Formula 1 to Return to France in 2013

Mark Webber testing the Red Bull Racing car at Paul Ricard Circuit, 2007 (GEPA pictures/ Mathias Kniepeiss)

Early this week, Bernie Ecclestone announced a deal has been made to bring Formula 1 racing back to France’s Paul Ricard next year.  The deal will also include 4 other grands prix in 2015, ’17, ’19, and ’21, but no details have yet been released regarding how France’s slot on the schedule will be filled every other year when it is not hosting.  F1 has not held a grand prix in France since the 2008 race at the Magny Cours circuit in which Ferrari’s Felipe Massa claimed the top of the podium.

“The deal is done,” Eccelstone told French L’Equipe.  “We actually agreed on financial terms with the sports minister, David Douillet, in my office last Tuesday.”  Interestingly, the announcement comes not two weeks before France begins the second and final phase of the country’s presidential election, which could raise questions about whether the deal would stand if incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy is ousted by Socialist candidate Francois Hollande.  Ecclestone seems confident however that a deal will be finalized regardless of the result of the election, possibly even before the May 6 election date.

France is the second circuit to be added to the 2013 schedule that also is not on 2012.  Last October New Jersey was announced as a brand new addition to F1, however new doubts are surfacing over when (or if) the street circuit along the banks of the Hudson River will take place.  Only days after the France announcement, Eccelstone also stated “Maybe the [Grand Prix of America in New Jersey] will be 2013.  It’s a when – 2013 or 2014.”  The October announcement of adding the New Jersey race of course came with some controversy, with many speculating that it was going to replace Circuit of the Americas as the new site for the US Grand Prix.

Austin International Scenes Join Forces

// Overview

Last Thursday we joined forces with EuroCircle, the largest international networking group in Austin, to create a new networking opportunity for Europeans and F1 fans.

The welcoming patio at Paggi HouseKevin and I were first introduced to EuroCircle last August at a downtown happy hour at Hank’s Garage, across the street from the Four Seasons Hotel. We really enjoyed meeting such an outgoing and diverse crowd of people that had so much to share. Since then, I’ve attended more EuroCircle events as they are always at the best downtown locations, such as the W Hotel in Austin and Paggi House-an upscale Austin restaurant with ambient patio space, amazing food and a lively and engaging bar scene.

// French Influence in Austin

Our co-host was Ms. Allison Berguin, a friend that shares a mutual interest in motorsports but is more seasoned in motorcycles than I am (we joke that I am getting my motorcycle license this year; I believe she is holding me to it). I have been learning more about MotoGP from Allison, who is originally from France but has been living in Austin for the past 6 years. She is an avid motorsports enthusiast who was introduced to MotoGP by attending her first race in Indianapolis back in 2010. Since watching my first MotoGP race last year I’ve been working to learn more about the sport and have fun while doing it. Allison has been a great teacher and I know she is really excited about all the motorsports events that are coming to Austin, but we’re both keeping our fingers crossed that the MotoGP contractual issues are resolved with COTA as we will be some of the loudest cheerleaders in Austin for this series!

// Background on EuroCircle

Kaisa Kokkonen, Founder of EuroCircleEuroCircle was founded by Kaisa Kokkonen, a Finnish lawyer who moved to New York in 1992 feeling burnt-out and somewhat bored after a ten-year legal career. When she moved to New York the Internet was still in its infancy. She wanted to create an informal community for European professionals & Europhiles – married or single – and it has now grown to more than 100,000 members. With no political, religious or ethnic affiliations, EuroCircle is a place where you can exchange ideas, tips, professional contacts, make friends and more. You can meet people offline at local events or online through the membership features.

After more than 10 years and thousands of events in hundreds of cities, EuroCircle now welcomes and attracts professionals and expats from all over the globe, from London to Los Angeles or New York to Johannesburg. Learn more about EuroCircle by visiting their website, or searching for Facebook groups specific to your city of interest (e.g. EuroCircle Austin, EuroCircle New York, EuroCircle Barcelona).

// Successful Event

Kaisa enjoyed the event and had this to say:

EuroCircle and the Austin Grand Prix was definitely the right kind of mix...the diverse mix of Europeans, other expats and local F1 fans were busy sharing different ideas in perfect harmony. Allison, Kerri and Kevin were great hosts meeting and introducing everyone around. Icenhauer's as a venue is a bit different that suits well for many Europeans' tastes.  It is slightly more upscale, very modern and simple with great outdoor space both in the back and front of the "cottage" along the trendy Rainey Street.  I am sure this will be on the of many joint events with the Austin Grand Prix and EuroCircle - after all F1 is one of the most watched sports in Europe.

Allison with Marco Simoncelli at MotoGP in Indianapolis 2010. RIP MarcoAllison Berguin added:

The first joint event between EuroCircle Austin and The Austin Grand Prix was a great success. Icenhauer's kindly let us use their space to accommodate over 100 people! The reunion of both groups made a powerful impact on members of each group. EuroCircle brought many Europeans and people with interest in the European culture. The Austin GP brought avid F1 fans and people who want education in regards to this new thrilling sport coming to Austin in November. Conversations were fluid as each person had a story to share and to teach. I am already writing down ideas for our next event! Hurrah!

Thank you to Allison, Kaisa and Icenhauer’s for all of your work in making this a successful one-of-a-kind event in downtown Austin. As Allison said, we are already planning our next event, so sign up for our Newsletter to stay updated.

Red Bull Emerges From Bahrain

// Race Recap

Amidst the complexities surrounding Sunday's race in Bahrain, Red Bull finally took their first win of the season and re-entered the push for the 2012 championship.  Sebastian Vettel took both pole position and the win in Sunday's race with his teamate Mark Webber finishing fourth position for the fourth time in a row (a record of sorts).

A good qualifying session on Saturday began a great weekend for the Red Bull team, starting first and third in the race and setup for a decisive win.  Sebastian had a good start from the grid and maintained his first position, while both Ferrari's jumped quickly into the top ten after a poor qualifying session from both drivers.

Lotus Renault GP's Roman Grosjean also made up some ground quickly, with a superb start for the newcomer, Grosjean jumped from sixth to fourth in the first turn and then finally into second position after passing Webber and Lewis Hamilton of McLaren.

Battling for position to gain world championship points got interesting very early on as Kimi Raikonnen in the Lotus Renault fought with previous race winner Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso before moving into third position.  With nearly half the race complete, Kimi was just behind his teamate Grosjean, chasing Vettel's Red Bull and setting a very quick pace. Raikonnen passed Grosjean on lap 24 of 57 but despite the rumors, there were no "team orders" which forced Grosjean to step aside, Raikonnen's pace was solid and gaining on the leader quickly.

With Rosberg pushing hard to regain last weekend's pace and catch up the the top three, he battled closely with Hamilton, pushing him off track and into the run-off area with a wheel to wheel skirmish which almost cost Hamilton the race.  Action regarding the incident was to be taken following the race, but the FIA Stewards (regulation enforcers) took no action.  Speculation about their abrupt departure from enforcing the incident was cited as a need to leave the track before sundown to avoid entanglement with potentially threatening protests.

Shortly after his close call with Hamilton, Nico repeated the defensive maneuver while also battling with Fernando Alonso; again, no punishment was assigned to Nico for doing so in this situation.

As the counter moved to lap 36, Raikonnen gained on Vettel and was just half a second behind the Red Bull car.  Kimi set himself up to make the move on Vettel on the main straight with both DRS and KERS giving him the speed to do so.  As he made his move to pass on the inside leading up to turn one, Vettel defended with a strong maneuver, keeping Kimi behind for the duration of the race.

The final podium was Vettel, Raikonnen, and Grosjean; all Renault powered cars and the first podium for the Lotus Renault team with returning champion Kimi Raikonnen in 2nd and newcomer, Roman Grosjean in 3rd.

// Mugello Testing

Following Sunday's race, the teams head to Mugello, Italy for a three day test session before the Spanish GP on May 13th.  We'll be following the testing to see how the technical improvements will influence the remainder of the season.

Guest Lecture at The University of Texas at Austin

Last week I had the pleasure to speak to two of Professor Herb Miller's undergraduate marketing classes at The University of Texas at Austin ("UT").

I started off by asking the students who in the lecture hall was already familiar with Formula 1™ and was pleasantly surprised with about 30-40% of the class raising their hands. I went on to discuss a brief history of the sport and share some heart-pounding sounds and sights of F1. They were early classes so if the students had missed out on their morning coffee, that surely awoke their senses. I then spoke about what The Austin Grand Prix was doing for Austinites and international motorsport fans, and how we've used social media to grow our business.

Professor Miller added:

I have become a Formula One  fan over the last year and a half and I wanted to expose my students to a sport that is the most watched sport in the world. I also wanted UT students (10% of which are international students and are more aware of F1 Racing), to see the value of using ‘social media’ to market and expose the world to this exciting sport and the upcoming November 2012 Austin Formula One Race. I constantly tell my students that marketing is key to the success of any venture or idea and The Austin Grand Prix.com is using a very popular medium to market and expose the sport to Austin and the world community.

It was great to connect with so many students and spread awareness within the collegiate community. The Formula 1™ excitement continues to grow in Austin!

New Williams Livery in Austin Today

What are you doing this afternoon? If you'd like to check out a Williams Cosworth FW33 with updated livery, then keep reading.

The Williams Cosworth FW33 on display at the Four Seasons Residences. Image by Four Seasons Residences AustinThe 8th Annual Downtown Living Tour, by the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association, is taking place today. It is a self-guided tour of multiple downtown residence venues. Here's what they have to say:

Fans of architecture, exterior and interior design and décor will see the makeup of downtown with historic buildings like the 1882 Graeber house renovated into a 4,600 sq. ft. urban home by the late, renowned architect David Graeber, juxtaposed with newer builds like the The Four Seasons Residences on Lady Bird Lake (VIP only), and small-footprint, affordable units like The Railyard Condominiums. Get inspired by the use of space and experience city living!

Online sales are over, buy you can still get your wristband for the April 22nd 2012 Downtown Living Tour!  Please come by our registration desk at the Buttrey Building at 107 W. 6th St.  We'll be selling wristbands for the tour between 11:00am and 2:00pm.  Click HERE to learn more.

Send us your pics with the Williams FW33!

Great Race, Great Friends, Great Watch Party

// Downtown Watch Party

Our eleventh watch party in downtown Austin was hosted by Lavaca Street Bar for the Chinese Grand Prix. As with all of our events, there's always a very strong mix of new visitors, averaging around thirty percent over our events this past year. Sunday's event was an exception, with nearly fifty percent of the 75+ attendance visiting the downtown watch party for the first time ever. 

This great balance of old and new fans is making a great conversational environment, allowing those of all knowledge levels to participate and feel welcome. Our more seasoned fans helped to welcome newcomers to the sport by offering advice and sharing their experiences with each other. Most conversations in the room, if not about the exciting race itself, usually focus on individuals sharing their first race experience or excitement for the future GP in Austin.

With a great crowd in attendance, the energy was right for the stunningly entertaining Chinese GP. We all helped congratulate Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg on his first win in the sport and Mercedes' first win in 57 years as a factory team. The race had all of the elements to make for great viewing, so good company to watch with on a Sunday afternoon make it all the more enjoyable.  

// Lavaca Street Bar

Our guests raved about the Chinese-themed food provided - fresh egg rolls, savory pots tickers, teriyaki flavored wings, ribs that rival the best local BBQ joints and a fresh noodle & veggie mix. It's no surprise everyone enjoyed the food; Lavaca Street's menu is being redeveloped by Casey Fannin, an amazing chef and close friend of Tyson Cole of Uchi and Uchiko restaurants. If you didn't know before enjoying the fare, it was evident after as the food was delicious!

At the end of the race we raffled off a copy of the SENNA movie DVD and a movie poster to continue to spread the word about this amazing film.  If you haven't seen it, check out the trailer here and rent it on Netflix or buy a copy here. Congratulations to Kärt Klein; enjoy the movie - again! (She has seen it before and is a big fan!)

A very special thanks goes out to DNA Events for their production expertise and support to help make this event possible.  In addition, a special thanks to Premiere Party Central for their donations of the chinese-themed table decor, and thanks to Paul Walhus of Spring.net for stepping up as our photographer at the last minute.

// What's Next?

We're already back in planning mode for our next watch party. We've decided to focus on a hand-picked number of watch parties this season in order to create truly engaging fan experiences. But you won't have to wait long to see your F1 friends and meet new Austinites!

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 19, we're hosting a joint happy hour with EuroCircle - "a free informal community for expats and Europeans or Europhiles." Come celebrate the diversity of Austin at this international networking event and learn about Formula 1™ coming to Austin. Join us back at Icenhauer's tomorrow night from 6:00PM - 10:00PM for networking and mingling over cocktails and light hors d'oeuvres. Icenhauer's is located on the famed Rainey Street and you will feel truly welcome in this renovated 1895 home with an expansive patio and cool drinks!

Icenhauer's - 83 Rainey StreetWhat: Happy Hour with EuroCircle and The Austin Grand Prix

When: Thursday, April 19, 6:00PM - 10:00PM

Where: Icenhauer's, 83 Rainey Street, Austin, TX 78701

Why: Let’s celebrate the diverse crowd that Austin welcomes and embraces as well as the fantastic arrival of F1™ in Austin!

Hosts: Kaisa Kokkonen (EuroCircle), Allison Berguin (France) and Kerri Olsen (The Austin Grand Prix)

Cost: Free

Parking: On surrounding streets and a pay lot where Rainey Street intersects with Driskill Street

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