28/02/2017
NEWS STORY
The sport's newly appointed commercial boss claims new owners are targeting a "very aggressive" growth strategy.
While Ross Brawn has been charged with sorting out the technical aspects of the sport under its new ownership, Sean Bratches, a former ESPN vice president, is to look after the commercial side of things.
Having previously said that the sport intends taking full advantage of Liberty Media's digital experience, Bratches has vowed that F1 will be "edgier" and "more proactive", making full use of the drivers and promoting their celebrity status.
In Barcelona for the pre-season test, Bratches has revealed Liberty's vision for the sport, not only reinforcing the idea of more races and more sponsors, but more teams - ironic when you consider that in recent weeks Manor went under with barely a nod in its direction.
"There will be a point in the season where we start to effectuate change," he told Reuters.
"It's not going to be where we just drop our vision one day and that's the vision," he continued. "It's going to be a build, and we are going to be very aggressive. We are going to try new things, all in the spirit of better serving Formula One fans.
"I have been in the office every Saturday and Sunday for the last month since I got here," he revealed, "and I don't see it ending. There's a lot to do.
"We are going to pivot from what has been a very deal-oriented structure to one where we are formulating a strategic plan that we are going to execute on relentlessly over the mid to long-term.
"We'd love to see more teams, we'd love to see more sponsors and we'd love to see more circuits in the right places," he said. "Places that we believe are growth-oriented and can improve not only from a fan standpoint but improve the overall economics, drive television revenues, drive sponsor engagement and interest, create opportunities for teams and drivers."
Referring to the loss of Manor, he hinted at the proposal previously put forward by the likes of Force India's Bob Fernley, a franchise system.
"In the Premier League or National Football League or Bundesliga, if a team goes up for sale there's 30 individuals or entities that want to buy it," said Bratches. "When Manor goes out, that's not the case. So we have to make this a better business on the promoter side, on the team side. The rising tide will float all boats."
Reiterating Chase Carey's desire to see Grand Prix weekends resemble Superbowl-size events, he said: "We have 20 extraordinary events every single year that happen in 20 different countries. There's a huge opportunity to amplify the event and really detonate the possibilities."
He also agrees that more races are needed in the United States.
"We have an extraordinary iconic circuit in Austin and I think that race is poised to grow and continue its position as one of our kind of hub races," he said. "At the same time I actually think driving interest in the United States through other circuits will actually amplify the value of the circuit in Austin."