F1

What is the Future of F1 after Bernie Ecclestone?

Bernie Ecclestone is synonymous with Formula 1. The British sports entrepreneur was born Bernard Charles ‘Bernie’ Ecclestone on October 28th 1930. He is known as being the president and CEO of Formula 1 Management, and Formula 1 Administration, and Formula 1 Constructors’ Association. In 2009, he had a net worth of £1.466 billion.

Bernie is a part-owner of Alpha Prema which is the parent company of the Formula 1 Group of companies. It is for this reason that he is considered to be the primary authority in Formula 1 racing. In tabloid journalism he is termed as F1 Supremo. Bernie Ecclestone started as a competitor and then as the manager of drivers Jochen Rindt and Stuart Lewis-Evans. Bernie Ecclestone entered the1958 Monaco Grand Prix and the 1958 British Grand Prix, but he did not qualify for the race.

He bought the Brabham team back in 1972 where he stayed for 15 years. It is while here that he became a member of the Formula One Constructors Association. His control of F1 grew when he pioneered the sale of TV rights towards the end of the 1970s. His control is mostly financial, but under the Concorde Agreement terms, he and his companies are also involved in the management, administration, setup and logistics of all Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Bernie Ecclestone was born in St Peter South Elmham which is a small hamlet 3 miles south of Bungay, Suffolk. Given that Bernie Ecclestone turns 81 in October 28th 2011, people are talking about the future of F1 without him. Formula One officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single-seater auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile or FIA. The term ‘formula’ in the name basically refers to a set of rules that all the participating cars must comply with.

The Formula 1 season consists of several races that are known as Grands Prix (which is taken from the English ‘Big Prizes’). These races take place on purpose-built circuits, but some such as the European Grand Prix take place on public roads. The results of the different races are combined to determine the annual drivers World Championship and the annual constructors World Championship.

The racing drivers, the constructor teams, the track officials, the organizers, and the circuits are required to hold valid Super Licences – these are the highest class of racing license that are issued by the FIA.
There are several things that will definitely not change when Bernie Ecclestone leaves Formula 1. F1 cars are the world’s fastest circuit-racing cars. This is mostly because the cars are able to achieve high cornering speeds as a result of the large amounts of aerodynamic down force that they are designed to achieve. These cars are capable of speeds of up to 360 km/h (or 220 mph).

There is a limit to the engines performance to18, 000 RPM (revolutions per minute). This is not expected to change after Bernie. The cars can achieve lateral acceleration of over 5 g in corners and this, too, is not expected to change. The cars’ performance varies depending on electronics – this is why some constructors tend to do better than others. Driving aids such as traction control have however been banned since 2008, as has the use of aerodynamics, tires, and suspension that is not approved.

This ban is unlikely to be lifted after Bernie Ecclestone since it was put in place to give racing teams and drivers a level playing field.

Formula 1 races are very popular world over and this is mostly because of the expansion of Grand Prix races to the likes of China, Bahrain, and India to attract the over 1 billion strong Chinese market, the Middle East and Muslim market, and the over 1 billion strong Indian market, among others. It is expected that Formula one will continue to expand after Bernie Ecclestone to attract even more viewers. In 2010, the total global TV audience stood at 527 million. F1 is expected to grow this figure because above all, this is a business and the constructors want to make as much as they can, as do the drivers.

The FIA has been changing the rules to improve the on-track action and to cutting costs and this is expected to continue after Bernie Ecclestone. It is expected that some of the manufacturers who were forced to quit following the credit crunch of 2008/2009 will make a return after Bernie Ecclestone and that many more privateers will join Formula One like Virgin Racing, Brawn GP, Hispania Racing F1, and Lotus Racing teams have done.