues where the stands are empty?
I'm not sure, but a hope I speak for the majority of us in the UK (at least) that having to get up for the Australian GP (for the original local 2pm start) was the real start to the F1 season, and wanted it no other way.

I, for one, would like Bernie to stop fiddling with start times and threatening circuits if they don't bow to his latest whim. It's just not professional :x

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:36 pm
by Seanie
Bernie should be axed.

The race has been ruined since they moved it to a 5pm start. It's looked so dull and grey in comparison from the 2pm starts, where we had blazing midday Australian sunshine.

You shouldn't run a World Championship that travels around the world if you're that bothered about time difference.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:36 pm
by hotglassman
just fit the cars with head lights .......job done lol

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:42 pm
by BoxFullofNeutrals
Seanie wrote:Bernie should be axed.

The race has been ruined since they moved it to a 5pm start. It's looked so dull and grey in comparison from the 2pm starts, where we had blazing midday Australian sunshine.

You shouldn't run a World Championship that travels around the world if you're that bothered about time difference.
:thumbup:

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:50 pm
by thingy003
back in my University days it used to be great sitting up drinking to watch the Australia GP although I often would miss the end of it due to the drink.

imho I think Bernie should just leave well alone and let them run the race at the time that suits them. I still enjoy watching the races at different times.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:25 pm
by hexen09
hi all,

Well, if Bernie wants to benefit viewers from Europe, why take the GPs held in Europe away?
Lets go back to France, Imola, Brands Hatch, Red Bull Ring and so many other classic circuits...

The only GPs i watch at good timing is Brazil and thats it, the asian round (China, Malaysia, Japan) are Sunday at 2-3am, and the rest is sunday at 7am.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:01 pm
by dabi
I have to agree here with bernie, a night race would be a spectacular event in Australia. Id imagine it would start late evening with the sun setting in the distant and go into the magic of the night sky overlooked by the shining stars..

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:02 pm
by Yellowbin74
I used to enjoy the early start, especially when its the first race. It added to the anticipation of the last few months. also, with the later start the kids wake up and make a load of noise right at the end of the race!!

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:09 pm
by TFLUFF
I wish someone would axe Bernie.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:10 pm
by AnonimNo.513
i hope not. australian gp is one of the best.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:12 pm
by Amon
TFLUFF wrote:I wish someone would axe Bernie.
Ditto to that. How long do we still need to put up with his constant whinging about the stuff we like.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:17 pm
by KateLM
dabi wrote:I have to agree here with bernie, a night race would be a spectacular event in Australia. Id imagine it would start late evening with the sun setting in the distant and go into the magic of the night sky overlooked by the shining stars..
It doesn't matter how spectacular it would look, they can't afford it.

Australia is becoming the new Silverstone with Bernie's annual threats. For the moment I'm not particularly convinced he'd take the race away. The "least viable race" claim tends to apply to whichever circuit he's currently having a go at.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:22 pm
by sinstorm
If Bernie keeps on trying to alienate as many circuits as he has done over the years before long we'll end up with an AADC ( America and Asia Drivers' Championship) ;)

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:26 pm
by Blinky McSquinty
Adaemus wrote:I miss it being on earlier as well...and I'm in the UK! It used to be 2/3am...which was always awkward but easy enough to just stay up late and watch. Now it's at around 5/6...which means you have to go to bed, and either go early and stay up all day afterwards, or go back to bed and not emerge until later.

This may seem like a trifling concern to a lot of you...but rest assured it keeps me awake at night...or not...at least once a year in mid-March... ;)
OK, I do sympathize with you, but for someone like me living in Canada, your issues pale compared to mine. For any European race, it starts 7 or 8 AM, and considering it's Sunday morning after a fun Saturday night, it's tough. And for me, the races in Asia and Australia are in the middle of the night. The only time I am allowed to watch the races live in the middle of the day are the Montreal GP and Brazil.

Hypothetical question.. if all of a sudden millions and millions in Asia turned in and suddenly became the largest group of watchers, would Bernie still follow the money and completely overturn the schedule so that those in Asia get prime times, and European races started at 10:00 AM Sunday morning? If it's 2 PM in China, it's 6 AM in Europe. Extending the Asian race to 8 PM to allow European races to start at noon is too late, and thus the European races have to accommodate the Asian race schedule, or lose the race.

It could happen, maybe not today, but...... for Bernie, nothing is sacred but money.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:28 pm
by diego
Lets have a laser show while we're at it ... or trap doors on the circuit itself opening up randomly with man eating sharks in them just to spice up things!

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:40 pm
by neilf1
The traditional start time was much better, it probably suited European audiences better and allowed the Australians to watch a GP at a reasonable. In fairness there are a few candidates for night races elsewhere, but not Melbourne.

LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE BERNIE!!

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 7:41 pm
by j man
Why do we need another night race? We'd lose the unique charm of Singapore if we had a second one (though of course we do have the semi-night race in Abu Dhabi). Getting up at stupid o'clock for the opening race of the season is an annual ritual that I wouldn't want to lose. As others have said it's already bad enough that we now have the race a bit later on, as that is even less convenient for arranging sleeping patterns than it was before. The hardcore fans are prepared to get up early to watch the race, and more casual fans are happy just watching the re-run. So what's the issue? Having the race during the night will not increase the number of viewers.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:13 pm
by Pritchard
I'm sure Australia can be replaced by some no-mark race out in the middle east with a dull circuit, no fans and a crowd that includes Bernie and a few oil-rich billionaires.

I think Bernie treads a fine line on this one, the past 10 years has seen F1 become saturated with tracks where the racing is simply unbearable. We go to these places and they trott out the old cliche's about how the race might be peaky but its an excellent drivers challenge, or about how there is some big hotel that bridges the track which more than makes up for a 2 hour bore-fest. Or how they run the race at night so it looks great even if it is a procession.

They've sorted the cars to an extent where they aren't the problem anymore, but to see these new circuits being pedaled out every year, and none of them live up to the hype he'll kill in product in return for a quick buck.

I can't believe we're building 2 circuits in America at a time when Spa is going to lose its race every other year, sad time for the sport. And that New York track looks like another Valencia/Singapore to me, boooooooooring.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:16 pm
by RickM
I missed Bernies bullcrap comments over the winter. You know the season's started again when he starts thinking out loud. Wonder when we'll be getting the sprinklers installed too! :lol:

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:18 pm
by RickM
j man wrote:Why do we need another night race? We'd lose the unique charm of Singapore if we had a second one (though of course we do have the semi-night race in Abu Dhabi). Getting up at stupid o'clock for the opening race of the season is an annual ritual that I wouldn't want to lose. As others have said it's already bad enough that we now have the race a bit later on, as that is even less convenient for arranging sleeping patterns than it was before. The hardcore fans are prepared to get up early to watch the race, and more casual fans are happy just watching the re-run. So what's the issue? Having the race during the night will not increase the number of viewers.
I agree, its the one day of the year that I'll happily sit in the living room at stupid-o-clock watching my favourite sport.

The only problem I've got is that I'm gunnu have to pretty much stay up all night to watch all the Sky coverage!

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:01 pm
by hscraft
As a US viewer, I don't understand the big deal (pretty much all of the GPs are at odd times for me, except for Canada and maybe Brazil). Is DVR not prevalent in Europe? What difference does it make what time the race is on?

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:19 pm
by Paul_C
I too preferred the earlier start. Now with the later start, not only does it not look as good on TV it also means that I have to get up early on Sunday and then not go back to bed afterwards. I don't want another night race - for one thing, it's not terribly environmentally friendly, for another, it's the Singapore GP's USP.

The sooner that Bernie and CVC can be got rid of, the better. Hold the races in countries that have great tracks (rather than fat wallets), make the tickets (and TV rights!) cheaper, and return most of the revenues to the teams.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:22 pm
by CB1300
These tiresome annual threats demonstrate that BERL (Bernie's European Racing League) is not a truly global sport. Melbourne's old starting time was 9pm (+/- couple of hours) on Saturday night in the Americas, a huge and still lucrative part of the potential world market. A night race would place it at 3am.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:29 pm
by ATM2
Well, considering that's the season opener, I think that the time in discussion is not a problem. I, for myself, agree to get up at whichever hour of the night to see it. But no axing Melbourne, please. We've just lost a good circuit (Turkey), Spa is always on the rocks, what else have we got to lose?
Hold the races in countries that have great tracks (rather than fat wallets), make the tickets (and TV rights!) cheaper, and return most of the revenues to the teams
I'm pretty sure that Bernie (and all the other F1 board of directors) will hunt you down with chainsaws, pitches and forks if you dare say this in an official meeting.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 10:57 pm
by schumi7
Change the timing of the race? NO!

Waking up early for the start of the season is great :thumbup:

It'd be cool to have Australia at night-time, but I prefer it how it is now.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:38 am
by Kiante
Oh please, not this again.

I can tell it is the beginning of the season now...

Why Austrlia? There are so many other races that NEED to be cut, but Aussie land brings in good money, but not that heavy money in sponsorship like Valencia or Bahrain. Its a great season opener and a fun track on F1 2011. :-P

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:52 am
by daytona81
Jay-1.1 wrote:Bernie has apparently told the organisers to arrange night race or lose grand prix. I don't see the organisers being that keen to move it to a night race because of cost of lighting the full circuit and I think they will be worried of attendances going down. I don't want to lose Melbourne from the calendar.

http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/new ... ld-be-axed

Australia has always been one, if not, my favorite track. Ill be tiddled if he gets rid of it. And IF he does they better at least go to Adelaide or Phillip Island.

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:06 am
by Peter77
Bernie is a greedy pig and must be stopped before all we are left with are tilk designed desert races.

Look at the hosting costs he has been paid for the Australian Grand Prix

1996 1.7 Million

2000 4 Million

2011 50.2 Million


In 1996 it was profitable and worthwhile to run for a country. Inflation since then has maybe doubled and that's being conservative yet look at Bernie's fees. In 15 years he has increased the price 29 Fold. DAMMMMM
Going on this formula in just 15 years from now Bernie will want about 1.5 BILLION to host the race in 15 years.

And on top he wants night race built, most probably a new track , new grandstand , and 7 star accommodation trackside for him and his 2 daughters. Every year the fees get increased astronomically along with his extreme demands.

http://www.news.com.au/business/melbour ... 6099714594

Re: Bernie - Australia could be axed.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 2:19 am
by MclarenFl
Why does he keeps saying the same thing over and over again? He Just changes the track. I think he does it to get more money.