³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

Hi Murray, can I ask you...after not winning in Britain or Germany, has Sebastian Vettel finally cracked under pressure, opening up the Championship again? Many thanks, Zoot.

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You have to aske him about the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s betrayal of the fans by taking the full F1 season off FTA TV. Does he thinks it will damage British motorsport in general with the lack of public interest and lower sponsorship money. Will it affect the lower formulae.

Can You ask murray what he thinks of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky F1 'deal' (con). What are F1 fans supposed to do now? Can you ask him why the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ doesn't appear to be commenting on the outrage its poor decision has made?

do you think bbc have killed of f1 for the fans

Yes please ask Murray if he thinks the sky/bbc deal is a good or bad thing
I know we feel very let down in the Johnson household in cornwall

Regarding 2011, F1, do you think the changes to the regs have made a significant improvement to the racing this year? And what was the madness behind the sudden, dramatic changes for Silverstone. Was that a tactic by the teams to see if it challenged Red Bull, maybe to see if they were able to adjust quickly. Re: 2012, well, its a disaster already. no further comment required.

I'd like to hear what you think about the stupid bbc/sky deal

Hi Murray, how would you feel, as a fan, if your coverage of a much loved sport was cut in half?

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Hi Murray,
I wanted to know your own opinion on who is your best/favourite
driver in the history of Formula 1??

This has been a great season - but the news that F1 management has decided not to help the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ by reducing the fees has left a sour taste in the mouths of all the F1 fans who have supported F1. (It is the only story most fans can think about).

Can only see the new TV rights deal as the beginning of the end for F1 & the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ as we know it.

How do you feel about ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ loosing half the season and then thinking this is good news?

Hi Murray thank you for your comments in the papers the other day. will you please urge all fans that go to Silverstone next year to wear a black arm band or flag to remember the death of F1 on British TV.

Hi Murray

I think I deserve my question being answered as us ex patriots in the USA need some sage advice.

Q1. Do you think that Hamilton mania is similar to Mansell mania?

Q2. Considering F1 is what it is today, do you think, like I do, that Bernie is unfairly treated? We all assume F1 is a given, but it isn't, and BE, rich as he may be, has made a world beating spectacle.

miss your commentary.

Thanks. SSM

hello Murry sad times for F1 in the UK, hope my last F1 season goes to the wire and not have vettel run away with the title, do u think Lewis or Finando can really make a charge now until the end of the season?

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do you think the Hungarian GP has been overshadowed by this ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky deal?

Hi Murray,

1. I was wondering if you thought there should be something done to bring the cars closer together in terms of competitiveness? Getting a bit boring seeing the same cars at the same end of the starting grid albeit moving up and down a couple of spaces.

2. Also, I guess the vast majority of the questions asked here will be regarding the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky news. I too would like to know your feelings on this matter. To me it's a slippery slope with sole Sky coverage at the end of it. The concorde agreement clearly counts for nothing any more.

3. Should something be done to change the way F1 is controlled and managed i.e. should the reins be taken away from Mr Ecclestone and given to someone else like the teams to prevent this type of thing happening?

Cheers Murray :)

How long do you think F1 will survive now that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ have taken it away from the British public?

Hello Murray,

Do you think there is a possiblility that anyone could overhaul Sebastien Vettel's lead, because it looks to me that all he has to do is keep finishing in the top 3. It would be nice to watch it to the end of the season with it having a grand finale at the last race.
From Simon Osborn

Murray, how long before Sky get the lot and then drop it because there are not enough viewers?

Will F1's partial move to pay TV be damaging for the sport?

Thanks,
Peter Santamaria-Woods

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How much a betrayal to fans and viewer coverage is the new uk tv deal?

Murray, over 5,000 people complained on Ben Gallop's blog (despite the link being removed from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s F1 homepage) another 17,000 have signed an online petition against the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s new F1 deal, nearly 7,000 have joined a Facebook protest group, will you please help fans by condeming the new deal and severing ties with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ if necessary ?

Why has my straightforward question to Murray re. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky TV deal (Comment 2.) been 'referred for further consideration'. I'm speechless !

Hi Murray. As someone who has worked in, lived and breathed the sport how sad does it make you feel to see F1 in the UK ruined and essentially killed off by this farcical ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky TV deal (and not forgetting the pure greed of Ecclestone).

Hi Murray

Would you have ever started commentating if Formula One coverage was mixed between money grabbers at sky and sell outs at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳?? Obviously meaning if that was the case when you started commentating.

Hello Murray,

No-one at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ or the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ commentary team appear to know what a bombshell has been dropped on all F1 fans. Even the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news failed to acknowledge F1 yesterday - despite Lewis & Jensen qualifying 2nd and 3rd. Can you explain this collective amnesia at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳?

hi murray walker. are you outraged like most fans about the new tv deal??

Murray, what do you think of Martin Whitmarsh and Christian Horner "supporting" the new Sky deal in the interviews? I think they just care about the money and not the sport; the fans made the sport what it is!

If the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ could not afford the sport, then they should have let it go to another free to air channel and not team up with Sky.

Murray, This SKY deal is the end of F1 in the UK. How do we make anyone in the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/FOM realise this? It's so sad to see F1 being killed off and anyone in power who could revive it does not seem to be wanting to... In fact they all seem to be in hiding..

Hi Murray,

What do you honestly think about the F1 fans in the UK having to pay around £60 a race, to watch half of the 2012 season live in HD quality in there own homes?

And does it worry you that in the coming years as more and more UK F1 fans become disinterested in the sport due to lack of exposure, that its highly possible that the British F1 race at Silverstone will also be in jeopardy due to the BRDC not being able repay their massive redevelopment debts because of low ticket sales, and therefore not being able to meet the FOM's high race holding fee's?

Hello Murray. Understandably, there has been overwhelmingly negative feedback about the new-for-2012 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky rights sharing agreement, and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s unbelievable attempt to dress this up as a positive move for the sport (on Friday) and decision not to mention it since. I think it is a catastrophic move for one of F1's major markets and am likely to abandon F1 at the end of 2011 after twenty years of not missing a race, but what are your thoughts?

With all of Vettel's luck, Mark Webber hasn't been able to win a race this season. What can he do to improve his performance and the car as a whole?

Do you think Schumacher was wise to return to F1,one incident in particular when he pressed Rubens into the wall,dangerous rather than daring driving?

Hello Murray :)

Can you please help us, thousands of fans have written, emailed and complained to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ about the dreadful decision to deny us a free to air broadcaster and sell out to SKY instead. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are not responding. As the voice of motorsport in the UK for as long as I can remember (I am only sixty.. so not long!) we need a champion as we never have before. What do you think it will mean to lose free to air live coverage of the F1 season for the fans, the sponsors and the teams in F1.

Murray, you are widely respected in both the F1 Paddock and the world of Sports TV. Is there anything you can do to bang heads together ? The current ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ coverage has been built on interactivity (Twitter, Red Button forum etc.) but just when they need to listen the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are adopting a deaf and dumb policy. No one is listening or standing up for us!

If there is no mention about the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky deal from Murray, shame on all of you.

Hi Murray. What other brands / teams would you like to see in Formula 1? Reading about Volkswagen's possible involvement intrigues me.I am really enjoying the Renault -Lotus contribution in the 2011 season, great to see Senna's Nephew getting some drive time!

murray how do you feel about the sky/bbc deal and that the bbc brought in sky to block itv and channel 4 from getting the coverage and keeping it on free to air television.
also how do you feel about the bbc hiding and removing links to the story, not reporting the uproar from fans on television and not even reporting on the qualifying in the evening news.

Hi murray
i just wondered what you thought about the online petition . also your views on the amount of comments on this /blogs/sporteditors/2011/07/f1_coverage_to_be_shared_betwe.html which has been pushed in to a corner by the bbc thank you.
p.s you are a Legend :-)

Hi Murray,

What's your view on the Sky deal? How do you think fans can justify £500 a year to their families in this recession? I know I can't.

Thanks

Murray, would you continue to pay your TV licence even though the only thing you turn the TV on for has been taken away from you?

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Hi Murray,
How much do you think grassroots motorsport in the UK will benefit when F1 fans have an extra 10 Sunday afternoons with nothing to do?

And do you think those fans will drift away from F1 and towards the circuits on the other 10 Sundays, if what they can view is only half a championship?

Hi Murray, in your opinion which driver has been the most gracious winner and which the most gracious loser in F1 History??? Which driver has given you the most joy?

Would you agree that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky deal on F1 is good news... for every other form of Motorsport?

Hello Murray from another Walker!

I'd be grateful if you could put across for us the utter dismay and disgust at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s decision to deny British F1 fans the chance to watch all GP's from next year live. I believe you are an honourable man who will champion the fans cause. Many thanks Sir.

I notice that the request is for questions about the 2011 season!!!

Another ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ attempt to stop the fans asking THE ONLY question they truly want an answer to - why have they been betrayed by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳???

So, in order to fulfil the criteria of the request, I would like to ask this question:

Does Murray think that the 2011 season will come to be regarded as the last great F1 season by British GP fans, as many will not be able to see the full season, practice sessions, qualifying, races (ALL and ALL LIVE) and post race debate / forum from 2012 onwards????

Also, does Murray think that the current (so 2011) coverage of this weekend, totally ignoring the current and unprecedented uproar over the betrayal saga, is further evidence of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ knowing full well that what they have done is reprehensible? No debate, no defence......surely?

Hi Murray,

Like everybody else here, I'd love to know what you think about this ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/SKY deal. And if you think this is as much of a sad day for F1 as the rest of us.

Thanks.

Hi Murray,
Well, there can only be one topic to discuss and I think we all know what that is don't we?
I am incandescent with rage concerning the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/$ky deal. The very fact that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ have hidden the link to the story shouts volumes. There are now approaching 6000 people who have taken the time to voice their concerns. Probably the largest number of posts concerning any subject that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has ever had. And what reply/explanation/ apology have we had? Silence!
This is the beginning of the end for a sport I have been passionate for 40 years.
RIP F1.
By the way, you are a true Legend Murray. God bless you.

Hi Murray,

Would you have continued to work for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ as an F1 commentator had they only shown half the races per season, after they had signed a deal to let a rival broadcaster show all the races, even though they had a contract that ran for another two years?

Thanks.

Does Murray think that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s attempt to bury the unhappiness and feeling of utter betrayal, perfectly shown here,

/blogs/sporteditors/2011/07/f1_coverage_to_be_shared_betwe.html

but NO LONGER linked to by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s own F1 site is a shameful act?

Murray, will you take a stand on behalf of all British F1 fans and make the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ fully answerable to us? At the moment they seem to have become the three wise monkeys....sarcasm fully meant!!!

As a living example of all that is great about F1 and Britain's huge interest therein, you would be the greatest man to lead our clarion call for the situation to be changed or, at least, fully debated on these pages.

thanks, Murray you are a true gent...

Should Martin Brundle move to Sky, as seems highly likely, how will he cope with the dumbing down of Formula 1 by Sky?

hi murray will u be having sky to watch f1 next year? and how good is the bbc,s coverage going to be,u could make a come back that would make the 10 races worth watching!!!

Murray, I would like to know if there is a case of "team orders" with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ why they are not covering the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s deal with SKY? An issue that most formula 1 fans want to debate.

Hi Murray. Do you think F1 can happily do without the UK audience?

Hi Murray, do you think it is proper that the new TV coverage deal seems to have been done behind closed doors without the consultation of the teams and any reference to the Concorde agreement. Were ITV given any chance to bid if the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ cannot afford to fulfill there contract?
It seems Bernie is trying to take this sport away from ordinary F1 fans with more corporate type facilities which tracks have to provide to stay on the calender, look at the Silverstone fiasco, it not only cost them millions, it cost Donnington dearly to. All this money is reflected in high ticket prices and now we have to pay Sky to watch on TV.
I am sure you have been swamped with comments about this but the British fans need your help. Thanks

Murray can you inform Bernie that just because 10 million homes have Sky does not mean 10 million homes have Sky sports, he is in for a shock.

What do you think of the idea that the BMMC now charge Bernie for their services the full market rate.

Same question as Post 57+

Do you think it's correct for our ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ to do deals with the murdoch empire? Should the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ have a pulled out of the deal and allowed another free to view channel to take over F1?

Hi Murray,
Do you feel the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ are out of touch with F1 fans? Given the fact there has been so much negative feedback about the handling of the new TV deal and their failure to address this.

Murray, do you think that if all the UK F1 fans got together and gave a pound each to Bernie he might change his mind? I only ask as i have heard that he is allegally open to a bit of bribery.

Murray, there are almost 6000 comments on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sport website. Why have they removed the link below from their formula1 site? Do they think that the fans will just forget?
/blogs/sporteditors/2011/07/f1_coverage_to_be_shared_betwe.html

please post this . for all to sign

Please ask Murray to help the British F1 fans!

Do you think that F1 has stopped progressing? Every time someone comes up with a new exciting and very clever idea to make the cars go faster it just gets banned. I happened with double diffusers and now the blown diffuser. Think of how much faster these cars could go if things like this didnt get banned.

Ask Murray if Motor Gp or British touring cars can fill the gap now that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ and Bernie has killed F1 for the majority of fans.

Hi Murray I hope its ok to be so familiar as you do not know me as I know you,I am an F1 nut and admit to being the instigator of having another love besides my wife/family.What worries me is the sky control in the future, is it due to money? F1 team influences? Bernies steady step down? or more plus the above.

Dear Murray

What state will F1 be in next time the UK tv rights come up for negotiation? How much/little will it then be worth?

Hello Murray, when you are watching motorsport, do you wish that you could be in the car, or even back in the commentary box?
Best wishes, Rhys.

Murray, In Q2 yesterday we saw Red Bull Racing with Webber at position 1 and Vettel around 5th or 6th. In Q3 those positions were reversed. They were having problems with Vettels rear wing etc....could they/did they swap parts as per Webbers nose cone last year?

Please try to do all you can to prevent sky having any part of presenting F1 races on British tv. We do not all have sky or have any intention of subscribing to sky. If not ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ then it would have to be itv. simple

Ask the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ why they approached sky, did they investigate any possible tie up with other terrestrial broadcasters.

Hi Murray, can give UK F1 fans your honest view of the decision by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ to deny half of the 2012 GP to FTA viewers? Best Regards, John

Hi Murray,

Can you please insist that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ allow you to give your full honest response to your public on the Sky/³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ deal on GP coverage.

Regards

Robert

Murray,

What are your views on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳/Sky deal in respect of the future of F1 itself?

From my perspective, it seems to me that it will only have negative effects in the long run. It is obvious from the 5500+ comments on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sports Editor's blog (not to mention numerous other forums, newsgroups and petitions) that the viewing figures will very likely fall dramatically. In turn this will surely lead to a reduction in sponsorship, which for the teams is a far larger income stream than TV money.

Could this be the beginning of a downward spiral? Less viewers means less sponsorship, which in turn means a poorer show, which means even less viewers ...

Hello Mr Walker. Would like to ask a couple of questions, will try to make them at least a little different from some of the others as there are a couple of specifics I'd like to know:

1) What do you think of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s response to the fans who are in uproar about the Sky/³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ deal? I myself am experiencing a wall of silence, and would like to get your opinions regarding whether you think such a response is worthy of a once great broadcasting institution.

2) What is your opinion on the misinformation that FOTA are currently operating on. Apparently, messrs Whitmarsh and Horner are under the impression that non-live ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ races will be shown in their entirety. In my opinion, this has affected their stance - and it seems to be misinformation. Do you feel that they have been misinformed intentionally? Or if not, where do you think they have gotten the impression that non-live races will be shown in their entirety when this has not been made clear to anyone?

Always great to see you active in any sphere of broadcasting. Still missing you terribly.

Bernie Ecclestone calls the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ 'The Beeb' as if he has a great affinity and love for them, yet he dropped them like a sack of spuds when ITV came up with a better offer and gave 'The Beeb' all of half an hour's notice.
Why should any of us believe for one instant that he will honor this new deal till 2018, and why isn't there any form of legislation in place to prevent these massive shifts on his say so and whim. What happened to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ having the rights till 2014/15? (Sorry, wasn't sure which). The Concord agreement was obviously just a bit of paper.
It is once again, the poor who suffer and are left out in the cold and to hear representitives from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ tell us that it is a good thing for the sport is patronising and offencive.

Hi Murray,

What happens to all that discarded rubber after a race? Is it collected and recycled?

Regards

Andy

Hello Murray

Do you think that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ showing only half the races live mean that fans who don't have Sky Sports, like me, cannot catch up with the remaining races if the highlights for races such as US and Canada are at silly o'clock?

(In short: Will it be hard for non-sky fans to catch up when highlights are on late at night?)

Would Murray be satisified with only seeing half the races in a season?

To view Sky you need a TV licence, therefore how can Sky gain any new viewers as everyone currently with Sky should already have a tv licence and therefore access to F1 on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. Is this a step backwards for F1?

Mr Walker, how many fans do you suppose F1 will lose as a result of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s 50% coverage next season and how long will the sport survive on pay per view?

Hi Murray
We know that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ had already reduced the number of video blogs you make for this year due to financial restraints. Now that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ have abandoned the fans, will we still see you next year with your excellent video blog and comments?

Do you think Jenson can push forward and win the championship this season?

The only subject worth covering this week is the death of F1 on FTA television. It deserves a special video blog of its own.
To keep it relevant to this season only do you feel that 2011 will see the peak in sponsor financial contributions as they'll be paying for a decreased viewership in the future.

Murray, how do you rate Nico Rosberg..100 races and still no victory?

There's only one subject worth covering on this blog: the shameful decision and pathetic decision that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has made regarding TV rights. No doubt the video blog will be edited to hide the truth of this shambles.

Murray

No matter what the smaller teams say F1 is a very rich sport. Do you think bernie should have made a stance against the continuing trend of sports taking the satellite money and for once put the fans (and sponsors) first?

Hi Murray
Can you make a video where you go to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ bosses and personally kick them back down to earth? That would possibly be more insightful then anything else right now.
Thanks in advance.

How do you feel about the fans who will have to give up watching F1 next year?

I used to compete at Brands Hatch and other circuits back in the 60s. I have been watching F1 since then. It is sad that I will have to stop watching it from next year as there is little point in only watching half the races and just bits of the others.

There are no other sporting events that I would want to watch so subscribing to Sky Sports is not an option.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has been doing a fabulous job of showing it and a far better one than ITV did when they showed bits of the race in between the adverts.

Hi Murray,

Are you actually allowed to answer the bulk of the questions being posted here, or will you, like Jake and the boys, be disgustingly prohibited from saying anything other than a weak, pre-sanctioned, "We've still got half of it so it's all good."?

Hello Murray!

Do you feel that Ferrari can contiune with having Felipe Massa as the 2nd driver to Alonso next year? Massa's top finish is 5th this year, and if Massa stays, do you realistically think that Ferrari will be able to challenge for titles again in the near future, either Drivers or Constructors. After all, Alonso can't do it all by himself!

Hi Murray, I am now 51 i started watching F1 when i was 7 thats 44 years. It is a huge part of my life. i hate ball sports i have petrol coursing through my veins but now the TV deal with sky has meant it will all stop. It's worse than loosing my wife! I have had F1 far longer and i have been married for 30 years! Are the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ going to start a rehab program for all of the Addict F1 fans going cold turkey at the end of 2011 season? What about all the Staff in the british based teams that will loose their jobs when F1 shrinks as it's larges fan base here in the Uk is stopped from watching 'THEIR SPORT' ?

Hi Murray

Do you think with the dominance of Red Bull then Mclaren at the front have made it impossible to have a "wrong" podium? (By wrong I mean a driver who isn't fighting for the championship in a team that isn't fighting for constructors title)

Thanks

Hi Murray,

Only one question worth asking...

What is your honest thoughts on the poor decision to cut the coverage of F1 on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, especially as the contract has ended a year sooner?