27/07/2017
NEWS STORY
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."
Check out our Thursday gallery from Hungary, here.