The cash conundrum behind F1’s latest calendar choices

Liberty Media's assurance that any new races joining the calendar must add excitement and value for the fans, the teams and Formula 1 overall has been tested by multiple factors all dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But with one eye on the balance sheet, is F1 going against its pledges with its latest plans?

Jonathan Noble Oct 7, 2021, 9:48 AM

Upd: May 2, 2022, 12:59 PM

"What we want to see is a race circuit, we don’t want Mickey Mouse circuits. We don’t want those old classic street circuits with 90-degree turns. We want fast sweeping circuits, circuits which are going to challenge the drivers - and they are going to love it - and we want circuits where we can have wheel-to-wheel racing."

Those were the words of Ross Brawn earlier this year when, talking about the new Saudi Arabia track design, he raved about the new approach that F1 owners Liberty Media had been taking when it came to adding fresh additions to the calendar.

Share Or Save This Story

Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.