Bernie Ecclestone took Formula One to great heights and it is indeed his hard work and his vision which made the sport popular all across the globe American company Liberty Media completed $8 billion takeover of the prestigious motor racing series Monday and immediately replaced the 86-year-old.
Liberty media group is led by new chairman and CEO Chase Carey and he is promising big changes and has outlines to five key changes on a visit to CNN.
Personality Driven
F1’s star drivers are often hidden by their helmets or hunkered down in the team motor homes on race weekends but that could be about to change in F1’s new landscape. Bratches explained it further, “You’re going to see Formula One be more proactive and a little bit edgier than it has been historically in driving celebrity and athlete personality,” “One of the things we are looking to do in the digital space is to elevate the personalities of the drivers and some of the conflicts that happen in the race.”
Racing Festivals
The Grand Prix experience is another target for change. Each race weekend runs from Thursday to Sunday with most activity focused at the track. Now the sport’s new chief executive, Chase Carey, wants each grand prix to become a supersize “Super Bowl” in its own right.”My focus is the race experience itself,” explains Bratches. “Recreating the circuit experience on every level, including the paddock, in a way that re-positions the experience to a festival-like environment.
Heartlands and new horizons
The stops on F1’s world tour will also come under scrutiny. “I’m going to spend a lot of time looking at the circuits,” says Bratches, who has relocated from New York to London. His focus would be more to expand the reach of the sport like Latin America, the US and Asia.
Dictator to Democracy
Ecclestone ruled F1 there was no doubt who was in charge. He even told a Russian journalist: “I don’t think there’s any place for democracy.” Grand prix winner Johnny Herbert recalls first rubbing shoulders with Ecclestone in his debut F1 season in 1989. “Sir Stirling Moss had it spot when he said F1 needs a dictator,” Herbert tells CNN. “That’s Bernie to a ‘T.’
Digital era
F1 fans should also stand by for an increased digital offering — something they’ve been asking for — via social media of course — for some time. Bratches said “I will be putting a lot of energy behind transforming and re-imagining the digital aspects of Formula One,” “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to engage fans in new ways. Putting our shoulder behind digital is a huge priority.”
