East is a fast business

"Formula 1" goes to the East. Russia should be next in the race

The executive director of the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF), Sergey Ivanov, will not even remember the last time there was such an automobile boom in the country. First, Vladimir Putin drove a yellow Lada, then Dmitry Medvedev got behind the wheel, and at the end of September, Putin was already joking on automotive topics with participants in the Silk Way Rally at a bivouac near Maikop. And the governor of the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Tkachev and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak at the last Formula 1 Grand Prix in Singapore had a long talk with Formula 1 Commercial Director Bernie Ecclestone about a possible stage in Russia. “That doesn't mean anything yet. So many different leaders have already met with him, but to no avail, ”warns Sergey Ivanov.

The geography of Formula 1 has greatly expanded over the past few years - the World Championship is steadily moving to the East. New races are held with great success in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, the Grand Prix of Malaysia, China and Bahrain, where multimillion-dollar racetracks have been built, have become traditional. The only puncture can happen at the Korean Grand Prix - less than two weeks are left before the start of the race, and the commission of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has not yet accepted the track. But the Koreans are loudly supported by Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, and they are unlikely to face penalties.

The change in the course of the Royal Races is easily explained: it is important for Ecclestone that local organizers pay as much money as possible, and rich eastern countries can now afford it. European tracks, beloved by racers and fans, may soon disappear altogether. Promoters in Belgium and Germany bear huge losses. And in France, which gave the world the very concept of "Grand Prix", the races have not been held for two years. It will be the countries from the East that will force them out of the calendar. India will appear next year. And in a couple of years - and Russia.

FROM MOSCOW TO SOCHI FOR €28 MILLION

The situation with the Russian Grand Prix, it seems, has once again moved off the ground. Russian officials flitted into the paddock and into the pit lane, and many saw this as a sign. On the one hand, Russia has already matured: construction of the Moscow Raceway track near Moscow is in full swing, which will be able to host Formula 1 races, and Russian racer Vitaly Petrov is playing for the Renault team.

On the other hand, everything depends on money. According to the most conservative estimates, in addition to the construction itself and the costs of internal organization, the national promoter must pay about €25-35 million to companies controlled by Bernie Ecclestone, in particular, Formula One Management (FOM). In this case, the return will be minimal. According to FOM rules, the company keeps all the profits from sponsors, advertising and trade, and the promoter gets only fees from tickets - at best, € 3 million.

For a long time they refused to work on such conditions in Russia. Moscow's position was defended to the last by former mayor Yury Luzhkov. Back in 2002, at a meeting with Bernie Ecclestone in Monza, Italy, he made it clear: if Ecclestone wants to come to Moscow, you need to share income. “Otherwise, he proposes to leave only the noise from cars,” Luzhkov was indignant.

Ecclestone refused such an offer and, according to the interlocutors of Newsweek, put an end to negotiations with the capital's mayor. After Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok and Sochi tried to try on the title of the racing capital of Russia. Further conversations, however, did not go. “He had so many walkers from us that he probably already considers us crazy,” laughs RAF Executive Director Sergei Ivanov.

But this time the interest in Formula 1 is really serious, says a source in the government to Newsweek, the state will not dictate its terms to FOM and will find a promoter among the major players in the Russian market. It remains to decide where exactly to hold the race. Now there are two more or less real options - Moscow and Sochi. Ecclestone himself has already stated that he does not care where.

Moscow can offer to build a city track in the city center or the Moscow Raceway track project, which is being built at the 77th kilometer. The highway project in the city has a lot of shortcomings. We will have to block the center for the weekend, we will need a lot of money for the restoration of roads. In addition, recently city tracks have become boring and predictable: cars go slower than on the track, and the one who wins the qualification wins. Only Singapore was a lucky find, where the race takes place at night under artificial lighting, although this is not an innovative idea, but a strict FOM condition - so that there is a convenient time for the European television audience.

The Moscow Raceway project is expected to be commissioned at the end of 2011. Moscow's competitive advantage lies in the fact that the track is being designed by the famous German architect Hermann Tilke, who has worked on nine construction sites for Formula 1 over the past twelve years. His stamp on the Moscow project does not guarantee victory, but is a sign of quality, Newsweek's interlocutors say. The minus of Moscow is that so far this is an exclusively private initiative: there are no agreements or state guarantees on this construction site.

“In order to go to the state and ask for support, you need to do something on your part. We want to show a modern track that can take the “Formula 1”,” Dmitry Klushin, CEO of the Big City company, who manages the construction of the track, explains to Newsweek. According to project manager Yekaterina Beltsevich, it will not be possible to hold the stage without state support in any case: “This is not only a costly, but also a very difficult event to organize, taking into account the entry of foreigners into the country, the import of machinery and equipment.” But there is no interest yet. In the Ministry of Sports, the leaders of Moscow Raceway are supported only in words. “They ask to keep them informed, but about the construction they say: “Great, well done!”, says Beltsevych.

The state is more likely to support the native and closely familiar city of Sochi than a private project in Moscow. A government source says that Putin has twice spoken out in favor of holding the Grand Prix in the south. But the project still exists only in words. Sochi also has disadvantages. Firstly, the construction of the track does not fit into the optimization of the Olympic construction - its cost is estimated at 10 billion rubles. Secondly, the track is poorly planned, and a new project needs money, which, again, is not there. The source assures that if the governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Alexander Tkachev, finds money for at least half of the cost of the route, then Vnesheconombank or Sberbank will take on the other half.

In any case, there will be no competition between Moscow and Sochi, Newsweek's interlocutors say, if the money appears, the decision will be made quickly. Applicants do not even compete with each other. The Department of Physical Culture and Sports of the Krasnodar Territory told Newsweek that the construction of a race track for Formula 1 was not discussed at all.

Moscow Raceway Newsweek assured that they welcome the holding of any races on any tracks. The popularization of the races will benefit everyone, Katerina Beltsevich notes. Moscow Raceway will earn money in addition to racing. A skill improvement school will open here, anyone can make a circle and feel like a racer, Dmitry Klushin adds.

MORNING MONEY - EVENING RACES

The fate of the Russian stage of Formula 1 is now completely dependent on the Russian authorities. According to Ecclestone, the next step should be for Russia - accordingly, he has already named his approximate price tag. “We want the most economically developed countries to be involved in the World Cup,” Ecclestone explains his approach in an interview with The Korea Herald newspaper. He often says that from an image point of view, Formula 1 is almost the most prestigious competition in the world. Most countries agree with this and by all means try not to fly out of the international calendar.

Ecclestone is ready to make concessions. For example, when it became clear that South Korea did not have time to prepare the track for the FIA ​​inspection, as required by the rules, 90 days before the start, he allowed the inspection to be postponed. Critics of Ecclestone immediately pointed out to him that he was simply afraid of losing money. A negative response from the FIA ​​Commission would mean the cancellation of the stage and disqualification from next year's championship. And the Koreans have already invested more than $330 million in the project. As a result, the inspection was postponed again - and now South Korea must still be in time.

Despite Ecclestone's loyalty to the members of his pool, punctures still happen. He does not get tired of repeating what the product gives, and how to dispose of it, the organizer must decide. In 2005, Turkey entered the Formula 1, having built the Istanbul Park circuit for $200 million. But due to the low interest in racing in Turkey and the high price of tickets, there was a full house only in the opening year. If in 2005 185,000 people came to the Grand Prix, then in 2009 there were only 65,000 of them left. Empty stands and sports scandals did Turkey a disservice - in 2009, Ecclestone did not even go to the race, citing health problems.

The main rule of Ecclestone is that you must always pay and be sure to advance. He works only with long-term contracts for five to seven years and requires full payment. What happens to those who do not pay is eloquently evidenced by the recent story of the Canadian Grand Prix. In 2008, Ecclestone put forward new demands to the organizers: for five seasons, the Canadian side would have to pay him $ 175 million, and accompany them with a state or bank guarantee. Race promoter GPC offered a maximum of $110 million, with no guarantees. It was not possible to agree, and the race was canceled: for the first time in more than 40 years.

Ecclestone himself, however, explained this by saying that he owed him more for past starts. “The former promoter owes us about $20 million. If the debt had been paid, perhaps the race would not have been canceled,” journalist Terry Lovell quotes Ecclestone in his book Bernie Ecclestone: King of Sport. Canada managed to reconcile with Ecclestone a few months later. A new promoter was found who enlisted the support of the authorities and promised to transfer about 15 million Canadian dollars to Ecclestone - and in 2010 the Grand Prix triumphantly returned to the calendar.

Relations with Russia Ecclestone will build in the same vein. Newsweek's interlocutors say that the endless promises that the Russian side fed him caused irreparable damage to her image - now the owner of Formula 1 does not believe them and is waiting for real offers. But if Russia still decides to invest in racing, then Ecclestone may include it in the calendar for 2012.

Konstantin Gaaze participated in the preparation of the article