<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jumkie @ Dec 7 2008, 01:42 AM)
<{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Well when you mismanage a series by making it a contest of who has a bigger pocket book rather than focus on the more classic sense of racing competition, then yes, the series is to blame. The economic "crisis" (that term is already a misnomer) simply made the fragile stretched out series expose its weakness. Hence we have teams pulling out. Now compare this to say WSBK, which is actually expanding in this economic "crisis". Why do you suppose this is? Perhaps because the series has taken excellent steps in focusing on the competition rather than who can throw more money at a team. Do you understand my point?
I understand your point, but it's impossible to compare F1 with WSBK. F1 is a worldwide spectacle, more spectacle than sport perhaps, that is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport, the place where the best drivers drive the fastest, most technologically advanced cars in the world. And that obviously costs. I'm not famillar with how WSBK works manufacturer-wise, but that the current recession has hit the car industry very hard is no secret, and since F1 largely consists of car manufacturers the sport will inevitably be vulnerable. F1 has also had rule-changes every other year which of course have caused the development costs to rise even more.
Also, I think Honda's sad demise shows that money isn't everything even in F1, because their budget has been huge, one of the largest in F1, but their results have been one of the worst.
That said, F1 needs to start saving, but saving and maintaining F1's special atmosphere as pinnacle of motorsports is easier said than done. Of course it's possible to standardize everything, it's well underway with the newest engine standardisation, thus making it a spec series, but then it isn't F1 anymore but GP2. And we hardly need two GP2 series.
