Zak Brown has praise for Liberty Media for the upward trend in F1, as he agrees with Stefano Domenicali’s calendar idea.
In his year-ending letter, McLaren’s Brown has praise for Liberty Media’s efforts in building F1 to the current level whether on the end of the crowds and or TV viewership. The success in America with three rounds and Netflix is commendable as well.
“Under Liberty Media’s ownership, Formula 1 continues to thrive thanks to their strong leadership and dynamic vision,” said Brown. “We have seen the sport continue to be more fan-friendly, resulting in a direct uplift in record crowds and TV viewership. A number of promoters recorded attendances of over 400,000 over their three days of hosting a Grand Prix, which is a phenomenal marker of the sport’s popularity.
“The new Hollywood film that is being shot alongside the real Formula 1 action this season and next is a great example of the sport’s appeal and will take it to new audiences. The continued growth of F1 also provides new opportunities to multi-national companies, and it’s great to see that there has been an influx of quality investors who want to partner with teams, such as Arctos with Aston Martin and Otro with Alpine, bringing with them global sporting stars like Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua and Patrick Mahomes, and our very own MSP Sports Capital, to name a few.
“Formula 1 has always been attractive to car manufacturers. We know that Audi is entering the sport in 2026, but this year has also been significant as Ford have confirmed their return (in partnership with Red Bull) and GM/Cadillac, who have announced their desire to enter the sport with Andretti Global. It was [also] great to have three successful races in the United States on the calendar, with Las Vegas joining the two other events in Miami and Austin.
“All three have a unique and distinct flavour, and while there were initial issues during Thursday evening’s practice session, the Vegas race weekend was ultimately a huge success. The race was arguably one of the most exciting of the season, and there was no doubt the cars looked absolutely spectacular as they roared down the Strip at over 200mph,” summed up Brown.
While there is praise for having races at big cities, Brown also feels that there should be a limit to the grands prix in a year. For long, there has been situation to have 24 rounds but it hasn’t happened thus far and 2024, for now, will finally see it happening.
And Brown reckons that should be the cap, even though the FIA regulations states for 25. The idea of rotation as noted by Domenicali has support from the McLaren boss. He feels this gives chance to new venues on the calendar while also spend perhaps less.
“For 2024, the calendar will expand to 24 races,” continued Brown. “Firstly, it will be great to return to Imola, one year on from the devastating floods that hit the Emilia-Romagna region last spring and led to the cancellation of the race. There will also be a welcome return to Shanghai for our first visit to China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think that 24 races feels optimum, but I also agree with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Dominicali’s suggestion of keeping the calendar invigorated with the rotation of some race venues. As Stefano has suggested, a limited amount of rotation could help with the demand from promoters who are interested in hosting a race, while giving an opportunity for fans in different parts of the world to experience Formula 1. It also provides a fresh challenge to the drivers and engineers by keeping them on their toes.”
Here’s F1 2023 teams’ tier order: https://formularapida.net/f1-2023-teams-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s F1 2023 drivers’ tier order: https://formularapida.net/f1-2023-drivers-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s Oscar Piastri on F1 2023 being bigger roller coaster
Here’s controversy involving Bianca Bustamante
Here’s Lando Norris on progressing in 2023
Here’s Zak Brown on Red Bull, AlphaTauri situation
Here’s McLaren being controlled by Bahrain
Here’s link to a F1 Discord channel, join in to interact
