Mercedes principal Ross Brawn bemoans losing heritage over growth – Formula 1 news
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn says growth is good for the sport but we must not lose the heritage of Formula 1 over it.
While Brawn has applauded the expansion of Formula 1 into new markets, he showed concern at losing the sport’s heritage and traditions amidst the expansion which has increased over the recent years.
Speaking during the Indian Grand Prix, Brawn said, “What we don’t want is to lose important races and we can all sit here and debate which ones are important, but we don’t want to lose the iconic and historic heritage races.”
“They are what make Formula 1 so attractive for countries like India, to be part of that collection of races, to be a race like Monaco, Silverstone and Monza. If we lose those heritage races, those important historic races, then I think F1 itself becomes
less attractive,” he further added.
He did however suggest that the teams are eager to go for more races, especially when those races are at important regions like India, Russia and North America. Teams are supporting the move but managing those races is also very important.
In this year, there were 20 races scheduled. Even though with the dropping of the Bahrain Grand Prix due to civil unrest, 19 races are still considered a packed season.
If from 2012 and the coming years, more races are added to the season, it would be imperative to find a balance in between back-to-back races and to make sure the team staff gets enough time to recuperate from the hectic schedule.
Earlier, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh also showed his concern over the congestion of Grand Prix scheduling for the coming years. He also mentioned that it is going to be very difficult for engineers and other staff to maintain high levels of productivity
given the heavy workload they already bear from the current schedule.
Although there have been talks of some circuits to be excluded from future Grand Prix calendars. Bahrain is an unsure venue at this point, depending on how their civil unrest unfolds in coming months. Korea is on the verge of facing an axing over hosting
Formula 1 events.
Let’s see how the sport shapes up in the years to come.
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