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On the surface, at least, it has been business as usual in Formula 1 this year, with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes taking the titles, but beneath it much has changed, for after nearly half a century in the iron control of Bernie Ecclestone, F1 passed into the hands of Liberty Media. Thus a one-man band has been replaced by a cast of thousands, and for the moment the jury is out: some in the paddock express faith in the new regime, others would have Bernie back tomorrow.
Twelve months in, it may be said that Liberty's honeymoon period is over, and not a few have anxieties about the company's plans, mainly because - as I write - we still don't know what they are. While Ross Brawn speaks with conviction about what needs to be done to reignite excitement on the track, to introduce an engine cheaper and louder than the current hybrid lump, to give aerodynamics an urgent revamp, and so on, little of consequence has been heard from other Liberty folk.
There has, of course, been much talk of the need to attract the young, by means of social media, digital platforms, and whatnot, Sean Bratches speaking of his wish to 'turn Formula 1 from a motorsports company to an entertainment company and brand, with Formula 1 at the centre of it'. In the coming years, Bratches and Chase Carey will do well to remember not, in their pursuit of new fans, to alienate the sport's bedrock supporters, who have kept faith with F1 through what has lately been a shaky period in its history.
