Race promoters threaten to quit F1 calendar
A group of F1 race promoters are preparing to confront the sport's owner Liberty Media.
Led by Silverstone, the race officials are angry with Liberty over the handling of their contracts, with the Daily Mail reporting that they are threatening to leave the calendar.
The newspaper said the promoters met for a meeting in London to discuss the situation.
"Everyone is disgruntled. Liberty's ideas are disjointed," said Stuart Pringle, the Silverstone boss and head of the F1 promoters' group.
This year, the race contracts of Silverstone, Monza, Barcelona, Hockenheim and Mexico all expire.
"We have all been compliant and quiet hitherto, but we have great concerns about the future health of the sport under the people who run it now," Pringle added.
He admitted they are particularly angry about Liberty's handling of a potential race in Miami, even though a deal was not ultimately done.
"Miami are seemingly getting a free deal," said Pringle. "That has not gone down well with anyone, not least with the guys at Austin, Texas, who are working hard to make their race pay.
"If this continues, formula one will be racing on second-rate circuits, if any at all."
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It looks like Liberty have only just realised that Bernie Ecclestone fleeced them when they bought F1 and are now trying to squeeze already unsustainable operating margins of the race circuits. On top of that giving a freebie to Miami isn't the way you make friends with the historically important Silverstone, Monza and the other struggling circuits. Rumours are that Bernie is interested in buying it back at the right price
People seem to hate Bernie and, consequently, greatly underestimate him. I liked best when, on the occasion of his Brazilian mother in law being kidnapped for ransom, a wit quickly noted: the abductors will end up paying Bernie money to return her!
The problem is not the new deals that Liberty is making, or anything they are doing within the sport. The real issue is the legacy contracts that some circuits (eg Silverstone) signed with Bernie. He locked them into increasingly expensive long term contracts that they now regret (and cannot afford).
There may be some casualties, but I think Liberty is doing the right thing with the sport.
Bernie is the ultimate business man, he is sharper than the opposition and that has to be respected, time has shown that as soon as the Americans get involved they will bugger it up whatever it is, if the Yanks do to F1 what they did to the cruise industry we can say Tat Ta to motor racing as we know it, I don't think Liberty will pull out because it's a lucrative business which they intend to sell to that part of the public who know nothing about motor racing but who do like a day out with bands and side shows, I hope that Bernie retakes control because motor sport should be run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts and not by gaudy showmen in hard pursuit of ever bigger profits
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