[BTCC frog]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Not to be rude, but is it 1st April already?

Yes, just a little joke However, apart from the merchandise bit, it is a genuine fear I have for the future of Formula 1 under Liberty Media, although perhaps a little 'slippery slope fallacy.'

Originally Posted by S griffin

Liberty really don't get it. Sprint races haven't improved the show, so they should just get rid of them, instead of alienating the audience more by putting in reverse grids. Really I think it's time we got someone in who cares more about the sporting side than the so called show business side

I certainly agree with everything you say here, as is often the case, but in terms of the final line, whilst that would certainly be better for us as fans in an ideal world, in real life I suspect that it's utterly impossible. The only hope can really be if Liberty Media's 'catering to the casual fans' plan backfires horribly and they lose a lot of money, leaving them with no choice but to sell up, and the person who buys it is someone who does actually care about the sporting side. But I think that extremely unlikely.

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

I note previously you advocate for retention of Monaco on the calendar - surely that venue only exists for 'show' because the sporting side there is terrible.

I really like Monaco for the sporting side. The races aren't always the best due to it being difficult to overtake but as it is the most difficult circuit to drive on the F1 calendar, there is something mesmerising about watching the cars on a qualifying lap, absolutely at the limit, the drivers showcasing all of their skills. In terms of the races, although they can be rather processional, when you do get an overtake it is normally a great one that requires an incredible amount of skill, as long as the car ahead is trying to defend, and that is something worth watching as something different to every other F1 race. I wouldn't want 22 Monaco-like races but one a year is the right number, in my opinion.