Liberty, is the penny dropping?

[Casper]

"We believe that Formula 1 simply belongs in the United States," Domenicali is quoted by European media outlet Sky Deutschland. "We want to make the American market the most important one in the sport."

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/form...oming-changes/

An idea that might upset some fans.

[Derwent]

No No No !
Europe is the home of F1. The USA have enough series of their own.
There are already too many GPs. The thought of 30 will create boredom and TV audiences will fall.
We need to drop the Arab countries and others where human rights are ignored.
We do need and event in Africa though.

[Casper]

As I have pointed out before, Liberty bought F1 for one reason, the media rights income and nothing else and the biggest single untapped market is the US and I suppose to kick start interest in the US domestic F1 races will increase. Has the penny dropped yet for everyone?

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Merging this new thread with the existing one about future Grands Prix.

Why? my point in posting the thread was not about GP's at all it was to point out that Liberty have an agenda and now we are starting to see it unfold. They are not interested in the racing at all just the sum result of the media time they can sell.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Merging this new thread with the existing one about future Grands Prix.

Why? my point in posting the thread was not about GP's at all it was to point out that Liberty have an agenda and now we are starting to see it unfold. They are not interested in the racing at all just the sum result of the media time they can sell.

[Anyopenroad]

Originally Posted by Casper

As I have pointed out before, Liberty bought F1 for one reason, the media rights income and nothing else and the biggest single untapped market is the US and I suppose to kick start interest in the US domestic F1 races will increase. Has the penny dropped yet for everyone?

^^ this x100

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

Merging this new thread with the existing one about future Grands Prix.

The posts there promotes a nice development of the where GP could and should be: https://tentenths.com/forum/showthre...38#post4105638

This thread can be on the revelation that Liberty are trying to maximize their income.

[Anyopenroad]

The title if this ‘new’ thread is entirely uncalled-for.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

The title if this ‘new’ thread is entirely uncalled-for.

I totally agree and was shocked to see it resurrected by a MODERATOR with this title. Childish seems to spring to mind and with mods like this who needs ten tenths. He should be taken to task for what has been posted by whoever is chief mod and I would accept an apology.

[VIVA GT]

When I saw the thread title I thought it was a bit strong too!
(Maybe the MODERATOR should use his access privileges to change the title to something less inflammatory?)

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Anyopenroad

The title if this ‘new’ thread is entirely uncalled-for.

Fair enough, I’ll change it, but I was just trying to get the purpose of the poster. The title was more extreme, to emphasis as a little joke.

Originally Posted by Casper

Has the penny dropped yet for everyone?

Now we have a nice play on words. Are people realizing and it references money. Wish I’d thought of that first time.

Sorry for that Casper, like the new title? Was it what you were getting at now?

[greentrumpet]

Of course Liberty are in it for the money, as was CVC as was BCE who was allowed to sell something that really didn't belong to him. The use of "we" rather than "you" in the title might have made the clickbait seem a bit less sour.
There has been a huge thread about the last race of last year which made it perfectly clear where the "sport's" owners priorities lie.

[Anyopenroad]

I took Casper’s point to be not that Liberty are in it to make money, but that as a media company their method of doing so is to look for un (or under) tapped TV markets and launch races there - hence the USA.

This is different to CVC, who emphasised cashflow from hosting fees, hence going to the Middle East etc.

This in turn contrasts with earlier ages where spectator and sponsor income was primary, which led to more European races.

It’s trite to just say ‘it’s always been about money’ because the different ways of making money have profoundly different effects on the sport.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by greentrumpet

Of course Liberty are in it for the money, as was CVC as was BCE who was allowed to sell something that really didn't belong to him. The use of "we" rather than "you" in the title might have made the clickbait seem a bit less sour.
There has been a huge thread about the last race of last year which made it perfectly clear where the "sport's" owners priorities lie.

If you are referring to Liberty as having had any influence on the day of the last race of last season, I would be grateful if you would provide any official links that substantiate that assumption. I have not previously seen any proof that they applied or exerted any pressure on Masi during the running of the race.

I accept that Liberty's raison-d'etre is to make profit for it's shareholders, and they couldn't have wished for a better ending as it promoted so many headlines throughout the media world. But that was as a consequence of how the race ended which I believe was out of their control.

As to the ownership of the commercial side of Formula 1, it was sold to Mr Ecclestone as a direct result of the investigation into the lack of competition or of it being a cartel that was instigated by the European Union. They only decided to not take legal action against the FIA on the condition that the commercial side was at least at arms' length from The FIA, and it was logical, at that time that BCE bought it.

The travesty was that it was sold for a pittance, not that it was sold.

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

If you are referring to Liberty as having had any influence on the day of the last race of last season, I would be grateful if you would provide any official links that substantiate that assumption. I have not previously seen any proof that they applied or exerted any pressure on Masi during the running of the race.

I accept that Liberty's raison-d'etre is to make profit for it's shareholders, and they couldn't have wished for a better ending as it promoted so many headlines throughout the media world. But that was as a consequence of how the race ended which I believe was out of their control.

As to the ownership of the commercial side of Formula 1, it was sold to Mr Ecclestone as a direct result of the investigation into the lack of competition or of it being a cartel that was instigated by the European Union. They only decided to not take legal action against the FIA on the condition that the commercial side was at least at arms' length from The FIA, and it was logical, at that time that BCE bought it.

The travesty was that it was sold for a pittance, not that it was sold.

How dare you ask for proof to justify internet outrage. There's been a conclusion, often with the "you can't convince me otherwise" statement, and that will remain their decided position. But just like the Saudi GP, their outrage only lasts to the keyboard, next race and they're back watching again

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

How dare you ask for proof to justify internet outrage. There's been a conclusion, often with the "you can't convince me otherwise" statement, and that will remain their decided position. But just like the Saudi GP, their outrage only lasts to the keyboard, next race and they're back watching again

Just being a bit of a silly-billy!

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

As to the ownership of the commercial side of Formula 1, it was sold to Mr Ecclestone as a direct result of the investigation into the lack of competition or of it being a cartel that was instigated by the European Union. They only decided to not take legal action against the FIA on the condition that the commercial side was at least at arms' length from The FIA, and it was logical, at that time that BCE bought it.

The travesty was that it was sold for a pittance, not that it was sold.

Very well put Mike. Thats exactly how I see it having transpired. However im sure there are those that disagree.

[greentrumpet]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

If you are referring to Liberty as having had any influence on the day of the last race of last season, I would be grateful if you would provide any official links that substantiate that assumption. I have not previously seen any proof that they applied or exerted any pressure on Masi during the running of the race.

I accept that Liberty's raison-d'etre is to make profit for it's shareholders, and they couldn't have wished for a better ending as it promoted so many headlines throughout the media world. But that was as a consequence of how the race ended which I believe was out of their control.

As to the ownership of the commercial side of Formula 1, it was sold to Mr Ecclestone as a direct result of the investigation into the lack of competition or of it being a cartel that was instigated by the European Union. They only decided to not take legal action against the FIA on the condition that the commercial side was at least at arms' length from The FIA, and it was logical, at that time that BCE bought it.

The travesty was that it was sold for a pittance, not that it was sold.

Liberty want F1 to be about the show, this has perhaps led to shows like "drive to survive" I would argue that this mindset also led to Masi being susceptible to pressure to "have a race" to get on with the show whether or not it could be done within the rules. I have no documentary evidence and you clearly disagree.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by greentrumpet

Liberty want F1 to be about the show, this has perhaps led to shows like "drive to survive" I would argue that this mindset also led to Masi being susceptible to pressure to "have a race" to get on with the show whether or not it could be done within the rules. I have no documentary evidence and you clearly disagree.

I am afraid that I do disagree because it wasn't even as simple as that. Masi was conflicted because the FIA had previously discussed the matter of races being finished under green flag conditions with both the teams and the drivers. The consensus was that, if at all possible, that would be the ideal.

To again rehash the prior threads about that race, Masi came under pressure from Red Bull Racing to let them race, in the full knowledge that their driver had stopped to put on fresh rubber and knowing that Hamilton could not afford to come in to change his tyres. They (RBR) therefore gained an advantage over Mercedes, which in itself is OK, but Masi compounded that by only allowing the lapped cars between Verstappen and Hamilton, which was not in the rules, and he also failed to follow the rules by commencing the final lap which turned to green racing conditions, a lap earlier than allowed by the rules.

But I don't disagree that you do not have documentary evidence because I don't think that it exists.

[Born Racer]

Notwithstanding the original thread title, I can see that this has legs as a discussion about Liberty's aims in F1 in general, not only with circuits.

[BTCC frog]

I read this in Autosport:

With Qatar, Las Vegas and China (re)joining a provisional 2023 calendar that maxes out at 24 races, and plenty more interest around the world to increase that number even further, keeping a spot on the calendar has become exceedingly difficult for traditional races outside of the so-called destination races as Liberty likes to call them - races in major international markets, close to or inside the heart of major metropoles.

Riding the wave of Formula 1's newfound global appeal, the Americans are determined to turn every grand prix into a mini-Super Bowl, bling and all, whether that suits traditional race fans and venues or not.



In contract talks with Spa Grand Prix, the government-backed organisation behind the Belgian GP, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and his team have made it crystal clear that Spa is expected to follow the same entertainment driven concept if it wants to have a future. And Spa is willing to buy into that idea.

"It's true that there has been a request from F1 to bring more entertainment," says Spa Grand Prix's commercial director Stijn de Boever.

"They said history is great, but we need more. We have decided to listen and follow their new way of delivering F1 events. The American way, with all the entertainment that goes with it.

"We are planning all sorts of entertainment, with DJs, exclusive events, fans zones and activations around the circuit. You can say our legendary grand prix will also get the necessary bling. If we want to continue hosting races in the future, we have to modernise."

I don't understand why a DJ would be more important than the actual circuit. If I want to watch a DJ, I don't go to a Formula 1 race, I go to wherever a DJ performs.

[S griffin]

I know. It’s all very to have that sort of entertainment alongside the event to add to it, but it shouldn’t be a priority. Quite frankly Liberty need to stop and take a breath and realise that the bubble will burst if it’s not careful. They are going far away from what the fans want. Also having over 20 races is ludicrous. F1 doesn’t add by having more GPs, but by having GPs where there’s local interest, rather than where the money

[chunterer]

Spa has been pretty 'amped up' in the past during certain race meetings. I remember one year there was a Techno DJ blasting choons out in between races!

Pretty sure there's been funfairs and other stuff too?

They aren't novices at putting on sideshows.

[Richard C]

Everyone should remain respectfully quiet during the races, don't block the views of others and exit the circuit in an orderly fashion once the event has been completed. Racing is serious business. No fun is allowed.

Richard

[crmalcolm]

Interesting to see the last few of posts, in the context of other comments in threads about why Monaco is important.