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F1 Boss Swears Allegiance to Red Bull’s Rival Despite Making $3.2 Billion on Their Success

Anirban Aly Mandal
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F1 Boss Swears Allegiance to Red Bull’s Rival Despite Making $3.2 Billion on Their Success

IMAGO / ANP

Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, who owns F1, claims that all 10 teams in the Championship are given equal preference by the board. However, having a ‘business first’ mindset, neither Liberty Media nor he can turn a blind eye to a team like Ferrari who have the most marketability and huge commercial value.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Maffei explained that Liberty Media notices skyrocketing engagements whenever Ferrari wins. While this doesn’t make him place the Italian outfit over the others, he cannot ignore the impact.

Maffei’s admission comes despite Red Bull being the face of F1 since 2021. In these years, the American company’s stocks have risen substantially. And their revenue rose by a massive 25% to $3.2 billion in 2023 following Red Bull’s dominant 21-win season (per Sorts Pro).

“I think all teams are treated equally in the sport. Look, we also recognize that there are some teams that have more marketing efforts and more marketing pizzazz. I’m not sure they get treated differently. But we notice that. We notice when Ferrari wins, there is a general thrill across the world that is higher.”

Maffei, since Liberty Media took over F1 in 2017, has orchestrated F1’s American invasion and overall growth in popularity. Naturally, he is a man with acute business acumen. But his allegiances may lie with Ferrari for another, more personal reason as well.

Liberty Media CEO reveals his Ferrari plans before the Italian GP

On the same podcast, Maffei revealed that he isn’t a big ‘car guy’ by any stretch of the imagination. However, he concedes that he owns a very special car made by Ferrari, and adores its engineering nobility – the Ferrari 812 GTS.

Because he loves this car so much, Maffei plans on visiting Ferrari’s headquarters and factory in Maranello ahead of this year’s Italian GP in Monza.

The 812 GTS is the Spyder (Convertible) spec of Ferrari’s V12 lineage. It is powered by a 65-degree V12 monster, can reach 60 mph in three seconds, and has a top speed of 210 mph. To get their hands on the Ferrari 812 GTS, one will be set back approximately $450,000.

Post Edited By:Somin Bhattacharjee

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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