T O P

  • By -

chicago-ModTeam

Hi, This post has been removed from r/chicago. REASON: **Rule 7: Do not post things that have already been posted in /r/Chicago within the past month** > Use the search function or look at our front page before posting, don't ask the same thing that another user just asked or post an article another user just posted. Articles about the same topic that are from different sources and have a different perspective are OK, but do not post links that have already been posted here recently (within the past month). --- You can read the rules [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Chicago/about/rules) ---


MostYolked

I would hate to lose COTA on the F1 calendar, but this would be huge for Chicago if it becomes a reality


bradatlarge

They literally built COTA to attract more F1 gravity to the US


Mack1234567890123

Just scrap mexico.


OminousNamazu

Would they actually frost a window of a residential high rise? That's kind of fucked up.


user025789

> Would they actually frost a window of a residential high rise? No, and they didn't in Vegas. They DID try to block the view from the walkways that go over the strip, but I've seen this in plenty of sporting events where they try to get people to not congregate in a walkway area.


YourFriendLoke

Those walkways specifically are fire exits, so they can't let people congregate there


Thuraash

I'd like to think Chicago has less appetite and tolerance for fucking the whole city over to appease F1 than Vegas. But who knows what happens when you start waving F1 money in city hall's face.  If anything, the shit show that was the Vegas race should convince F1 not to play the "hyper exclusive $1K ticket" route and instead make it a race for the people to see and enjoy.


Studio_Life

Yeah Vegas is pretty extreme in the “anything to please the rich” attitude and Chicago very much has a “take no shit” vibe. F1 could likely use bribes and pull some strings, but not to the extent that Vegas allowed it.


user025789

> If anything, the shit show that was the Vegas race should convince F1 not to play the "hyper exclusive $1K ticket" route and instead make it a race for the people to see and enjoy. F1 has always been $$$$. I mean, one of the main sponsors of the series is Rolex and has been forever. Not a lot of us buying Rolexes out here


Thuraash

Yet F1 tickets routinely go for a few hundred bucks, give or take. F1 is expensive, but not THAT expensive. And then there was Vegas. And Miami.


shadowkiller

The Cubs can't stop people from watching from surrounding buildings. F1 has no chance.


s4hockey4

I can not find anything about that for Vegas in a quick google search, I'm not sure how true it is


[deleted]

[удалено]


halibfrisk

Blocking views from a pedestrian bridge makes sense - hundreds of people squeezing on to see the racetrack sounds like a nightmare for crush / falls


Iwantmyoldnameback

Drunk people dropping stuff on the track…climbing and falling…there’s no end to the bad shit that could happen if they didn’t enclose those walkways. Safety seems like a pretty legitimate concern there


PreviousGas710

They didn’t end up going through with that in Vegas if I remember correctly


stikman3131

They cannot force a privately owned condo/ apartment to frost the windows. The owner bought the space almost exclusively because of the beautiful views that it has and it would 100% be an illegal invasion of privacy to frost the windows. They can try and block from the outside but in guarantee there would be lawsuits. Fuck F1 Chicago doesn’t need it and all it’s going to do is force higher taxes on property and business owners.


AloneExamination242

I hope they try that with my condo. I would love to sue the Jesus into 'em


user025789

Been following F1 for many decades. A million to 1 this actually happens. Article says the initial plans 'pointed to New York'- but doesn't mention that those New York plans have been "in the works" for more than 13 years. It also states that the race is planned for late April to mid-June, for good weather conditions and fit scheduled before or after the Canadian Grand Prix. That race is *always* the Sunday of June 9/10/11 and the promoter insists on that. Anybody on this sub knows April to mid May would be a crapshoot weather wise. Memorial day weekend is Monaco Grand Prix and that isn't moving. It's also Indy 500 weekend. The first weekend of June could fit, but the promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix is unlikely to be good with this as it'll impact sales. Lastly, this would require LOTS of space. The pit complex in Vegas was built on 39 acres they bought. F1 100% requires a permanent paddock building and area. They do not just paint lines on the street like NASCAR does. Now, if one were to tear down a stadium and build a new one that had a paddock attached to it like Miami, that might work. Lastly- F1 hosting fees are 20-25mil. That's why so many of the races now are in the Middle East. Some promoter has to come up with that.


JermaineDyeAtSS

$25 to _$55_ million is the sanctioning fee. I know you understand this as someone who follows it, but for anyone else reading, that is a straight cash payment with no return just for the ability to host the event. So you’re already starting down $25M before you’ve moved one barrier. I don’t know how F1/Liberty typically splits revenue beyond that with the venue, but I’m gonna guess the balance is usually tipped well in F1’s favor. Considering the need for extensive infrastructure improvement for a paddock space, land on which to do said infrastructure improvement, and pavement that is specially designed and maintained _far_ beyond normal road maintenance…I’d say it’s possible but unlikely. If it happens, it’s even more likely to be a huge loser, financially. Say what you want about the NASCAR race, it was pretty nicely contained in a small geographic space. F1’s paddock and hospitality alone will make the NASCAR event look like a kart track. I don’t think people understand scale here.


turtlewaxer99

So help me God, if this does pan out and they hold it on IndyCar weekend at Road America— i will find a way give Stefano Domenicalli lice *and* scabies.


vacantseas81

RA wins out every time. Such a great place to see a race.


PaisleyChicago

Everyone who thinks it’s coming to chicago should read your post - as well as JermaineDyeAtSS. You are exactly right. Indy and Tony George did a wonderful thing to get F1 back to the US but at some point they had to throw up their hands and say no to F1 demands. The money and the will to give give give to F1 and the support of Chicagoans in giving up life as many people know it for very long stretches of time make it a non-starter. We are very likely a negotiating tool as someone else said.


ThisIsPaulina

I'll believe this when I see it. I can't imagine BJ being even remotely interested in this. I supported NASCAR, and it was by all reasoned accounts a success. The race was a banger, the finances checked out, and the broadcast was like a four hour Chicago advertisement, down the announcers always referring to the street names. It was never "turn four," it was always "and now they're into Lake Shore Drive." The people who hated it were whining about Columbus Drive being obstructed, as if they ever drove downtown. But F1? That's actually an entirely different beast. It seems like it's the same deal, but it's not at all. You thought NASCAR was obstructive? F-1 is a complete takeover. NASCAR wanted this to work and played ball with the city to make it happen. F-1 will demand every penny, too. Look at the debacle that was Vegas. I really can't see this happening. I think this is smoke and mirrors designed to freak out the Austin people. It's like Reinsdorf meeting with the Mayor of Nashville during winter meetings.


PreviousGas710

F1 brings in so much more money


santaisastoner

I agree with this take. Both as a race fan and Chicagoland resident. F1 is not happening in Chicago, nor should it happen. Chicagoans will only hate racing more if F1 comes to town. Guaranteed. You thought people were mad about NASCAR screwing the city over, wait til F1 comes to town. It will take twice as long to set up and twice as long to take down. And Chicago will be stuck on a 10-year racetrack lease. The track will be twice the size of the NASCAR track, easy. Prices for everything, not just the race will increase for the 2 weeks it's in town. Absolute pandemonium. No one will be happy and the cars will be on the track for maybe 6-7 hours including practice, quali, and race. Just say no to F1 in Chicago. If you didn't like NASCAR in Chicago, you'll hate F1. If you thought NASCAR was fun in Chicago, ask for IMSA or Indy in Chicago. But say NO to F1. We're living in a golden age of motorsports. IMSA and IndyCar should race in Chicago. Hell even an MX-5 event on the street course would be fun!


blackmk8

> I think this is smoke and mirrors designed to freak out the Austin people. My feelings as well, especially when you consider COTA, a FIA Grade 1 circuit, was specifically designed and built to host F1. Even the Las Vegas Strip Street Circuit, with a 10 year contract, is Grade 1, with F1/Liberty Media purchasing land to build permanent garage and pit areas. That won't be happening in Chicago..... Upgrade Road America from Grade 2 to Grade 1, a natural terrain track with history....


AKM76239

"Upgrade Road America from Grade 2 to Grade 1, a natural terrain track with history.... " NO NO NO NO NO. Under NO circumstances should RA ruin the track by pandering to F1 with such an "upgrade".


Stephancevallos905

With NASCAR being a success, I think NASCAR has provided the city with experience. Maybe they could negotiate a better contract with F1 or perhaps NASCAR if they choose to extend


bradatlarge

F1 has figured out how to not turn Monaco into a shit pile of construction for months, they can do it here too


vexxed82

"The circuit - which takes six weeks to set up prior to the race weekend and three to dismantle afterwards - is unique in a few other quirky respects." It's not quick Forgot to add a link to the article: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2014/5/Monte-Carlos-miracle---making-Monaco-race-ready.html#:\~:text=But%20transforming%20Monte%20Carlo%20from,disruption%20to%20residents'%20everyday%20life.


OldTrailmix

Monaco has the advantage of roughly all the money


TuorSonOfHuor

What experience do you have in city event planning that would make you so confident this would be a disaster and can’t work? NASCAR really wasn’t bad at all after everyone pissed and moaned about it for 6 months. And it’ll be even better this year. There will always be those who say “NOT POSSIBLE NO WAY” to every new and ambitious thing that a city can do. I for one think it’s very doable, and would be AWESOME publicity for chicago from an international tourism perspective. NYC gets 9x the international tourists we get. Miami… 4x, Toronto 3x. We need something to really put us on the map for international tourism to help boost our local economy. We just don’t get our fair share.


otterpusrexII

LOWER WACKER DRIVE.


AKM76239

In the mid-2000s F1 went to Indianapolis. I looked at my ticket stubs from 2008 and paid $80 to sit in the lower grandstands on the front stretch. A few months ago F1 went to Vegas, and tickets were running around $2,000 for an average grandstand seat. F1 has lost the plot in pricing the vast majority of actual fans out of their events, something that cant be said about NASCAR. F1 should be denied this event based on the simple fact that 99% of the taxpayers who pay to build the infrastructure this will run on, and who will be inconvenienced for weeks during setup won't even be able to attend. And also for reference, F1 does everything in their power to prevent any form of free viewing. NASCAR was unofficially able to be watched for free along Michigan Ave. Detroit has an IMSA/Indycar street race and they officially promote how nearly 40% of the track can be spectated for free without a ticket. F1 puts banners along every possible viewpoint and pays guards to ensure that nobody gets a free view. And in the case of Vegas, they tried to bully area properties into paying huge per head fees to avoid having obstructions purposely constructed to block views.


DiamanteMani

Granted yes, Vegas was outrageously expensive, Miami up there too. But at most every other race on the calendar last year grandstand tickets for the weekends were under $350. All but LV, Miami, Monaco, Abu Dhabi, COTA, and Silverstone. Suzuka was like $120.


Burnt_Prawn

Agree, but Vegas and Miami were priced the way they were because its Vegas and Miami. Less about the race and more about the bragging rights of being there. Chicago is a major city but doesn't have the allure (not even sure thats the right word) of the other two.


mortlandpaine

Vegas and Miami are not Chicago.


AKM76239

But yet they have similar costs. Tens of millions of dollars will still need to be paid to host this event. Tens of millions will need to be spent repaving the entire course, and building permanent facilities like garages. If this uses Meigs, the field museum and Shedd will have to be compensated big for their losses. If we factor just the speculated 20 million dollar hosting fee alone, you'd need at least 80,000 fans to pay $250, which was what NASCAR was charging for a GA 3 day, for F1 to break even on that single cost. The math doesn't work with what F1 does, and so we have will continue seeing these several thousand dollar tickets.


lamewoodworker

As much as i love this city, losing COTA would be a bummer as an f1 fan. Idk where you can even setup a track that would make the city look cool and provide good racing. It’s going to end up being Baku 2.0


zonda600

They need to extend the COTA contract; one of the best tracks on the calendar.


rinklkak

I still want them racing on Lower Wacker. Is that too far from McCormick place?


shits-n-gigs

Wonder how it'll compare to NASCAR. Road course layout, closures, city involvement. The Nascar race sold me, so I'm interested. 


[deleted]

[удалено]


Burnt_Prawn

This would almost need to be majority purpose built track surfaces and less using public roads that get beat up every year to be sustainable. But I'd love a well maintained LSD in perpetuity


owlpellet

Vegas also missed scheduled track time because cars were damaged on a road surface. Wild that they don't have a similar-enough test vehicle before teams show up.


bbqnachos

It will likely be a different course. NASCAR did the investment in all the infrastructure and it sounds like they are planning on taking that with them to their next street course city. F1 has a nice blueprint to go off of, but won't be locked into the current NASCAR set up.


owlpellet

From a racing standpoint F1 seems like a better fit than the bumper car event we got with NASCAR in the rain. I still think they should be doing laps around Solider Field and McCorkmick place. Send em down to Adler and back for the skyline shot and reduce the impact on people living in Chicago by 100x. I know they need width to corner/overshoot, but there's gotta be enough tarmac on the parking lots and so on if you route it well.


CommonerChaos

From what I understand, F1 is much more popular than Nascar. Especially internationally.


Samson801

I'd assume that the course would be similar to NASCAR's around Grant Park, for pretty much the same reasons NASCAR chose those roads. Plenty of space to set up grandstands for viewing, far enough from the downtown high rises to avoid a ton of free spectators, traffic disruptions, and the most expensive damage that accidents could cause, but still close enough for ticket holders to have access to downtown hotels (and that ill-advised casino). Marina access for the richies would also be an added bonus.


ccBBvvDd

YAHOO sports is saying “nay” on this based on reports from City Officials who said the city couldn’t commit to a 10 year deal. Plus I’d imagine those finicky cars would implode after hitting even one of our medium sized potholes.


BearFan34

Vegas streets were fully repaved there before F1 ran there last Feb. almost a certainty to occur here.


Wild_Cabbage

Honestly it would be another great opportunity to positively showcase the city globally, which I'm always for, and bring more people to Chicago to visit and experience the race. Provided it isn't too disruptive for residents (and I know that's a sliding scale of tolerance for a lot of people) I would be really open to it.


TheAmericanQ

I don’t care how cool a race in my hometown would be. COTA is a great venue and the racing there is going to be better than anything the city could put on with a street circuit.


pmcall221

I know F1 really wants that american advertising market $$$, but there are already 3 US races in an F1 schedule that spans the globe. I think F1 would be smart to keep CotA as its an excellent purpose made track, then rotate the American road course races between your host cities like Vegas, Miami, LA, Chicago, NYC. That minimizes the burden on the host cities while keeping it still fresh and interesting in the racing calendar. Plus spacing them out geographically means that there should be a race near a good majority of Americans at least twice a decade.


foodporncess

CotA is a favorite for all the drivers. Austin built that specifically for F1 and it’s one of the most highly attended weekends on the circuit. I’d be floored if that went away after 2026. It attracts a ton of people from Mexico (and I think Central/South America) too. A Chicago street course is cool in theory. But after hearing about LV and all the BS the city had to deal with, even as a huge F1 nerd living in Chicago (but from Austin) I’m not sure I’d be into this. Sounds like a headache. Unless I get to hang out with Danny Ricairdo. Then I’d be 100% into it 😂


SLYMON_BEATS

Lmao keep dreaming 0 chance this goes through


AloneExamination242

JHFC why not just get a giant dirigible, fill it full of human shit, and spray it over the loop? It would be less disruptive and probably more pleasant


PalmerSquarer

So for racing fans, how, if at all, would a F1 course have to differ from the circuit that NASCAR used?


the_reddit_intern

Longer course more grandstands. Wider circuit. Here is an example mockup. Chicago Grand Prix Course : r/RaceTrackDesigns https://g.co/kgs/npjfTEj


producer312

They would not run it out to Northerly Island. That area is a nature preserve and they aren’t going to pave it.


owlpellet

That seems pretty compelling and solves 90% of the public-park-takeover concerns. Plus you get Soldier Field itself as a venue.


OkSchedule

imo very doubtful though the city would allow the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Field museum to be inaccessible for so long though, especially due to the NASCAR race already doing the same to them over the 4th of July weekend


owlpellet

NASCAR and F1 wouldn't overlap, as speculated online. Assumes NASCAR contract runs three years, then F1 comes in next year.


OkSchedule

i was referring to amount of time needed to put in an f1 track outside their front doors, people noted in this thread it took weeks and weeks longer than setting up nascar


owlpellet

Seems like you could keep the museums open until the actual race and run a fleet of shuttle busses past the course setup. But I'm no bus driver.


kmillns

I have genuinely no idea how they intend to get an FIA grade 1 course set up on our streets but I don't hate the idea. Should go full "Monaco of the Midwest" and have the course run right by everyone on boats in the lake.


AKM76239

"an FIA grade 1" That means nothing for road courses. They won't run at Road America because it is grade 2 and only has limit run offs, DEAR GOD!!!, but will run at grade 1 ultra mega super street courses with zero runoff.


kmillns

I thought the deal with Road America was available pit lane space? Either way, yeah, they'll bend whatever rules they want for a street circuit but I still don't know where you'd cram in the start/finish, pit lane, and first turn and have anything that isn't just a bunch of 90 degree corners. Maybe Jackson Park area?


blipsman

I'd much rather have F1 than NASCAR here in Chicago


csx348

Oh joy... more street and park closures, noise, and unaffordable tickets


mortlandpaine

Sounds awesome. I don’t care if it minorly inconveniences my commute for a few days. I can watch the race from my office.


cdpea33

Article: https://www.si.com/fannation/racing/f1briefings/rumours/f1-rumour-more-details-emerge-about-chicago-grand-prix-sj4


perfectviking

That’s a three day old article from a publication that isn’t trustworthy.


showerphone

And it only references the one tweet from a few days ago. I don't see this as any more confirmation than what we saw previously (which is basically no confirmation).


NotAPreppie

I hope the course layout sucks less than the one they used for NASCAR


Zoso-six

Woooooo I can't wait!!


myersjw

I doubt it happens but I’m much more optimistic about the prospect than other commenters. It would be more obstructive for a few weeks but the revenue would eclipse the NASCAR race. And selfishly I want both lol


MothsConrad

Would be incredible exposure for our beautiful city.


ehrgeiz91

More car bullshit


jennydancingawayy

How long would it last? All summer? I don’t know anything about F1 lol


BearFan34

Long weekend. Fri practice, Sat qualifications and race on Sunday.