// Blighted by motorsport politics, yet adored by British politicians, the UK’s premier slot in the annual F1 calendar is also every bit as important, not merely in income or status terms, as one of the tiny nation’s other greatest sporting achievements. As major as Wimbledon is for tennis, or St Andrews is for golf, Silverstone is the home to the British Grand Prix. However, its top billing has been shared by other venues too and could have been somewhat different in 2012, had one operation not fiddled the books and attempted to spread egg on Bernie’s visage.
Viewing entries in
Track
Yesterday the concept for a grand prix in London was announced with support from the city of London, British drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, along with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The project, while still in its infancy, is surprisingly well on its way to being a reality and soon London could host a GP on its city streets.
Santander UK, the British wing of the Spanish banking group, has lead the recent efforts and contracted Populous Archtitects to produce a conceptual design of the circuit and supporting facilities. Two videos were also produced with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Button and Hamilton, showing a virtual lap around the track and an in studio introduction piece. So far these videos have made it around the world, producing a positive sentiment by both fans of the sport and the local media in England.
London Grand Prix Concept by Santander from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.
London's Mayor has expressed support for the event citing only small obstacles such as noise managment, as potential hurdles to overcome for the race to be held. Bernie Ecclestone, according to Adam Cooper at Speed, would front the cost to stage the event in order to make it a reality; a major contrast to the recent sanctioning fees imposed on Austin and other recent circuits.
With additional circuits such as New Jersey and Russia joining in the next few years, there's little room in the race calendar to allow for the exitsting circuits, so the question remains if the British GP at Silvertsone will be replaced by the London GP.
Until we learn more about the project and it makes it on the calendar officially for next season or 2014, take a virtual lap around the track in the video below.
Circuit of The Americas is proving their open arms mentality; in August 2011 we saw David Coulthard pilot the Red Bull Racing Showcar on a gravel track, in April of this year Alexis DeJoria took a Toyota Tundra on the pre-asphalt terrain. Earlier this month the newly-announced COTA Ambassador Mario Andretti showed us what a Cadillac Escalade was capable of on the newly-laid asphalt. Today, we got to see what a good 'ol American muscle car could stir up as COTA welcomed the fourth driver to test out the track, Australian V8 Supercars Driver Mark Winterbottom.
V8 Supercars is an Australian-based race series; one of the world's largest and best known touring car categories because it is recognized internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment. Mark is in the US as part of a media tour promoting his involvement with the Disney-PIXAR movie Cars 2, whereby he "plays" the character "Frosty" in the Australian version of the film. Before the end of the month, Mark will fly back to California for the opening of "Cars Land" at Disneyland.
While in Austin, he did a great job at hitting up many popular and uniquely Austin attractions - getting a pair of cowboy boots, enjoying great B-B-Q at Stubb's, visiting Jesse James at his Austin Speed Shop and enjoying an antelope burger at Elroy's Wild Bubba's Wild Game Grill (right next to the circuit). Mark had this to say about Austin:
Austin has a really cool vibe. There’s lots to see and do, and I think international visitors will find the city very sophisticated, yet laid back and welcoming. It’s a great destination for motorsports enthusiasts and their families because there’s something for everyone in terms of good food, great shopping, exceptional music and entertainment, loads of parks and recreational activities, and, of course, a purpose-built Grand Prix circuit that will host some of the best auto racing in the world!
But what about the circuit? He drove a Ford Mustang GT through the back portion of the racecourse, from Turns 5-12 and also had the opportunity to preview the rest of it. Like many, he was amazed at the 130' elevation spike going up Turn 1, but he was equally impressed with the changes in height throughout the circuit, adding the numerous turns would make for great driving. He added:
The circuit’s topography, including the dramatic changes in elevation, will make for some really fun racing and a great show for fans. While I didn’t get to drive the full circuit, the sequence of turns I did sample were fantastic, and I can’t wait to come back and take a lap around the finished racecourse. Circuit of The Americas will be a welcome addition to our future V8 Supercar line-up!
Check it out for yourself in this video clip:
Mark Winterbottom Drives COTA from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.
Now the question remains, when will we see the V8SC here in Austin? Stay tuned for the 2013 race calendar details to be announced.
// V8 Supercars Facts
- The V8 Supercar Championship ("V8 Supercars" or "V8SC") is an Australian-based touring car championship
- 15 annual events across Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East, and they raced at the 2012 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix as a support series during the F1 race weekend
- The world's leading Touring Car Championship recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile ("FIA")
- All V8 Supercars run on 85% CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process
- 2011 race attendance: 1,750,000
- 2011 TV race viewership: 17,500,000
- 130 countries telecast V8 Supercars live (as live or on delay, depending on time zone and programming)
- Estimated annual sponsorship portfolio in excess of $150,000,000
Sebastian Vettel at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
When I think of Valencia, I think of F1, oranges and paella. I know, I seem to always have food on my mind, I can't help it!
I am super excited that another race weekend is here, and a street circuit at that. Everyone is saying it, "Seven races and seven winners, no one knows what will happen next!", I dare to differ this week. Based on historical data (from Wiki) and intense mathematics calculations (not really), I am going to say Vettel has the best chance of winning this weekend.
You see, Vettel has won the last two years in a row at this circuit. That's pretty great record for this sport. Not to mention all the rumors this week about Vettel and his pre-contract with Ferrari in 2014 will come with extra pressure to perform. It'd be great if Schumacher or Raikkonen takes the crown to continue to mix things up for the championship, but the odds are ever so slightly against them.
As always, on top of the on-track actions, I'll be watching for the Grid Girls outfit and crowning the Best Post-race hair award. Can't wait for the qualifying and the race this weekend. Catch you again on the European Grand Prix Race Recap!
One of the most impressive displays at Formula Expo was by Godstone Ranch Motorsports, a Texas-based non-profit organization that races the GRAND-AM circuit to raise awareness and funds for charity. They created a 60' by 8' light wall that illuminated a larger-than-life rendering of Circuit of The Americas. In front of the wall sat a Formula 1 Ferrari provided by Risi Competizione/Ferrari of Houston and Godstone also debuted their "HEART Car" in conjunction with its charitable focus, the American Heart Association of Austin.
In this interview, I chatted with team drivers Davy Jones, Le Mans Champion and Rolex 24 at Daytona Champion, and John McCutchen II, 2009 SCCA Southwest Super Touring Champion, in order to learn more about the series and how it ties into the future of motorsports in Austin. You can read more about Godstone's work by visiting their website, here.
With just 5 months to go until the inaugural Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, construction at Circuit of The Americas is rapidly progressing as the 900+ acre site transforms daily into a world class facility.
Formula 1's most recognized photographers Mark and Keith Sutton of Sutton images visited Austin for Formula Expo this past weekend and took to the skies for a look at COTA. In addition to their photos from their trip which you can see in this weeks issue of GP Week, the Sutton's brought back some aerial footage of the track as well:
The trip includes captions which indicate the turn locations as they circle around the whole location. If you're on the fence about which tickets to get for the race, this video should give you some idea of the orientation of the track relative to your seating.
If you're curious just how far along the circuit has come in a short amount of time, take a look at our aerial footage from March 2011. This should help you gain some perspective on the amazing progress made by COTA's construction team in just 15 months since we produced the first aerial video of the circuit:
Exclusive: First Aerial Video of Austin Track Construction from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.