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The blunders that left F1 chasing its tail

F1 has chased its tail over the last decade when it comes to finding new venues for the calendar. Is there any reason to believe the new target of creating 'Superbowls' across the globe has any more chance of success?

Asked how Formula One Management, the sport's commercial rights holder, in future intended filling the conspicuously large number of empty seats at Suzuka - where once race day tickets were oversubscribed by a factor of 10 - Ross Brawn, MD of FOM's sporting operations opined, "We need a local driver..."

While there is no denying that the presence of a local driver could aid a race promoter's cause, a home-grown hero is hardly a guarantee of sell-outs, as Germany proves during "even" years, when the country that invented the motor car (and every form of internal combustion engine currently in use) gets to stage its Grosser Preis at the legendary Hockenheimring.

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