Bernie Ecclestone says F1 be sold this year.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Mike, I echo your sentiments exactly (including your moderators justification!). If/when F1 finally does go behind a paywall I may then become sufficiently arsed* to trawl the internet for a way around it, or more likely, I will just stop watching Formula One altogether.
*see above.

I did have BT sport so that I could watch MotoGP but as the internet speed is absolute rubbish in my area in the UK I refused to pay the extra that they wanted this year, I can watch all F1 and MGP for nothing in Spain either on the TV or laptop (with a bit of searching sometimes) in full HD.
As it is at the moment F1 isn't worth paying for anyway IMHO to watch live

[Greem]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I chose to purchase my TV via a bundle with Virgin Media, but if I wish to watch all F1 races live, plus live qualifying, then I would have to pay a further £25 per month for the privilege, and possibly cutting my nose off to spite my face, I refuse to do so. I am sure that I could trawl the internet for a way around this, but in all honesty, I can't be arsed (mods, please excuse my language, but there isn't another word that really describes my view - bothered just doesn't cut it)

Slightly off-topic, I know, but for those in the same position as Mike (Virgin Cable customers)...

As long as you are not in a fixed contract (that is, in the first year/two years of a package) you can phone them up and go through the "I want to leave" process. Ask to be put through to the Retention team; they will often find a way to give you what you want (need?) with a *very* small increase in costs (or sometimes even a decrease!); the catch is that you commit to a new contract period of one or two years.

I did that the first year F1 was on Sky; I got all the sports channels added, doubled my broadband speed and went to a 'bigger' phone package (more inclusive calls) for the princely increase of £3 a month.

I appreciate that might not work for everyone, though.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Greem

Slightly off-topic, I know, but for those in the same position as Mike (Virgin Cable customers)...

......I appreciate that might not work for everyone, though.

Graeme, unfortunately I have done it too many times to reduce the monthly subscriptions in the last few years (successfully, though) that they have politely suggested that I leave it for a while before I try it again! However, watching F1 is now not important enough to me to even consider trying to get the sports package; I haven't watched a race for nearly 4 years now, and to be quite honest, if I never watch the current cars race it will be of no loss to me.

Back to the subject of the sale, it is peculiar that Patrick Allan, the newish commercial boss at Silverstone, has made a public attack on the F1 product in the Independent newspaper today, saying that it's sh*t and that it won't sell. Then you look at who is behind the writing of the article, and you see that it's BCE's best pal, Christian Sylt, and then you read further to see that it is obviously a piece authorised by the great (little) man himself.

Obviously, Allan is railing against the ever increasing (5% p.a.) sanctioning fee and the fact that Silverstone has lost a huge chunk of rental income when the BRDC sold off most of it's land, but I think that the hand of BCE is behind this, possibly with a view to driving down the value of FOM, just maybe so that he (or his ex-wife) can snap it up at a bargain basement price!

By the way, I haven't included a link to the article because it takes so long to load with all the cr*p that is imbedded; however, it seems as though virtually every motoring site is quoting from it - take your choice!

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Mekola

Formula 1 must be back at FIA control, not under scoundrels interests.

I partially agree if the FIA had a president that cared about it's present condition and it's future ..

I believe that DM would be a good owner, what Red Bull don't know about sports marketing is not worth talking about is it !

[JeremySmith]

The fact that Red Bull manufactures a drink should have nothing to do with it ..

[djinvicta]

I still maintain Sky Go here in France at £20 a month, gives me all Sports, Movies, all Channels etc, and no, it doesn't buffer. The Sky live coverage I think is great, Ted's Notebook, and Martin Brundle on the Team make it superior to BBC that have a commentator that screams excitedly at a potential overtake. It's the way of the World now, free TV will not be available in the future soon.

[djinvicta]

And I've never tried Red Bull, but good god, they do have a way ahead, marketing department. Let them take over F1 and promote it to it's fans..

[JeremySmith]

It's inowing how to appeal to younger people that Red Bull would be great at.. The fans we have now will moan and complain, but most will still watch ...

[bjohnsonsmith]

Bernie says he has been asked to stay as Formula 1 chief executive, by the three parties interested in acquiring a controlling stake.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121218

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Bernie says he has been asked to stay as Formula 1 chief executive, by the three parties interested in acquiring a controlling stake.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121218

Well, he is just such a wily old fox. And so much for those that said at the time of the German court case that he would never be able to return to control F1, which he has.

Having still got the capacity to run things by himself, he doesn't have a natural in-house successor, and as most things are kept secret within the relationship between FOM and the teams, and the fact that only BCE knows "where all the bodies are buried" (so to speak), any new owner would have to take him on, and worse still, have to agree to his terms. He did that to CVC, and things are even more complex now than they were back then.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Well, he is just such a wily old fox. And so much for those that said at the time of the German court case that he would never be able to return to control F1, which he has.

Having still got the capacity to run things by himself, he doesn't have a natural in-house successor, and as most things are kept secret within the relationship between FOM and the teams, and the fact that only BCE knows "where all the bodies are buried" (so to speak), any new owner would have to take him on, and worse still, have to agree to his terms. He did that to CVC, and things are even more complex now than they were back then.

And if he falls off the perch tomorrow??

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Casper

And if he falls off the perch tomorrow??

Surely you know that that is of no importance to BCE. For the last many years, he has only been interested in the here and now; what happens tomorrow is somebody else's problem.

It would appear that Mr E is totally against being open and transparent in his relationships with F1, to the extent that when CVC tried to appoint a new overall boss for F1 that their chosen man walked away because BCE would not open up.

[wnut]

F1-not-saleable-and-a-s-product-says-Silverstone-MD


http://www.pitpass.com/54875/F1-not-...Silverstone-MD

"Fans don't want to see a procession," he told The Independent. "As a promoter I can only promote what you give me and if that isn't up to standard, people aren't going to buy.

So are the engine regs going to change?

[Moneyseeker]

Originally Posted by wnut

F1-not-saleable-and-a-s-product-says-Silverstone-MD


http://www.pitpass.com/54875/F1-not-...Silverstone-MD

"Fans don't want to see a procession," he told The Independent. "As a promoter I can only promote what you give me and if that isn't up to standard, people aren't going to buy.

So are the engine regs going to change?

Personally I would think he would better employed on paying for this years race and I thought they already had a record crowd paying to go in.

The management of the track are eaten up with the GP contract because that is the root of all their issues, not that they can't attract enough people to the race. They can't make it pay because the numbers will never stack up on on a ticket only income business model.

Also as they are continutally trying to sell the circuit operation, I would have thought they needed top talk up the F1 opportunity, not down.

[Alex Langheck]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

And I've never tried Red Bull, but good god, they do have a way ahead, marketing department. Let them take over F1 and promote it to it's fans..

Hmm, they're in the 3rd year of promoting the WRC. Has it got any better? Not really, it's still trundling around, mainly anonymous, occasionally breaks out. Not what everybody expected when they took over.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Alex Langheck

Hmm, they're in the 3rd year of promoting the WRC. Has it got any better? Not really, it's still trundling around, mainly anonymous, occasionally breaks out. Not what everybody expected when they took over.

Maybe that says something about the nature of the WRC. It's never been at the 'glamorous' end of motorsport and is therefore less likely to attract the sort attention F1 does.

[Casper]

Group B and the WRC was definitely at the glamour end of motor sport, pity it all fell apart with its demise into a crippled shadow of what rallying had been. The cars had more power than F1 and the crowds were way bigger.

[Mike Harte]

For reasons best known to themselves, Sky seems to be ramping up the interest in F1 being sold. The reported interested party is Liberty Media Corp, part of Liberty Media Group. Interestingly, Liberty Global, another subsidiary, is also believed to be making counter-proposals. The reported price seems to be quite a bit lower than previously "quoted" figures.

Sky, part of Murdoch's News Corp, has in earlier times been interested in buying a controlling stake in F1, although they now claim not to be interested.

Whatever, the prospect of F1 being controlled by a major media outlet is not a happy thought.

[S griffin]

I don't think that having a bad media outlet running the sport is a great way to go either

[chillibowl]

a little more info on it from Saward.

https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2016...-sources-says/

all things being equal, i would take a company that is heavily invested into sport over a private equity fund.

must say though, the Murdoch family scored a few points in my book by forcing the resignation of Roger Ailes.

[Mekola]

This man could sell F1 a hundred times and still be the Supremo. Is having the cake and eating it...

[JHamilton]

I can tell you that Liberty is pretty terrible at running a baseball team... maybe they'll have to sell to purchase a stake in F1. One can hope.

[Mike Harte]

There seems to be rumblings with the corridors of the EU in Brussels that they are deciding whether to formally investigate the FIA's holding in DeltaTopco, the company that FOM is wrapped up in. The EU's prior ruling was that the FIA should have no interests, financial or otherwise, in the commercial affairs of Formula 1.

If the above is true, it may have an effect on the timing of any potential sale, especially as it appears that the FIA have indicated that they want to retain their shareholding which is annoying the bureaucrats in Brussels even more.

[wolfhound]

It's possible that F1 could have a new owner by the end of the week according to Autosport. CVC are reported to be in negotiations with Liberty media and Stephen Ross who runs RSE Ventures. Both hold US sports franchises.

http://classic.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/126051