F.1 – Fall in sales for the Austrian Gp: "Tickets are too expensive"

This is the week of the Austrian Grand Prix, the eighth appointment of F1 World Championship. This Grand Prix came back in the F1 calendar last year: in Styria Formula 1 experienced one of races with the best organization ever, rewarded with terraces and lawns crowded of public, thanks to the presence of nine Austrian drivers on track for the Legends Parade. This year the initiative will be repeated too, and the main theme will be the cars powered by Turbo engines of the ‘80s.

In the weeks before, however, Helmut Marko, the right arm of Mr. Red Bull, alarmed about on the sharp fall in ticket sales – despite the many initiatives put in place – because of the particularly difficult moment that Formula 1 is experiencing. “Besides the lack of the traditional sound of the engines, the cars are too easy to drive”, Marko declared, remarking those Power-Units that are creating many problems to Red Bull. “Everything has started with the introduction of the power-unit, which are not sustainable for this Formula 1 and are so complex that can’t be introduced in the mass-production cars”.

“I understand the difficulty of confirming the success of sales in 2014 because, apparently, Berni Ecclestone has imposed to maintain the same prices of other circuits“, Gian Carlo Minardi comments. “Frankly, I find it really absurd, because as organizer, I should decide how to organize the Grand Prix and estimate the loss amount, especially if I have paid the sum required for the race. Evidently, the imposed price increase of tickets is affecting the presale, considering also the current economic unlucky moment of Europe. Last year, the Austrian Gp was one of the best-organized Grand Prix, thanks to the many initiatives of background, such as the Legends Parade, which is confirmed also for this weekend. I hope that ticket sales will recover as closers we’re getting to the event“, the manager from Faenza, who will be in Spielberg, concludes.

This is a sign that something more has to change in this Formula 1, and also as soon as possible.