Brawn credits Liberty Media’s dedication to improving the racing spectacle of F1, which has dramatically boosted F1’s popularity and appeal, in large part.
Ross Brawn, who is set to step down from his role as F1’s managing director of motorsport, said the Liberty Media run has focused on ways to make F1 more profitable for shareholders, sports like CVC. said to be in stark contrast to the previous owner of the.
“I think Liberty have done a great job,” Brawn told Motorsport.
“We cannot be complacent regarding the status quo, but we have gained a lot of interest in F1.”
“Liberty wanted to improve the sport. They just didn’t come in and say, ‘How can we improve the margins?'”
“Their way of thinking was, ‘We have such a great sport, how can we move this sport forward?’ because they are rewarded for
Ross Brawn has given special credit to former Liberty Media CEO Chase Carey and his successor Greg Maffei for taking the right approach to making F1 even more successful.
“Greg and Chase had that vision, and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a part of it,” said Ross Brawn, quipping, “I would say they hired me!”
“I think Liberty have taken a great approach. If you look at the history of F1 owners, they’re the only ones I’ve seen do that. And I’ve been here for quite some time!”
“Looking back, I can’t think of many owners who would have made such an investment in the sport,” said Brawn, noting that Liberty made the investment to back up their words.
“I’m not going to talk regarding the budget, but it took a lot of money to do the work we did, and that commitment is now paying off.”
Another key component of F1’s explosive growth since Liberty Media took over in 2017 has been the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive behind-the-scenes documentary series that brought the sport to a younger audience.
“The good news is that we have a new demographic that balances diversity, especially gender diversity in that new demographic,” said Ross Brawn.
“We have to continue to engage with this new group of fans. I think the fans have the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the sport than before.”
“You can see why individuality is attractive. You know, we’ve opened up social media. There’s a downside to this, but we’re not going to stop it.”
“At the same time, we have to make sure that we have a kind of core and long-term fans.
One important area of dispute concerns reverse grid racing. Ross Brawn understands the appeal, but worries it may be overkill for longtime F1 fans.
“Reverse grid is going to be pretty interesting. I think most of us would love to see what happens,” said Ross Brawn.
“I can understand why reverse grids are divisive and unsettling for some fans. It’s something we have to look into.”
“They think they should reward the best drivers. I can understand that and I think we have to be very careful regarding that.”
There was also initial resistance to sprint racing, but with six races on the calendar next year, Ross Brawn himself is a strong supporter of the format.
“I think the sprint is great,” declared Ross Brawn.
“The sprint race is only an addition, because it’s a competition, a contest, the best man wins, the smartest man wins. It’s a meritocracy, and it’s more of a driver’s talent on the race weekend.”
“I don’t know why anyone really has a problem with it. If they can be open-minded, it should appeal to all fans.”
“I think it’s pretty good,” said Brawn as he prepares to leave F1.
Category: F1 / liberty media
