25/09/2007
NEWS STORY
FIA President Max Mosley, having told the teams and manufacturers how they should spend their money, has now told the British government that it should give financial support to the British Grand Prix.
"The government has lost its virginity over the Olympics," he told the Daily Mirror. "The (British) Grand Prix is far more important than the Olympics which is only held in this country every 50 years.
"If Britain loses the Grand Prix, the government will have to take the blame," he added.
No, Mr Mosley it will not have to take the blame. The blame will lie with the powers that be that run Formula One, namely you, CVC and Bernie Ecclestone. The demands - financial and otherwise - are ludicrous, and many promoters in the west are unable and unwilling to meet them.
Sadly, due to the passion of F1 fans in Britain, the powers that be know that they can make their demands and that eventually they will be met, even if this means increasing ticket prices by two or three times in order to meet the fees required by FOM.
However, it is not the government's job to support the British Grand Prix, effectively using taxpayers hard-earned cash in order to further line the coffers of Ecclestone and CVC.
We at Pitpass have made no secret in the past - and we speak as residents of London - that the city cannot afford the Olympics and does not need them. Ironically, Bernie Ecclestone and Mosley were major players when it came to London's bid.
Despite claims that Britain is still a major power, it is sinking rapidly, becoming, as Ecclestone predicted, a third-rate nation.
Taxpayers money should be used on things that benefit all those that contribute, it should be used for the health service, education, fighting crime and a dozen other crises facing this nation. It should be used for vital services, not frivolities, and certainly not to keep Bernie Ecclestone and CVC in the manner to which they have become accustomed.
There are plenty of mugs - sorry nations eager to become part of the F1 dream, desirous of the kudos and tourism income that a Grand Prix might bring - the British government has far more important things to spend its/our money on.