So, how has Liberty done so far?

I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

The changes that they've made are basically all based on what they already know - social media/PR stuff, and most of it is pretty meaningless to the actual F1 event. It's like sticking Christmas lights around the windows of your house - It makes it stand out a bit more, but it's still the same house at the end of the day.

The FIA have had to put Liberty Media in their place to a degree after they started making statements about changing the technical specifications of the cars, the technical regulations and sporting regulations, by reaffirming that all Liberty Media had bought were the rights to the promotional side of F1, and that they had not bought F1 in its entirety as a sport to do with as they please.

It will be interesting to see how they will put through their plan ditch the concorde agreement, and to pay all of the teams the exact same amount (essentially telling the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull that they are of no more importance to F1 than the likes of Sauber/Toro Rosso/Force India, despite the fact that they create far more interest in the sport, and help bring in far more fans and revenue to F1 than those latter teams do).

Their constant slating of Bernie Ecclestone/CVC and all that went before them is getting a bit annoying, especially as they haven't really done that much in the sport yet, and a lot of the changes that they're talking about making (increasing the number of street races for example - New York, Las Vegas and London spring to mind immediately), seem to be more concerned about "The F1 show" than F1 racing, and might not necessarily be that good for the sport.

Basically it's far too early to judge them properly as they haven't really done that much so far.

 

I hope that Liberty will coordinate and keep Silverstone in F1. The latest here from Joe Saward. This is a race that should survive and matters. Baku could disappear and I have no problem with that. Liberty said the core European races matter. Then they need to work with Silverstone to make sure it is viable.

https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/developments-at-silverstone-2/

 

they have thrown around some ideas, but they haven't stopped the bleeding... their application/social media/online coverage is still lagging far behind (even the AMA Supercross series has better coverage).... They are still having issues getting deals done with tracks (German gand prix for example)...has attendance improved any?

 

If it was liberty's idea to pull that kid ferari fan out of the crowd to meet Kimi...well done! Then bringing the top3 out on the track closer to fans after qualy and a short interview with Alonso there too as "the" Spanish favorite...another good move.

 

More small steps in the right direction. I suspect there will be some 'friction' between RB and the top teams in the future.

Brawn behind F1 Strategy Group attendance change
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/brawn-strategy-group-observers-908289/?s=1

 

Save us from ourselves, Formula 1 teams tell Liberty's Chase Carey - F1 - Autosport

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey says top F1 teams have told the championship's new owner Liberty Media they want to be "protected them from themselves" in spending terms.

Carey says teams are spending so much purely to match their rivals, and the only way to tackle this is to tune the rules to reduce costs and stop unnecessary expenditure.

"What some of the teams spend on the sport today is an incredible amount, and they'll acknowledge it's an incredible amount," said Carey.

"To some degree they're saying, 'we need to be protected from ourselves.'

"There are a handful of teams that spend an extraordinary amount that aren't really spending to create something that enhances the consumer experience.

"What they're doing is spending because two other guys are spending it, so they've got to do it to compete with the other guys.

"And we want this to be healthier for all the teams, we'd like to be a healthy business for them."

Carey and F1 sporting chief Ross Brawn see the post-2020 engine regulations as the key to cutting expense.

In a recent meeting with the FIA and the four current F1 manufacturers - with Alfa Romeo and Volkswagen/Audi also represented - the basic format for what Carey called "simpler, cheaper, louder" engines was agreed.

Carey is adamant that technology plays too big a role at the moment, although he understands its significance to F1.

"On the track we'll do everything we can to make sure we're enhancing [F1], making the competition great, making the action great, improving passing and other things," he said.

"Let's not get too complicated, so fans can follow it.

"One of the things we keep saying to them is at the end of the day we're doing it for the fans, we're not doing it for the teams.

"We want first and foremost a simpler sport, sports entertainment, so you've got to make the entertainment great, and then enable fans to connect to it.

"The R&D part is an important part, we don't want to lose the engineering aspects of it, but it shouldn't dominate it.

"Niki Lauda keeps saying to me we've got to let the drivers drive."

The real significance of controlling costs to Carey and his colleagues is the bigger picture of revised distribution of income among the teams once the current Concorde Agreement expires in 2020.

He has made it clear that reducing what teams have to spend will help to justify a cut in what they are paid.

"Costs and revenues are all inter-related," said Carey.

"You have to deal with it in pieces, but you want to start with a focus on the whole.

So it's costs, revenue, rules, engines.

"We want to make the business of owning a team a much better business proposition for everybody.

"We think it's good for everybody, including us, to make the economics of owning a team much healthier. We're addressing that more holistically at this point."

 

From a fans perspective, the signs are looking good. So much more access to F1 now. The social media updates on race events and post race highlights are excellent. Fan zone access seems to be improving - so the quality of the show and general F1 experience is improving.

Re the teams - they are right to go after the Concorde Agreement and I think they have the right man for the job in the form of Ross B when it comes to Tech side. Overall, I would say they deserve a 'merit' for a good first impression. Now they need to follow through and really sort out the teams and spending shambles.

As for protecting Ferrari, McLaren, Merc and RB - I don't see the need. RB came from nothing and proved it can be done. Likewise Merc. Ferrari have been feeding at the trough of free money for far too long and need to know that there are no free hand outs for crap results. The notion that Ferarri is F1 and F1 is Ferrari belongs to the Bernie era - i.e. the bin.

Change is coming. I'm optimistic it will all work out in the end.

 

+1 - a viable sport does not need 'special' stipulations or teams that 'deserve' more. Id watch F1 with and without Ferrari.

 

I feel as though they are touching the correct areas first. F1 is pretty large and has a lot of moving parts. To restructure the people that control the direction of the sport is the most "right" move I think they have done. Bringing in Brawn and letting him put responsibilities in the hands of people he trusts is a positive imo.

I'm excited to hear how the engine talks progress. Hearing what was quoted by DF1 sounds promising. I really hope that the teams only have input, and the tail won't wag the dog on the sport. The fact that Liberty is being transparent in so many of the current and upcoming issues makes me feel warm and fuzzy as well. I think they only thing they are handling in a "Bernie" style is Bernie himself!

 

Everyone above has touched on issues that Liberty seems to be going on the right direction as all this is just preliminary for the time being.

I also like the issue of bugdet caps for teams that are not performing i.e. Ferrari's big piece of "historic" money that they get... as well as the others like RedBull, Mclaren, Williams.

Force India is a team that seems to punching well below their weight....pound for pound their ROI(return on investment) or dollar per whatever is the best on the field when compared to the teams above them with regards to their budgets. They should be rewarded exponentially and monetiraly for their efforts all-the-while their bosses are in jail or facing prison time....the team is focused.

 

You guys set the bar very low. How could it have been worse?

The current formula is so expensive with Kers that small players have no chance, the cars are ugly, the racing boring, the tracks boring, no passing because of so much influence on aero, and the engines sound horrible.

Then add that to a complete disregard to the wishes of the fans by the people running the show.

Anything would be an improvement.

 

Bernie was not willing to do anything as long as CVC and himself were paid. Liberty had to start somewhere. It all needs help lol

 

Ferrari has done the most by fielding a competitive car this yr.

 

Pretty much.

I watched 15 minutes of the first race and turned it off. I haven't watched any other races, and F1 for me is close to going on permanent hiatus from my tv. The FIA and CVC have really murdered the sport. I wouldn't be surprised the viewership numbers were still in a flat spin.

 

True but its about a non Mercedes winning and challenging as much as a Ferrari being better. We have racing for once and not a foregone conclusion after Q1

 

Hrrmmmm......Liberty did not exactly set the current formula, nor the 2017 aero specs, nor fan involvement. Since the question is about what Liberty is doing for these problems, I think the answer is fairly universal. They are acknowledging the issues (except cosmetics i.e. aeroscreen/halo, discussion on it's own) and seem to be moving pretty quickly to put the right pieces in place to fix them.

As Igor first mentioned and you said, they do have a fairly easy job on some of these issues. The on track racing will be interesting to see how they sort it out.

 

Too early to judge Liberty already.

Let's wait another couple of years, at least, to see if the can implement some of their ambitions.

The end of this formula, the renewal of the Concord Agreement, the redistribution of money to teams, a new technical formula, etc... are hurdles Liberty will have to overcome in the near future.

Let's see if they can still get the teams behind them after that, and also please the fans.

 

"So, how has Liberty done so far?"

Enough to ruffle Bernie's feathers!!




JUNE 6, 2017

Liberty making broadcasters unsettled says Ecclestone



Bernie Ecclestone has questioned his successor's apparent 'all change' approach to running F1.

With the Liberty Media takeover, long-time F1 supremo Ecclestone, 86, was replaced as chief executive by Chase Carey and two deputies.

On the fact that three men are now doing the former work of one, Ecclestone told Blick newspaper: "That is almost a compliment. But it's now a completely different way of thinking and working."

For one thing, chief Carey has not been shy to criticise Ecclestone's formerly dictatorial style.

"I have to live with that (criticism)," Ecclestone said.

"Maybe I should have changed more things," he added, "as the Americans seem to now be about changing everything.

"For me it was always clear: I wanted to run Formula One Management so that it makes a profit for the shareholders. And in the end, the shares were so high that this was the reason it was purchased by the Liberty group."

When asked what his relationship with Carey is like today, Ecclestone answered: "Well, he doesn't need me. He says he knows what he is doing.

"And he has surrounded himself with people who also claim to know what they are doing," he added.

Recently, Ecclestone criticised the new regime's focus on social media, and now he says all that free content is upsetting the TV broadcasters.

"A lot of the TV stations are unsettled and annoyed," he claimed.

Asked if that's a problem, Ecclestone said: "Yes. We have contracts with these stations which are very exclusive.

"But right now it looks like you can get formula one without paying anything."

Ecclestone was also always opposed to working with Ross Brawn, who is now Carey's sporting deputy.

The Briton said: "Ross never had an insight into our business. He worked as an engineer with Flavio Briatore at Benetton. Then he went to Ferrari, and I don't want to talk about how he later ran his team.

"But he does not have the big picture of politics and commercial processes," Ecclestone insisted.

However, he also says Brawn is "not an idiot", and agrees that F1 is still able to thrive and succeed in the new era.

"And I will be the first to congratulate those responsible," said Ecclestone. "But it is not there yet."

When asked what advice he would give Carey, Brawn and co, he answered: "Why should I recommend anything to these gentlemen? They have different views, as I said before."

But Ecclestone said he always argued against the unpopular 'power unit' engines, and said the faster cars of 2017 were his idea.

When told that the races in 2017 have been exciting so far, Ecclestone said: "Right, but that had nothing to do with the new leadership.

"Two years ago I decided to go for a new regulation. With wider tyres and wider cars. This has changed the situation for the better."

Finally, Ecclestone said he still goes to work every day. "I go to my office very early, and often leave very late. I keep my rhythm."

 

I think you call it accurately. I suspect most of us have been fans for years (I went to my first F1 race at Brands Hatch in the early 60s as a toddler) and this mimics the sport's overall appeal.

There's a dearth of young viewers today My children (18, 21, 23) have little interest besides being polite as they know I have passion. Other (US) sports captivate their attention. Bleacher Report, NFL Red Zone etc form a staple of their entertainment. Bernie's opinion was the young don't matter as they don't have any money. Shortsighted.

I think the sport has gone in the wrong direction. Too many gimmicks, too much aero, too little overtaking, too little variety, too little entertainment. I am sure I sound crotchety. I hope Liberty can reinvigorate the franchise. Too soon to tell as others have noted.

Philip

 

Ecclestone drove the price of F-1 very high, but he also raped and pillaged his way to making the numbers. He even admits that he was charging hosting fees that were too high, with very little if any re investment into the business. F1 needs to be exclusive, I get that, but it also has to have a world presence and you cant charge for every picture and view of F1.

it needs a tiered system of access, at the top is the Paddock club / Paddock access for sponsors - that has to be exclusive, but you have to give real fans a regular glimpse inside to maintain the exclusivity, people need to want to be in there for there to be an ability to charge more money for tickets. so if you got a ticket with a morning & evening paddock and pit walk about - you can charge more. same for regular general admission tickets, they need to bring back the GA tickets that allow you to actually see the race track, see different corners, ok - might not be the best views, but you can see the cars... today - its almost impossible to see cars without being in a grand stand seat.

F1 charges so much for vendors to be on site, that nobody really can afford to be there. so you get this bland same feel at all the circuits... if you go to Monza, or Canada or COTA its the same vendors ...set up in the same fashion... boring. back in the 80's and 90's each track had its own kind of feeling... today its totally homogenized.