Formula 1's CEO Chase Carey is satisfied with the sport's momentum in recent events, expressing his satisfaction with the crowds that have turned up to the races. Carey took over Bernie Ecclestone's position at the start of 2017, as has been working to revamp the sport since.
New owners Liberty Media has already made a number of minor changes to a Grand Prix weekend, and Carey has spoken positively about the current state of the sport: "We feel pretty good about the momentum of the business. We’ve had good crowds. Recently they’ve all been up significantly. In Hungary they added stands, the same in Germany the week before.
“Although it’s only anecdotal, it was nice in Germany that people were saying how much more exciting and enjoyable the racing was compared with two years before when it was last there. They said it had a different feel, a different energy, an openness and more of a fun atmosphere for the fans.
“Do we need to make the action better, the competition closer? Yes. Do we have an issue on costs? Yes. Do we need to create healthier business models? Yes. Do we need to simplify elements of the rules? Yes.
“Within that there are differences on specifics; with 10 teams there are a range of views. So you have to wade in and find the compromises that nobody’s completely happy with but with everybody believing the logic. Nobody is going to get everything they want but together we’ll be in a better place."
Carey also spoke about Sergio Marchionne, the former head at Ferrari who recently passed away. Marchionne was vocal about the future of F1, and Carey met with the Italian to discuss matters shortly before he was admitted to hospital.
"I had dinner with him shortly before he went into hospital and we were largely in agreement on the major issues," Carey said. "We’d arrived at the place of ‘let’s get this done’. I have nothing but respect for him. He was a larger-than-life force. He’ll be missed.”
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Replies (2)
Login to replymcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
renewals of team contracts, successful change of rules, and signup with bigger venues have not been done yet.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Its been a nice year for sure, and Hockenheim had a great race, but its too early to say if its thanks to Liberty or despite Liberty. We will need more time if we are to see their contributions to F1, methinks.