It was impossible to define the stakes of Liberty Media, the new owner of F1, without taking a long look at Bernier Ecclestone’s fascinating journey and the way F1 was built over 5 decades.
It was also important to demonstrate that Bernie, by virtue of his mandate with CVC, leaves behind important concerns, which will have to be faced one by one the new leaders. Liberty Media will have to work on two major fields which, in turn, are intimately linked that of the fundamental bases and structures of F1 and that of the spectacle offered to the general public.
At the same time the most complex to manage, is that of the control of major manufacturers. It is clear that the current F1 rests essentially on purely technical bases, those of alternative energies, those of the green performance and that Mercedes, Renault, Ferrari, and Honda want to draw all the profits first and foremost for their business activities in general.
On the other hand, how about breaking with extreme technology? This is a thorny debate but one that will have to be confronted from now on. The FIA and the manufacturers have always wanted and will always want an extreme technical development in F1. CVC, until the end of their commitment, wanted an ambitious financial return. On the other hand, Liberty Media wants to develop the F1 brand by the show. Is it a clash of philosophy? And it is not impossible to manage, if all the parties involved come out winning.
By appointing Ross Brawn to lead the F1 sporting side, the new holder of sport’s marketing rights has acquired an invaluable resource for rallying the stables, manufacturers and the FIA on the major issues facing the future of the sport. A distinguished engineer with an impressive track record with Benetton, Ferrari, and Brawn champions, Brawn has both the technical expertise and experience of a stable owner to understand the major issues which stand before him.
Ross Brawn intended to simplify F1 now. (Source:www.autoweek.com)
To do this, Brawn said that he wants to simply the F1, to simply their technical and sporting rules, so that amateurs find themselves easily there. “I think simplicity is a key objective for the future,” Brawn told media.
“I’ve watched this tournament for last few years as a spectator, and there are times where even I haven’t been sure what’s been going in the race.” former Mercedes principal and Ferrari technical director added.
