B.E planning Formula Masters?...again

El_Bando · Apr 17, 2014

Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that he is planning to launch a masters series for former Formula One drivers following the concept which has been made popular by sports such as golf and tennis.

It would see superstar drivers such as Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet return to racing and has already been endorsed by several of the leading lights from yesteryear. They include Ferrari race-winner Gerhard Berger who says âI am sure that it will be successful and that all former drivers would like to participate.â
The series could see a return of the deafening V10 engines from the 1990s compared to the V6s which have been introduced to F1 this year and have been criticised for being too quiet. One of the fiercest critics has been Mr Ecclestone and he revealed the plans for the masters series to the Wall Street Journal.
âA series with former drivers is a good idea,â says Mr Ecclestone. âWe have talked about it and it is something we ought to do. Many of these old drivers are still absolutely good enough. You would put them in the cars they used to drive.â

Former driver Martin Brundle, who is now a television pundit, says âwhatever the format Iâd want to be part of it especially if it was supporting the F1 calendar.â Eddie Irvine, who almost won the F1 title in 1999, admits that âitâs not for me personallyâ but adds âI think the fans would love it and some drivers too.â

Mr Ecclestoneâs interest was revealed by a European trademark application which was filed in February by Formula One Licensing to protect the name âHistoric Formula Oneâ. The application is specifically in the category covering sporting events which is an important step in the preparation of a race series as it gives ownership to the name.

It is often possible to find out about the launch of a new racing series by checking the trademark register because an application for its name usually has to be made in advance of it being officially announced. In September 2008 the London Evening Standard newspaper revealed that F1 would launch a grass roots racing series called GP3. The following month GP3 was officially announced and it took its place underneath F1âs junior series GP2.

A masters series would complete the ladder as it would give a home to drivers who want to continue racing but are no longer up to F1 standards. It would also boost F1âs revenue which would please CVC, the private equity firm which controls the race series through its parent company Delta Topco.
Although there is no equivalent in F1, there is a series called Masters Historic Racing which allows the owners of classic F1 cars to compete against each other. They visit ten historic tracks including Britainâs Silverstone circuit, Spa in Belgium and Germanyâs historic NÃ¼rburgring. Its championship is known as the âHistoric Formula One Championshipâ and F1 licenses the name to it.
âHistoric Formula One is us,â says Mr Ecclestone. âWe license them to use the name.â As the license is under Mr Ecclestoneâs control he could use it for his series once the agreement with Masters Historic Racing comes to an end.
It would be a different championship as Mr Ecclestone says âthey have got different drivers, they have got people who bought these old cars. They have not got people like Mansell and Piquet driving but my idea would be to use them.â

A similar racing series, known as Grand Prix Masters, was launched in 2005 and featured ex-F1 drivers over the age of 40, competing against each other in modern 3.5-liter single-seater cars. It held three races â in South Africa, Qatar and at Silverstone, which was won by American driver Eddie Cheever. The series was shut down in 2007 after failing to pay its bills. As F1 is the worldâs wealthiest form of motor racing it is unlikely that its masters series would share the same fate.

Brundle adds that âa well structured F1 masters series would be very popular with drivers and fans, and therefore TV and new media channels and sponsors too. In any event Iâd want to drive cars that some others enjoyed back then. To attract the household names of decades past I suspect the cars would need to be safer and less physical to drive.â
Britainâs 1996 world champion Damon Hill added that it âsounds interesting. However, the problem is risk. I think most old drivers want to get home to bed early with a good book.â The spectacle on track promises to be a lot more interesting than that.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2...launch-masters-racing-series-says-ecclestone/

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I want to see JV face off against Piquet Sr

allsaintchris. · Apr 17, 2014

Will only work if its properly backed by the FIA and organised properly. Why not make it part of the F1 weekends as a support round for some European events?

The last one was a bit of a shambles with late cancellations and poor car reliability etc.

The use of old-style Indy chassis again would still be good as they are very strong

El_Bando · Apr 17, 2014

allsaintchris. said: ↑

Will only work if its properly backed by the FIA and organised properly. Why not make it part of the F1 weekends as a support round for some European events?

The last one was a bit of a shambles with late cancellations and poor car reliability etc.

The use of old-style Indy chassis again would still be good as they are very strong
Click to expand...

Some of the cockpits may need to be widened

SgtBhaji · Apr 17, 2014

El_Bando:6364520 said:

Some of the cockpits may need to be widened
Click to expand...

Naah. We could shoehorn Nige into a two-seater.

allsaintchris. · Apr 17, 2014

El_Bando said: ↑

Some of the cockpits may need to be widened
Click to expand...

Should disability badge holders get priority pit boxes at the start of the pitlane too?

allsaintchris. · Apr 17, 2014

SgtBhaji said: ↑

Naah. We could shoehorn Nige into a two-seater.
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That worked out fine last time!!

[video=youtube;wM4bIKf62j4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM4bIKf62j4[/video]

ErnieBecclestone · Apr 17, 2014

Not a good idea, all these guys are far too competitive, somebody's going to get hurt, would be great to watch though.

B.E planning Formula Masters?...again

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B.E planning Formula Masters?...again

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