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Old 25 Jan 2009, 12:44 (Ref:2378685)   #2
Peter235
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Join Date: Aug 2008
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Peter235 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
This is an interesting one as A1GP has built a good reputation over its first four years for competitive racing and, almost more important, allowing a number of drivers an opportunity they realistically couldn't get anywhere else in the rest of the sport.

I've watched it from the first beginnings with some occasional insights behind the scenes and, however I view it, I find it difficult to see how it can ever become really profitable and justify the huge amounts of money invested into the Series and its teams, though I can image the team principles finding it a good way of focussing their global clients attention wherever it goes.

Particularly now it must be extremely difficult to raise proper sponsorship for the teams from anything other than global businesses without the level of TV coverage and general hype built up over decades by F1, also apparently desperately cost cutting to stay in business now.

A1 also uncovers the enormous costs involved in shipping a whole grid and all the back up equipment round the world which generally keeps racing on this logistical scale down to a very few major Championships, let alone the personnel. On the other hand that's also one of its significant advantages compared to Series on just one continent as its format does have a lot of merit in pitting country against country and it's been great to see some less expected countries getting good results from time to time.

I really hope this does succeed - after all, who knows - if there's a sudden exit of motor manufacturers out of F1, where will that find replacement money and engines now in keeping with the long term style of being the best and most innovative category in the World? Maybe A1GP are in the right place to take up some slack if this ever occurs.

I see that Williams have already admitted that, without the drastic cost cuts imposed by the FIA, they could have been struggling. (yet contrast that with the huge added costs of trying to develop KERS!) I do hope not as Frank and his Team have been an inspiration to countless others in the way they have come back from disasters and won again and again throughout their history.

I will await the outcome of AlGP's search for yet more fresh money with great interest and sincerely hope that, this time, this and their business plan can come together for them to reach economic stability and be with us for a long time to come.
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