Spa

[clm1545]

Scott, and I attended the 2005 USGP. At the time I thought that no race could possibly be worse, or more disrespectful to the fans. Seems I was wrong.

[quattro]

A couple of weeks on and it is still being talked about in the UK and Belgium even after the fan fest that was Zandvoort.

If memory serves, the 1976 Japanese GP went ahead because of TV.
Seems the Belgian GP could have been run earlier in the day when the weather was better but it would have
messed up TV schedules or some such.

So what?

They need to put in a clause that allows them to run anytime from the morning onwards on race day.
The fans at the track will have taken their seats early anyway.
TV can always put out a recorded show at the scheduled time.....

Maybe the corporate guests need time to get up late and have their brunch before getting to their suites
and might have missed having the driver meet and greet in the morning......

[indy]

In the billion dollar world of F1, it would not surprise me that corporate dollars dictate more than we realize.

I have seen NASCAR move up races an hour or more to avoid the rain for an oval race. I cannot remember IndyCar doing it, but they might have.

Jordan

[sam198]

Jordan, they have indeed. I was actually watching the 2006 IRL race from Richmond the other day and the announcers explained the lack of a pre-race show and early start was to avoid rain. I'm sure there are other documented examples, I just can't think of them.

I realize F1 runs by its own rule, but a massive company looking that bad is never a good idea. Thankfully for them, Europeans are more accepting of being hosed. Though it continued for a couple more years (due, I believe to contractual obligations), that 2005 USGP debacle was pretty much the end of F1 at Indy and by 2007, I don't think anyone thought they'd return.

What I cannot understand is that with the current views on safety, such circumstances do not have contingency plans. While the amount of rain was excessive, a wet race at Spa is hardly uncommon.