Welcome to Must Read, where we single out the best stories from around the automotive universe and beyond. Today we have reports from Forbes, The Daily Beast and Quartz.
Why Formula One Has Races In Eight Of The Ten Countries With The Highest GDP – Forbes
Not that F1 has aspired to be an everyman's sport, but this definitely explains why tiny countries get the races and some populous ones are shut out.
Race organisers are forced to raise ticket prices to compensate for the escalation of the hosting fee. It is the reason why the average cost of entry to the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas has increased by 24.5% to $409.50 since its inaugural race in 2012. Increasing the ticket prices still only brings the race organisers back to break-even after paying the hosting fee. Next comes payment of the running costs for the event which pushes it into a shortfall and this is when the location of the race plays an important part.
The Old General Motors Is Back – The Daily Beast
From Ms. Maynard, a look at how Old GM came back when we've been hearing so much about the New GM since 2009.
In accepting an initial check from President Bush on his way out the door, and by agreeing to be taken in and out of bankruptcy by President Obama's auto task force, GM signed over its fate to the forces of Washington. And, with the work of the auto task force, GM was supposed to be made leaner, and more responsive.
Instead, as documents are showing, GM delayed dealing with the problems on Chevrolets, Saturns and Pontiacs long after it had been given a new start under government guidance. As Barra's predecessor, Dan Akerson, frequently complained, GM's self-protective culture apparently got in the way of faster reforms.
Looking for love online? Forget OkCupid; try Facebook or "World of Warcraft" – Quartz
This got me thinking: what if you found a date on a car forum?
Hall's survey showed "online communities"—which include chatrooms, special interest websites, and multiuser fantasy worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft—to be the second most popular online meeting place, behind the more obvious dating sites. But while marriages between warlocks and mages declined over the seven years that Hall examined—and dating sites declined slightly too—Facebook and other social media became a more popular place to meet cute.
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