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Carey: Liberty Media won't gimmick up F1 with short races

Carey: Liberty Media won't "gimmick up" F1 with short races

06-03-2019 09:01
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Liberty Media CEO Chase Carey has revealed he won't be adding any 'gimmicks' to Formula 1, as the American doesn't think the races are currently too long by any means.

Since Liberty Media took over the reins of F1, they've been committed to making the sport better as a product for the fans. Some changes have been made already, particularly in the way the sport is being broadcast and presented, but there have been suggestions to change the actual format of the sport as well.

Some people think Free Practice time should be reduced so the race weekend can be condensed into one day less, while others believe the actual racing distance on Sundays is too long. The current standard has races carry on for either 305 kilometres or two hours.

“Maybe I’m too American, I don’t actually think the race is [long],” Carey told RaceFans at the Geneva International Motor Show.

“Every sport I follow in America is much longer than our races.”

“I think we want to make sure we’re always looking for ways to improve the fan experience but in doing that respect the history of the sport and respect what makes the sport great. We’re not going to gimmick the sport up.

“It’s a wonderful sport, it’s a sport with a great history, great fans. You’ve got to respect that but be open to ways that we can continue to create energy and create excitement about it. And you want to do that carefully when you’ve got a sport that has as many fans and as great a history as ours.

“But I don’t think there’s a goal specifically to say short [races] or what, I think there are other ways to energise and excite.”