Will Troubled South American Economies Cause Problems for Formula 1?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 15, 2016

commentComment        

With South American countries facing, "an economic storm of the likes the region hasn't seen in decades," per Joshua Goodman of the Associated Press, it is reasonable for Formula One fans to ask how the sport's future on the continent might be affected.

Brazil and Argentina, in particular, have longstanding ties to F1, producing four world champions between them that have won 13 titles. The Argentine Grand Prix first appeared on the F1 calendar in 1953 and continued, with some gaps, until 1998. Lately, there has been intermittent talk of reviving it. And the Brazilian Grand Prix has been part of the World Championship every year since 1973.

In 2015, there were three South American drivers on the grid—and at least two of them owed their positions largely to state-funded sponsorships from their home countries.

First, there is Pastor Maldonado, who may already have raced his final grand prix. The only real surprise is that he lasted this long. And not because of all those crashes—at least not specifically—but rather it is surprising that his sponsorship cheques from the Venezuelan state-controlled oil company PDVSA continued to arrive for as long as they did.

Now, with the price of oil plummeting and the Venezuelan economy in turmoil, it seems the well, so to speak, has finally run dry.

According to the BBC's Andrew Benson, the $50 million that PDVSA pays to the team to keep Maldonado in a race seat is several weeks overdue, and Renault is considering bringing in former McLaren man Kevin Magnussen as a replacement.



"It's speculation at the moment. We have a contract with Pastor. That is the current situation," a team spokesperson told Benson. "Who knows what could happen by Australia but, at the moment, we are going forward with Pastor and Jolyon [Palmer]."

Not exactly a vote of confidence.

Meanwhile, Brazil's economy is also in big trouble. The&nb...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Formula 1

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!