The "dash for the Formula One World Championship" is fueling a "record spending spree running into hundreds of millions of pounds," according to Kevin Eason of the London EVENING STANDARD. Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner warned that this will be a "record-breaking year" for a sport that "already spends at a heart-stopping rate." The 10 teams last year invested a collective £1.6B to get 20 cars to race around 20 int'l racetracks. But the bill is "going up at an alarming rate," marked by the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, which "traditionally signals the start of an arms race" that will force teams to spend millions "just to find fractions of a second of extra speed." One source "was candid" in his assessment of how much F1 teams were "prepared to pay to stay in the game." He said, "Think of £100 million ($129M) added to the total Formula 1 bill for the season -- and double it. Things are crazy, almost out of control" (EVENING STANDARD, 5/11).
FAN FEST: At this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, F1 Experiences will hold its inaugural fan festival to mark this season's first European event. Running throughout the race weekend, the fan zone will introduce a range of experiences such as racing simulators, a 200m zip line, pit stop challenges and live performances from local DJs. The GP will also mark the launch of a dedicated fan TV channel screening live F1 interviews, expert insights and appearances by current and former drivers. Guests at the Paddock Club, F1's official hospitality offering, will be granted exclusive access to a range of show cars, including a full engine display from the AMG Mercedes team (F1).
