It’s bye bye Bernie as F1 roars into digital era

LONDON: Bernie Ecclestone’s ousting as Formula One supremo will take the sport in a different, digital direction under new American owners Liberty Media, but there is much work to be done.

“F1 has huge potential with multiple untapped opportunities,” said new chief executive Chase Carey after ending 86-year-old Ecclestone’s 40-year reign on Monday.

“We’ll work to enhance the racing experience and add new dimensions to the sport and we look forward to sharing these plans over time.”

Carey, appointed F1 chairman in September after serving as vice-chairman of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, and Liberty Media’s chief executive Greg Maffei have said there is a lot they want to do differently.

Maffei has spoken of more races in Latin America, Asia and the US, while Carey has indicated that Liberty wants to safeguard the historic venues in Europe, ramp up marketing efforts and engage the fans more.

There’s talk of treating races like a Super Bowl, creating a buzz extending beyond the racetrack, but without ‘Americanising’ the sport’s fundamentals or alienating the purists.

Where Ecclestone’s business model was based on television rights and ever-increasing hosting fees that have left circuits with little chance of making a profit, Liberty have emphasised a shift towards sustainability and new revenue streams.

FI had “no organised digital effort”, Maffei said. “I think there’s a lot of things that can be done around gaming, VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality).”.

Where Ecclestone was often at odds with the teams, adopting a divide and rule approach, Carey has sounded more collegiate and inclusive with talk of cost controls and ensuring a fairer share of the spoils.

The appointment of Ross Brawn in a management role overseeing motorsport activities has also raised hopes among fans and participants preparing for the first race of the season, in Australia in March.

Brawn worked closely at Ferrari with Jean Todt, now the head of the governing FIA, and was also a principal at Honda before leading his own team and then Mercedes.

Zak Brown, the newly-appointed American executive director of McLaren, backed Carey and his team to do what was needed. “Over the next decade I expect the way F1 is run will become both freer and more fanfriendly,” said Brown. – Reuters