In 2016, Liberty Media purchased Formula 1 for $4.6 Billion from the hold of Bernie Ecclestone. The move would be one of the biggest takeovers in sports and would change F1 as we know it.
F1 has since then grown exponentially. What was once seen as an elitist sport has now generated a new interest amongst youngsters. This is largely due to Liberty Media’s push to improve engagement through social media and the popular Netflix series Drive To survive.
F1’s axis has since tilted westward from Europe. The USA is now the biggest market for the sport. And from 2023 the country will host 3 Grand Prix; in Miami, COTA and Las Vegas.
While the spurt in F1’s growth is incredible and has revived the sport. The move to interest American money has alienated it from its traditional venues. For example in Germany where F1 is a forgotten sport.
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Bernie Ecclestone highlights dropping F1 viewership amongst the German fanbase
During Bernie Ecclestone’s reign in the sport, Germany enjoyed a special place in the F1 calendar. Ecclestone enjoyed the German fanbase and as a result the nation at times hosted 2 races in a year; The German GP in Hockenheim and European GP at Nurburgring.
However, since 2019, the nation has been cut out from the F1 calendar. The TV viewership of the sport has also plummeted to below a million in 2022.
Ecclestone believes the cause of this drop is the constant Americanisation of the sport. He believes the European markets do not prefer the current style of F1 which has leaned towards the growing US base.
Ecclestone reasons, “Germany is missing a star driver, but that’s not the only reason. I don’t think the Germans in particular can be taken for fools. Formula 1 is increasingly being designed for the US market, becoming more and more of a Formula Hollywood.”
The 92-year-old Former f1 supremo thinks currently, F1 is more about the show than a sport. No wonder the Europeans aren’t interested in the sport anymore.
He added, “The race in Las Vegas this year is the crowning jewel. But I think the Germans still want to see a sporting competition, not a sham. The balance between show and sport just doesn’t fit anymore.”
F1 has an ongoing TV Crisis in Germany
As Bernie Ecclestone pointed out, Germany lacks a driver on the grid. The only permanent driver from the 2023 grid is Nico Hulkenberg. But the nation has seen better participation of 53 drivers in the past.
Germany has produced 3 World Champions. Namely Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg who has 12 titles between them. The last champion was Rosberg in 2016.
But the interest of German F1 fans has dropped steadily. With the absence of a German GP from the F1 calendar, the country has less than a million people watching races. But even in the 2010s, more than a million people watched races.
Sky Sports owns F1 telecasting rights in Germany. But the country has struggled to find a new free-to-air TV network to air 4 obligated races for Free.
The previous broadcaster RTL stepped down in 2021 after struggling to generate viewers. Sky will be forced to air the free races on their online channels, but will lose out on revenue
The fate of Germany will surely replicate in other countries like France or Belgium which are at risk of losing their races. The French GP is off the 2023 calendar, but Spa is hanging on with a 1-year contract extension.
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