“Very interesting since Liberty came in” – Former driver Juan Pablo Montoya speaks out on the changes in Formula 1 after Bernie Ecclestone left, and the way forward.
Juan Pablo Montoya feels Formula 1 is a much nicer place to be in these days, compared to his racing days. The focus on PR promotions via social media after Liberty Media took over from Bernie Ecclestone has given impetus to teams to build friendly relations with one another, except the occasional Red Bull-Mercedes verbal duel and Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
“Formula 1 has been very interesting since Liberty came in and there have been a lot of changes. Honestly, when you go to the paddock it’s shocking how much nicer it is nowadays than it used to be. It’s just nicer, people are way friendlier. It’s a much nicer place to be.”
Sprint races the way forward for F1
The much-talked-about sprint races are set to make their debut at three venues this season. The shortened races will take place on Saturdays, and will decide the grid for the final race on Sunday. There would be no classic podium ceremony for the winners of the sprint race, but points would be awarded. Montoya has given his thumbs up to the revolutionary proposal.
“You will start realizing the attention span of people gets smaller, so you can’t hope people sit down and watch one race on TV for two hours.
“People like us that love the sport, we do it. The younger generations will struggle. I think what F1 is talking about is sprint races and this is the way forward.”
Read more: “We are finalizing the final details”– Stefano Domenicali on sprint race proposal
