I read an article on Pitpass.com (an independent F1 website) yesterday that has me pondering the importance of F1. Actually the importance of the name F1, rather than the sport itself. The article, which you can access here, suggests that Formula One Management czar, Bernie Ecclestone might have plans to change the F1 series’ name to GP1. This would create a hierarchical structure with GP1 being the top tier of a racing ladder above GP2 and a possible future GP3 series - all of which Bernie owns the trademarks to.

For me, Formula 1 is Jim Clark four-wheel drifting a Lotus through a bend at Spa, Fangio exercising sublime control of his Maserati around the Ring or Senna driving beyond the limit in the canyons of Monaco - I could go on and on. I can’t think of F1 without seeing those images and a thousand more in my mind’s eye. F1 is as much about the past as it is about next season’s champion or tomorrow’s race winner.

The danger of changing the name - in the collective minds of the public, it now becomes something entirely new. When even die-hard fans examine grand prix racing, we only go as far back as 1950 - we discount everything before. Of course there was no formal world championship before 1950 so it’s not completely fair to say only that the name is to blame for this historical amnesia but there was the European Championship in the 1930’s which was essentially the grand prix world championship.

In my opinion it’s vital to preserve the continuity of the sport. How many people today really know the names Nuvolari, Rosemeyer or Caracciola. Each was a legendary grand prix driver in the early days of the sport. But, once the sport was labeled Formula 1 and a world championship was established, they were consigned to the past. Only the real anoraks of grand prix racing recall their exploits.

Other motor sports have suffered from name changes. Sports car racing suffered from an identity crisis when season after season, the name of the series (and format) changed -incidentally one time at the behest of Bernie Ecclestone. Likewise, after the split in open-wheel racing in North America, CART became Open Wheel Racing Series and then finally Champ Car. While there were many factors that contributed to the demise of each series, the inability of the public to easily identify them hurt their popularity.

If Formula 1 suddenly becomes GP1, most of the current fans will no doubt accept it as status quo. The same participants will be there as before: Ferrari; McLaren; Williams. Would new fans make the same connection and balance the racing against nearly 60 years of rich history? What connection would fans have with Lotus, Brabham, Tyrrell, Senna, Villeneuve or even Schumacher?

History and sentimentality have rarely prevailed over business interests. It is no secret that Bernie Ecclestone has tried several times and at great cost to trademark the names F1 and Formula 1. He has, for the most part, been unsuccessful because of the generic nature of the phrase, “formula 1.” The name GP1 is a brand however and Ecclestone could successfully argue ownership. Financially, this would be lucrative for Bernie, who could license the name as he saw fit and deny its use to anyone not willing to pay up.

I hope that the article from Pitpass proves to be idle speculation and that Formula 1 can look forward to a long and distinguished history. Business concerns seldom enhance sport and I worry that this particular strategy by Ecclestone could destroy the heritage of the sport. It’s only a name, but so is Ferrari. How iconic would a Ferrari be if tomorrow it was renamed a FIAT Ultra Brand Sportscar.

If you have an opinion on this topic, please post your thoughts in a comment here or e-mail me at rob@f1underground.com

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