Formula 1’s race organisers have expressed concerns over the future of the sport and demanded a more open approach from its owners.
The F1 Promoters’ Association, which represents 16 of the 21 races on the calendar, say they want “a more collaborative approach from F1” in future.
They are worried about the loss of free-to-air television, a lack of clarity over rules and F1’s attempts to attract new races.
The race organisers will express those concerns to F1 bosses in London on Tuesday.
The circuits’ intervention comes at a delicate time for F1, with the contracts of five major races all up for renewal at the end of this season. Britain, Italy, Spain, Germany and Mexico are all out of contract after this year.
All want to continue to host races but say they cannot do so under the financial terms on offer from F1, which is owned by US group Liberty Media.
Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle is the chairman of the F1PA. He told the Daily Mail: “Everyone is disgruntled. Liberty’s ideas are disjointed. We have all been compliant and quiet hitherto, but we have great concerns about the future health of the sport under the people who run it now.”
Race-hosting fees are the single biggest source of revenue for F1, so the circuits hold a strong hand in discussions.
Liberty are determined to make major changes to the way F1 is run. But talks on their plans to introduce a budget cap, reorganise revenue distribution to the teams and change the technical rules to make the racing closer have been slow.
The circuits say it is a risk for them to be asked to plan long-term contracts with a partner without knowing the direction in which the product is heading.
They have been concerned by what they believe was Liberty’s willingness to offer an advantageous deal to Miami for a race-insiders claim that it was effectively offered a race for free, so keen was F1 to secure an event in the Florida city. Efforts to finalise a deal have so far foundered.
A statement said: “There is a lack of clarity on new initiatives in F1 and a lack of engagement with promoters on their implementation.
“New races should not be introduced to the detriment of existing events although the association is encouraged by the alternative business models being offered to prospective venues.”
The circuits are also concerned that the migration of TV coverage away from mass-market outlets towards either pay television or direct to consumer through F1’s own outlets will inevitably restrict the sport’s appeal.
The UK is the latest market to effectively lose live coverage of races in 2019.
A new contract, negotiated by former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone before Liberty took over, kicks in which sees live coverage of all races on Sky this year. Only the British Grand Prix will be live on free-to-air, on Channel 4, which also has highlights of the other 20 races.
This follows a similar move in Italy last year.
F1’s overall TV audience has grown in the two years since Liberty took over, for the first time in a decade. The total audience in 2017 was 1.755bn and 1.758bn in 2018.
Live race audiences dropped slightly from 2017 to 2018, the total brought down by a decline in Italy, without which numbers would have gone up year on year.
The race tracks believe that moving from free-to-air will inevitably restrict F1’s reach to a casual audience, removing part of the audience, and restricting it only to hardcore fans.
The races represented by F1PA are: Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, UK and the USA.
F1 declined to comment.
Source: bbc.com