Bonefish Blues
Banging donk
- Location
- 52 Festive Road
The decision will have been financially-driven in some way, I guess
Motorsports Thread
- Thread starter Reynard
- Start date
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400ixl
Active Member
- Location
- Norwich, Norfolk
From a teams perspective, possibly. From a track perspective maybe not as the marshals would mostly be back at work today as it is not a bank holiday in Belgium.
The two laps was clearly commercially driven, but lets hope pressure makes them compensate the fans in some way. Maybe a decent concession against next years event for example.
OP
OP
Reynard
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire, UK
The only issue is that you forget that other than the retained FIA officials, the marshals and track staff are all volunteers. Getting them to stay another day may be problematic, and you can't run a meeting safely without the requisite number of marshals and medical personnel on post.
I'll agree though, it was a complete sh*tshow. Michael Masi didn't have the balls to simply call it off - which IMHO would have been better for everyone. This was a complete farce - and it's not the first bad call he's made.
Given the uncertainty of the calendar for later in the year, there will always be a slot available somewhere. I think we won't have heard the last of this.
N.B. In the US, where they don't race on ovals in the rain (too risky), there is always a "rain day" built into the meeting.
I'll agree though, it was a complete sh*tshow. Michael Masi didn't have the balls to simply call it off - which IMHO would have been better for everyone. This was a complete farce - and it's not the first bad call he's made.
Given the uncertainty of the calendar for later in the year, there will always be a slot available somewhere. I think we won't have heard the last of this.
N.B. In the US, where they don't race on ovals in the rain (too risky), there is always a "rain day" built into the meeting.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Theres another event at the circuit today, so they couldn't delay it by a day.
And in a delicious twist of irony, that race seems likely to be rained off as well
And in a delicious twist of irony, that race seems likely to be rained off as well
Theres another event at the circuit today, so they couldn't delay it by a day.
And in a delicious twist of irony, that race seems likely to be rained off as well
Fair enough, if only there were 6 empty weeks later in the calendar... oh.. hang on...
although it would be more wintery, which might be problematic. Not sure what November / December weather looks like at Spa.
figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
I don’t think there’s a studded tyre option is there?
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Its far from satisfactory, but we've all seen football rained off, big rugby matches rained, iced and even snowed off. Sometimes they get resheduled, sometimes that is not possible their sports own governing bodies have to invoke the regulations to create a 'sporting' outcome that fits within the framework of their relevant championship. F1 is in no way unique in this regard.
Considering its an open air sport F1 has done very well for this to be the first in its 70 year history to be lost to that degree.
Its a bummer, but weather happens.
I see the FIA are unhappy - again - with Lewis shooting his mouth off. One wag has observed that if Lewis is worried about fans having their ticket costs refunded he could refund them himself using the money he saved from his private jet VAT dodge...you know, the one where he created an IoM based firm and then leased the plane back to himself for business use only as a tax wheeze, and then stupidly plastered pics of himself on social media showing off and jetting all over the place using it for his own personal use...
He wasn't so vocal complaining about people acting to protect their profits then was he?
Considering its an open air sport F1 has done very well for this to be the first in its 70 year history to be lost to that degree.
Its a bummer, but weather happens.
I see the FIA are unhappy - again - with Lewis shooting his mouth off. One wag has observed that if Lewis is worried about fans having their ticket costs refunded he could refund them himself using the money he saved from his private jet VAT dodge...you know, the one where he created an IoM based firm and then leased the plane back to himself for business use only as a tax wheeze, and then stupidly plastered pics of himself on social media showing off and jetting all over the place using it for his own personal use...
He wasn't so vocal complaining about people acting to protect their profits then was he?
The problem with these "wags" is that they seem to think that Lewis does his own accounts whereas most drivers at his level employ a professional accountancy firm to manage their money. Quite how on earth they think he would find time to do his own accounts and research tax loopholes as well as driving in Formula 1, I just don't know.
The same is true of Jimmy Carr and the explosive revelation that he was using an accountant.
Of course these revelations were highly publicised by Rupert Murdoch and the Barclay Brothers amongst others - paragons of virtue who would would NEVER seek to keep their accounts offshore and dodge tax...
What? Oh....
Bonefish Blues
Banging donk
- Location
- 52 Festive Road
I've mellowed towards Lewis tbh. There's still elements of bell-endery, but overall I think he's OK 
matticus
Guru
I can't tell how much of this paragraph is sarcasm, so:
irrespective of how he manages his finances, he will know how much he's paid, and roughly how much a private jet costs, and roughly how much tickets to Spa cost.
He also knows how much it cost him to make this (perfectly reasonable) statement about the fans at Spa, and how other people should be re-imbursing them; i.e. exactly zero.
Pretty much all of it
I get annoyed when people make out that wealthy people know all about the underhand practices of their accountants when I very much suspect that the conversation goes like this...
"OK Lewis - welcome to McLaren - you are going to need an F1 accountant. We'd recommend this firm as most of the other drivers use them."
or
"Hey Lewis - who is doing your accounts? I use these guys. Ok - thanks Jensen..."
I very much doubt that any of them are asking for year end reports, a review of their investment portfolio and to be kept abreast of any tax avoidance schemes.
You are right that it costs Lewis nothing to suggest that fans should be reimbursed, but perhaps he does feel that the people that did take the money might be able to find something down the back of the sofa to enable that.
matticus
Guru
If Lewis has no obligation to know how/where his money is invested, why should anyone else in F1$World have any obligations beyond their contractual terms?
Beebo
Firm and Fruity
- Location
- Hexleybeef
If the organisers ran 2 laps just to avoid a refund then that is very poor, but I suspect they ran 2 laps to get a race completed and the refund bit is an unfortunate side issue.
I dont see how Hamilton’s tax has any involvement here. He doesn’t pay Belgium tax, but does pay considerable UK tax.
I dont see how Hamilton’s tax has any involvement here. He doesn’t pay Belgium tax, but does pay considerable UK tax.
OP
OP
Reynard
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire, UK
I was thinking that as I typed it and wondering just how low track temperatures would be
1st October looks available at the moment though...
About the same as Silverstone in January...
They used to run the Belgian GP in late April / early May BITD, but it used to alternate between Zolder and Spa.
