"Hearing for some weeks that Liberty has been sniffing around quietly for a buyer"

Joe Saward has been on many Grands Prix as a renowned motorsport journalist, so if he spots anything strange in the F1 paddock, it's something to pay attention to. This was the case at the Imola circuit last weekend. He saw that Greg Maffei, the big boss of Liberty Media, was present for the second time in a row at a Grand Prix.

"The presence of Greg Maffei, the boss of Liberty Media at both of the recent races was bizarre," Saward said in his blog. "Maffei is not a racing fan and has come to very few races in the last three years. I'm told he's a basketball nut (although I cannot verify it) but his primary interest is making money."

The fact that he has attended two Grand Prixs in a row for no apparent reason is therefore unusual in Saward's opinion. All the important Formula 1 decisions have been taken recently and Chase Carey normally handles them. Saward therefore came to the conclusion that his presence has to do with a possible sale of Formula 1.

Liberty looking for a buyer?

"I've been hearing for some weeks that Liberty has been sniffing around quietly for a buyer to take the business off its hands. Whatever the price it will still have made a profit but the potential for growth is not there at the moment," said Saward.