British GP organisers “lacked self-confidence” prior to Liberty Media F1 takeover

Following the American corporation’s 2017 buyout of the championship, it launched a fan satisfaction survey open to those who attended a race. The British round has topped the list every year apart from 2020, when COVID-19 forced the event to run behind closed doors.
Between 2014 and 2021, the British GP had recorded weekend attendance figures ranging from 340,000 to 356,000. But the 2022 …Keep reading

Brown would welcome new F1 Concorde Agreement “sooner rather than later”

The current Concorde Agreement, F1’s crucial three-way commercial deal between the commercial rights holder (Liberty Media-owned FOM), the FIA and the 10 teams covers the 2021-2025 period.
With two more years remaining beyond the current season, there’s no rush to thrash out a fresh deal, but in a recent call with Wall Street analysts Liberty Media president Greg Maffei said he was keen to …Keep reading

The “incompatibility” that drove Aston and Honda F1 deal

It addresses the conundrum of having all the benefits of a works engine without having to build one from scratch under the Aston name, while also taking away the necessity to share a power unit and other associated parts with a key rival.
It’s that reliance on a supplier who also wants to beat you on track that, in the words of Aston Martin Performance Technologies CEO Martin Whitmarsh …Keep reading

The Monaco GP form suggested by F1 2023’s closest comparison

For one round only, having the power of a ‘GP2 engine’ isn’t insurmountable as drivers spend just 43% of the lap on full throttle – the least of any circuit on the calendar. Likewise, McLaren needn’t be quite so concerned about the excessive drag from its MCL60, since the average speed is only 105mph. Nor is imperfect aerodynamic efficiency brutally punished in the principality. This …Keep reading

Red Bull decides against AlphaTauri F1 sale as it finalises plans

The future of AlphaTauri was unclear following reports new Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff was unhappy with the Faenza team’s performance.
Amid a troubled season start, Marko acknowledged in March that AlphaTauri had to improve both its on-track performances and its commercial output.
The following month it was announced long-time team boss Franz Tost would depart at the end of the season …Keep reading

Honda has “no objections” over Alonso despite chequered F1 past

The Japanese manufacturer announced that it will become Aston Martin’s works partner from 2026, after committing to a formal return to F1 just three years after it revealed plans to leave.
The Aston Martin deal means there is the possibility of a renewed association with Alonso, who has had a chequered past with Honda.
The Spaniard endured the brunt of Honda’s initial struggles when it …Keep reading