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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBruce Jones says Hampton Downs could possibly host a New Zealand F1 Grand Prix. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBruce Jones says Hampton Downs could possibly host a New Zealand F1 Grand Prix. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n
The former Autosport editor and veteran F1 journalist said a New Zealand F1 race, potentially paired with Australia as a season-opening double-header, would be a natural fit for the modern sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to see one in New Zealand to go as a double header with one in Australia,\u201d he told Speedcafe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would just be a really great way to start the season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019 comments come as he releases an updated edition of his book F1 Racing: The Ultimate Companion, refreshed to celebrate Formula 1\u2019s recent 75th anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThinking within this book, of course, I\u2019d written about New Zealand producing Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, etc., but they\u2019ve never had a grand prix circuit,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019re a country that richly deserves one with the amount that it\u2019s put in and punching above its weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, Australia had to wait until the mid-80s to get a world championship grand prix, despite the history of the grand prix going back to the 20s as it dotted around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
The book takes a global view of the sport, documenting every country to have produced an F1 driver or hosted a grand prix, while charting the evolution of circuits, cultures and careers that shaped the championship.<\/p>\n
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The book goes over every country that has contributed a race or driver in the history of F1. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n
At the heart of the project is Jones\u2019 long-held belief that circuits are an underappreciated pillar of F1\u2019s story.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love writing about circuits, because I find them almost a forgotten part of the whole sort of Formula 1 equation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople talk about the drivers, the teams, the characters, the cars, to an extent, but it\u2019s a stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there\u2019s a stage, in the case of many circuits, that has been going for decades, and you think about the epic races.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I started spreading the net. I\u2019m quite completionist about things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than focusing only on traditional F1 strongholds, Jones deliberately broadened the scope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe book spans established grand prix nations, countries that produced world champions without hosting races, and regions that hosted grands prix without ever fielding drivers,\u201d Jones explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we decided in this book was you could do the obvious ones, a circuit in Germany, Britain, France, the States, Italy, etc. But I thought, let\u2019s do all of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I thought, let\u2019s do all of the circuits. Circuits that have never had a grand prix. And then I thought, well, hold on, let\u2019s do more than this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did the drivers come from? So again, if you\u2019re from those sort of five nations, in particular, you\u2019ve got the circuits, you\u2019ve got the teams, you\u2019ve got the world champions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen throw in the curve ball. Finland. How many people know of any circuits in Finland, but look at the drivers they\u2019ve produced?<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt it was important to sort of talk a little about the circuits where they would have cut their teeth before they necessarily had to sort of leave their shores and find their form.\u201d<\/p>\n
That historical context extends deep into F1\u2019s early years, when road circuits and extreme layouts were common and safety considerations were vastly different to today.<\/p>\n
One image in the book of particular note depicts Juan Manuel Fangio racing a Maserati 250F at the 1957 Pescara Grand Prix, on a vast triangular road circuit winding through Italian villages.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want people to understand that was part of racing in the 50s,\u201d Jones explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where Formula 1 came from.\u201d<\/p>\n
The evolution of iconic venues also plays a central role, particularly circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, where modern layouts bear little resemblance to their original forms.<\/p>\n
\u201cModern fans would only know the circuit as it is, but anyone with a little bit of research finds it used to continue up the hill after going through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, up the Kemmel Straight it didn\u2019t turn right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually went over the top of the hill down into next valley, arching to the left.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine that with no barriers, just pine trees on either side dropping down to the right-hand side. And then you\u2019ve got to think about it, and the fact that the circuit in the early 1970s had an average lap speed of 151 miles an hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s gobsmacking.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The iconic Eau Rouge at Spa. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n
Jones also traces the often-difficult paths drivers took to reach F1, particularly those forced to leave home early in pursuit of opportunity.<\/p>\n
He recalled Mark Webber\u2019s formative years in Europe, scraping together funding and relying on personal support to stay afloat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember him coming up to the UK and coming into our old school offices in the 90s when he was doing Formula Ford, and it was hand to mouth,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he made the big push. He got some great assistance, you know, David Campese, helping him back in the day. Again, every little push helped Mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe epic human being that he is made it work.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the book is rich in historical detail, Jones said accessibility was a key goal \u2014 striking a balance between educating newer fans and rewarding long-time followers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe driving force was to do something that would help people who\u2019ve come to Formula 1 recently to understand more about the past, because I think you understand something much better if you know what went before it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut also, at the same time, to satisfy the sort of desires of people who have been following it for decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd pleasingly, it seems to be doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019 global travels for research and commentary also shaped the book, with lesser-known circuits leaving lasting impressions on him, as well as several which still form the modern F1 calendar.<\/p>\n
Japanese venue Sugo, France\u2019s Dijon-Prenois, Brazil\u2019s Interlagos, and Italy\u2019s Monza all stand out to him among his favourites he has visited for their elevation changes, atmosphere and sense of history.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou go there and it resonates with history, whereas you can go somewhere else that\u2019s been created for the sport in the last handful of years and it doesn\u2019t have that,\u201d Jones explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cI challenge anyone to go in through the gates at Monza and not feel that history.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is that sense of history \u2014 and a belief that F1 should continue to reflect it \u2014 that underpins Jones\u2019 call for a broader geographic spread of grands prix, including a long-overdue return to regions like Africa and a first-ever visit to New Zealand.<\/p>\n
For Jones, a permanent circuit such as Hampton Downs would make the most sense, but he concedes the idea remains aspirational for now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey might have to do a street circuit, but those come at huge expense and only well-heeled governments can do that,\u201d Jones conceded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it has to go to a permanent circuit. I suppose Hampton Downs is probably the pick of the pack, because also that\u2019s close enough to a centre of population. Taupo, not so much, lovely little circuit as it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, but it\u2019s just a whim. It\u2019s just a thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
Published by Michael O\u2019Mara Books, F1 Racing: The Ultimate Companion is available now.<\/p>\n
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