In the wake of Max Verstappen's signing to Toro Rosso at the tender age of 16 in 2014, the youngster making history at Suzuka shortly after when he participated in FP1, thus becoming the youngest driver to take part in a GP weekend session, the FIA hurriedly changed the superlicence rules.

Not only was an age limit (18) imposed, to be eligible for the superlicence a driver had to be a champion - or at least a regular high points scorer - in one of several approved series, a system which if in force earlier would have prevented the likes of Kimi Raikkonen acquiring his superlicence.

In the wake of Lewis Hamilton's decision to skip the recent F1 promotional event in London for a two-day jaunt to the Greek Islands, Zak Brown believes that another condition for drivers being granted their superlicence would be to confirm their attendance at a number of official promotional events each year.

"Could you still do something impactful if you have five drivers there?" he said, according to Motorsport.com. "I am of the view that when the drivers get their superlicence in the future, that part of the superlicence is that they give x amount of in-market and y amount of out of market appearances to F1 Group.

"F1 can then package up and offer this to promoters and cities, because at the end of the day we all live, we all make a living off the fans.

"Whether we are paid to go to an event or indirectly, the fans fuel this sport," he added, "and we need to make the necessary investments to make sure the fan base continues to do that."

Asked how he felt about the London event, Brown, ever eager to share his views, said: "It was a great event. There was a huge turnout, and it was great to see almost everyone there.

"I think it is an example of where Liberty have talked about 20 Super Bowls," he continued. "What the NFL does, they come into the town of the week of the event and they take over the city with fan engagement to a whole new level. That is exactly what London was. It is probably not achievable to do that in every market but maybe it could work on a rotational basis."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by F1Doppelganger, 10/09/2017 9:05

"FormerF1Fan
I find your comment to be derogatory to me personally and I have reported it. Your comments around the forums clearly show you to be a Hamilton hater. I love no driver. I love our sport. Please restrict your comments to the sport we all care about and do not disrespect other posters. Thank you."

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2. Posted by FormerF1Fan, 28/07/2017 15:08

"F1Doppelganger, "To me, it's entirely understandable..." Your blind love for Hamilton does indeed blind you to all else. Why should all the other drivers suffer having a new rule imposed on them, just because Hamilton has a bout of PMT? But of course, this has happened so many times before that we cease to be amazed. "

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3. Posted by Ro, 27/07/2017 15:49

"It has nothing to do with the FIA or Liberty media what promotional obligations a driver has. A driver has a contract with his team and only his team. Who cares if he didnt show up for a demo run around the streets of London ? NFL and F1 are two different animals so you cannot make a comparison."

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4. Posted by jcr, 27/07/2017 13:55

"The reason Hami did·nt show,
Was he was not willing to play second fiddle to the current world champion, NICO !!
on home turf.
Sad Loser !!
And its even more annoying the way wolff keeps defending him.
I would say, There is not one person in F1 outside Merc, that thinks Hami was right.
I love my Fans, BULLS__T"

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5. Posted by F1Doppelganger, 27/07/2017 9:32

"To me, it's entirely understandable that Lewis needed a break away from F1 ahead of the extra tensions of his home race. There would have been no problem if Austria had not been just 7 days before Silverstone. If Liberty want these promotional events, they need to look at their own planning. Ideally, we should not have back to back events and if we must, there should not be an F1 Live event in between. Back to back races reduce interest anyway - I was less interested in Silverstone as it was just 7 days after Austria. Liberty need to look themselves in the mirror on this one - they scored an own goal......."

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Brown: Promotional obligation should be part of superlicence

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