F1 | Minardi "Studying the past to plan the future"

Day after day, Liberty Media, the new owner of Formula 1, discloses its cards aimed at improving the show. Chase Carey confirms he wants to bring the Circus towards the US with events in Miami and New York, without forgetting the traditional destinations that have made this sport great.

The managing director Ross Brawn points the finger at the power-units and at the too high costs, especially for the little teams called to a basically unsustainable effort. The former engineer at Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes as well as founder of the 2009 world champion stable named after his name, would like to see a Leicester-style fairy tale. A small stable able to fight with the major teams. With regret I learn that the courtain will fall definitively on the Manor, defeated by debts. Unfortunately, no buyer has been found.

Surely, the discussion it will focus on the new Concord Agreement, which expires in 2020.

My advice, is to study the past, before releasing any statements. At this time, words are carried away by the wind and create just nervousness. It is sure that F1 will have to undergo a relevant transformation both on the sporting and technical front. The current Concord Agreement is the result of laborious negotiations. Liberty Media should study the previous agreements in order to understand the evolution of the faced difficulties.

As I have already said in my blog, I find it crazy the idea of having 4-5” faster cars than last year with the consequent increase in research and development costs. All this will not lead to a better show because the audience at the circuit or in front of the TV will not perceive all this. The introduction of the Power-Units was a risky step, the development of which was to be directed towards endurance races.

Surely, Formula 1 has to work on marketing to attract new companies, but has also to find technical solutions able to ensure the survival and the continuity to all its teams. Last years have been detrimental for small entities forced to raise the white flag.

In US, the Federations are investing $ 50 million dollar in studies to make the sport more competitive in the future. A signal that shows how much this area and the needs of enthusiasts and spectators are changing quickly. We are going towards shorter and faster events.