Ross Brawn has admitted that Bernie Ecclestone's departure as F1 chief might lead to promoters asking for lower annual race fees. The former F1 supremo was a notoriously hard-nosed and unsentimental negotiator when it came to the money collected from grand prix circuit hosts.
But Brawn began his new role as the sport's managing director this week by saying that embattled race promoters like those in Germany and Britain have a strong future on the calendar. Also repeatedly stated at the start of the new Liberty era is that F1 needs to bolster its American presence.
So when US grand prix promoter Bobby Epstein was asked about that, he answered: "I think it's a little early to guess whether anyone needs to renegotiate. "I think Liberty is aware of the weak spots in the sport's infrastructure and they are hopefully contemplating a variety of ways to help the promoters," he told SBD Global.
Asked by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport if Ecclestone's departure and the arrival of the apparently friendlier Liberty could be taken advantage of by struggling promoters, Brawn said: "That could happen. But we must not ignore the fact that the promoters have difficulties financing themselves."
"You can see it two ways," Brawn added. "We could ask for less, but we could also help the promoters to earn higher revenues so they can afford the fees. Our view is that it is better to increase the income for the promoters than to reduce the cost of the races." (GMM)
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Sounds good, now it just needs to be good.