F1 wants to keep growing, but there’s a plan for longtime fans

Formula 1 continues to grow. Liberty Media has modernized the sport in an extraordinary way since acquiring its commercial rights in 2017, to the point that F1 is now hugely popular around the world.

“Our approach has always been this: we give people what they want, we experiment with new solutions, and if they work, we move forward with them. If they don’t work, we change course and try something else. If we compare the situation ten years ago with today’s, the growth has been enormous”, said Liam Parker, Director of Communications and Institutional Affairs for Formula 1, at the World Football Summit in Madrid.

There are many young talents, but there’s also a determination not to lose long-time fans along the way: “Of course, we must continue to satisfy longtime fans, but at the same time, we must be willing to experiment with new ideas that benefit the sport. There’s also a new generation of emerging fans that we can’t overlook. Formula 1 boasts a 75-year history, yet at a certain point it was able to take a new direction. Some have questioned decisions like holding three races in the United States or changing certain operating procedures. My response is: look where we’ve ended up. Imagine what we’ll be able to achieve in the next ten years,” continues Liam Parker.

F1’s global success is also partly due to *Drive to Survive*, the Netflix series that chronicles everything that happens in Formula 1, season by season: “From a commercial standpoint, and in terms of expanding the fan base, Netflix has played a key role. But none of this would have happened if the action on the track hadn’t been exciting.”