Liberty: new tracks will promote passing

Formula 1 chairman Chase Carey has made it clear that new grand prix venues will only earn their places on the calendar if they provide tracks good for racing.

Amid talk of new races in Miami and Vietnam, Carey has laid out the key criteria incoming circuits must meet as F1 moves away from the Bernie Ecclestone era’s focus on high fees.

Carey also admitted that some of the championship’s existing circuits need work to meet the standard for overtaking now being sought. “There are a handful of things that are important for us,” said Carey, speaking at the

FIA’S Sport Conference in the Philippines on Monday.

“First, we want to make sure that it is great for a race. While we build all the things around it, it starts with having a track that provides a great race.

“Today, realistically, there are tracks that probably we need to work on that are not conducive to providing the most exciting and best racing. There are some that are fabulous.

“Second, we want a site that is going to capture the world’s imagination. We are in the great cities around the world. We use the phrase ‘destination cities’, and we are in places where when they [fans] look at it on TV, they are excited about it, think it looks spectacular, and that really capture people’s imagination. And if they go to it, it is even more special. We want those magical cities and magical countries that really intrigue and fascinate the world.”

Carey’s comments about tracks being suitable for racing comes amid intense criticism of the recent Monaco Grand Prix, which Fernando Alonso suggested may have been the most boring race ever. Liberty is working hard on changes to make F1 more exciting, with aero tweaks planned for 2019 and a more significant revamp on the cards for ’21.

Carey emphasised that next year’s changes would not solve all the problems. “Overtaking is clearly an issue, and we know the steps we are taking for 2019 with the FIA are not a cure-all, they are a step,” he said. “We don’t want to lose the aerodynamic aspects that make F1 racing so spectacular, but we do think we need to do things that enable overtaking to be a much more significant part of the sport.

“But it’s not the only one. There are a lot of things we have under way that will bring a more competitive balance, more action on track, and in many ways more unpredictability. Predictability is not good in sports. You want the unexpected, the moments that you didn’t see coming. You want the underdog winning.”