Silverstone executive looks at Liberty Media: 'Americans do that better'

The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be unlike any other race on the calendar. Not a local promoter will be responsible for organising the spectacle, but Liberty Media - the owner of Formula One Management (FOM) - will keep everything in its own hands.

This is the first time Formula 1 has chosen to organize a Grand Prix itself. FOM CEO Stefano Domenicali reportedly sees this as a great test. If the Grand Prix is a success, more races may follow, remaining entirely in the hands of Liberty Media. After all, keeping everything in its own hands also implies that all proceeds can flow into its own pockets.

Opens Liberty Media's eyes

Organising a Grand Prix is not something you do one afternoon, but FOM seems to have experience by now. Stuart Pringle, managing director of the Silverstone circuit, calls it an 'eye-opener' for Formula 1. Now it is only really becoming clear what is needed to organise a Grand Prix. 

At the same time, Pringle is very curious to see how Liberty Media does and what unique facets the US company comes up with. "What we need is a healthy championship. We just want every race to be the best it can be. That is beneficial for all of us", said Pringle. He added at Autosport.com: "We recognise that Americans do sports entertainment much better than we do in Europe. And just because we've been doing this [at Silverstone] for 73 years, we're not above learning off other people.”