According to Ross Brawn, Liberty Media, the current owner of Formula 1, has a distinctive approach when it comes to managing the sport. This has led to Formula 1's remarkable popularity surge.
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Following Liberty’s acquisition of CVC in 2017, F1 has seen a significant increase in popularity. A younger and more varied audience has been drawn to the sport as a result of its opening up of social media outlets and the popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive series. F1 appears to be in as good a form as it has ever been, despite the fact that some of Liberty’s moves, such as the introduction of sprint races, have not been universally well received by die-hard fans. The fact that grand prix racing is currently strong, in Brawn’s opinion, can be credited to Liberty for taking a strategy that previous owners overlooked. Brawn is resigning as managing director of F1’s motorsport division.
According to Brawn, Liberty did a fantastic job. He said as much to reporters. “I would, but they paid me to say that! In addition, they acknowledged the need to develop the sport when I was saying that. How can we increase the margins wasn’t the only thing they said when they arrived? They had the following attitude: “There is this fantastic sport; how can we advance the sport? Because moving the sport ahead will provide rewards, not trying to squeeze more juice from a lemon. And that concept was shared by Greg Maffei and Chase Carey. Fortunately, I was able to participate in it. Therefore, I believe Liberty has adopted a terrific strategy. They are the only owners in Formula 1 history that I can think of that have done it, and I’ve been around for a while.
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Brawn believes that the Saturday races have added something new to the sport, despite the fact that some fans still dislike the sprint concept. Additionally, he is not entirely opposed to reserve grid races, although he believes that might be going too far. Reverse grids are a topic that is frequently debated, he observed. “I think reverse grids would be fun. Most of us, I believe, would be eager to observe the outcome. However, a portion of our supporters believe that it is becoming too artificial, too World Wrestling, and that the top wrestlers should be rewarded, among other things. I understand it as well, but I believe we need to exercise extreme caution in that area.
“You are now in a sprint race. A sprint race, in my opinion, can only be beneficial because it is a contest in which the best and smartest competitors compete for the prize. It’s just another way for the drivers to showcase their skills throughout the course of a race weekend. The sprint impressed me greatly. “I fail to understand why anyone would find that objectionable. If they have an open mind, all of our supporters ought to find that appealing. We must keep that in mind. I can understand how a reverse grid may cause controversy and unrest among some of our supporters.
