As I was searching through the usual sites for news this morning a story on Speedtv.com caught my eye, and it would appear that the Canadian government may be making a bid to host F1 yet again in 2010. As we remember the grand prix was cancelled this year due to lack of funding. Bernie set the price mark way too high for a sub par product. The one problem in the whole mess was the fact that the North American leg of the calendar had been taken away completely. With talk from Dr. Theissen about calendars and race schedules, a Canadian offer is ready to be made.
Canadian officials are ready to bring $15 million USD to the table in a bid to host a round of the championship. This figure is roughly half of what Bernie requires a venue to pay in order to host the mobile circus. Had this been maybe a couple years ago it simply would not be enough. However, the economic landscape has changed slightly and now venues are just not willing to separate with that kind of cash. Team this with the pressure from FOTA to have both legs of the North American tour, and this may be an offer Bernie cannot refuse. The U.S. and Canada are massive markets for these teams to advertise in and without them it really is not a world championship. The teams need the money that sponsoring in the states and Canada bring and it will surly be a point in upcoming discussions between FOTA and Bernie. Bring USF1 into the fold and we now really need to consider hosting at least one round at some point next year. If that means Canada, then so be it. A number of venues as discussed in the podcast are just simply not selling tickets or putting on very good shows. So with that being said, it is time for a legacy event such as Canada to be put back on the schedule. The attendance is always high and the racing is good. So how bout it Bernie ? Is the hassle of dealing with FOTA really worth $15 Million? I think this is an offer he can’t refuse.
