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...what the big numbers and the gaudy pageantry hide is how close the sport came to a total crack-up last year, and just how rickety it remains. At times over the past few years, Formula One has looked as ungovernable as California: big teams quit, and more threatened to do so; the financial industry canceled its lifeblood sponsorship almost en masse; track attendance is down; and scandals have tarnished everyone from a world champ to the former head of motor sport itself. Bernie Ecclestone, the septuagenarian who is usually described as F1's principal stakeholder (a description that doesn...
...none of F1's race promoters comes close to covering costs. The shortfall is increasingly paid for by governments who view television coverage as a giant TV commercial for their city or country. Singapore hosts a spectacular nighttime race on city streets beneath twinkling lights. In 2008, its first year, the race took in $51 million, but cost $100 million, according to Formula Money. That's O.K. with Singapore. The government kicked in $60 million, leaving the local promoter with a tidy profit. "Singapore wasn't really on the map, and then they run this F1 night race, show...
...rburgring (a new, shorter version has been used since the 1980s) is not on this year's F1 schedule. Yas Island in Abu Dhabi is. The gulf state has spent $1 billion on the new track and $39 billion on the outlandish infrastructure surrounding it, including hotels, golf courses and Ferrari World, billed as the world's largest indoor theme park. Here you can experience the g-forces of an F1 racer firsthand on a roller coaster that reaches speeds of 124m.p.h. (200 km/h). The roller coaster may be more thrilling than the race itself. New tracks like Yas Island...
...This year's season may open next week, but it won't reach Europe until mid-May, passing first through Bahrain, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. Only eight of this season's 19 races are in Europe, and the proportion will likely continue to shrink. England's legendary Silverstone track almost lost its spot on the schedule altogether. France no longer has a race...
...balance, F1's move eastward is good for the sport. Last year, more than a third of F1's TV viewers came from China and Brazil alone. India hopes to host a race in the next few years. "Doing an American team makes a lot of sense as the sport moves away from Europe; those are the markets that American companies want to reach," says Peter Windsor, who is trying to get the new USF1 team off the ground. It also helps explain why YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley is pouring money into F1. Still, much of the sport...