Doubles the audience and the group

This week it became known that Formula 1 He will see more sprint races next season. The ‘big circusIt will double the number of Saturdays to six race days to see who the driver starts first on Sunday. This decision is covered by the exhibition, as the numbers that run FIA s Liberty Media They show more interest, but also the money that the Automobile Association will have.

Access Mohammed bin Salim in driving FIA He had another controversial decision on the matter. Last season the number of “sprint races” was already raised and some teams turned down. Now, everything has changed with a good amount of money. Although the FIA ​​did not initially agree with this change, discussions continued behind the scenes to the point of changing the version.

The budget deficit presented by the FIA ​​in organizing Globalism Formula 1 is the main reason the teams found themselves before this sudden change of opinion. The association wants to take more of a piece of the pie, between $500,000 and $1 million per race specifically, according to reports telegraph. However, this change is supported by some popular audience records with the increased number of spectators the sport has seen in recent times.

319% more viewers

The latest data shared by F1 indicates that the format has had a positive impact on numbers and coverage. Last Friday’s qualifying session at Imola drew a total of 2 million spectators, an increase of 319 percent over the championship’s second free practice. Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix since last year. Saturday’s sprint race also attracted a larger audience than last year’s qualifiers, etc.

Designed to appeal to younger crowds, the shortened 100km race, which lasted about 25-30 minutes and set the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix, was beyond expectations. distance ImolaIn this season’s timeline, it remains to be seen how much impact this format will have on red bull ring from Austria And interlagos at Brazil. The teams have ruled that out this year the two seasAnd Canada and the Holland They also had a test, being the leading candidates for 2023.

The pilots also seem to be satisfied with the look. Last year, only the top three earned points, but this season they are the top eight. They are not the majority, because they are for example the hero Max Verstappen He did not fully agree to the increase in number. In addition, the main division comes from those “unjustified financial demands” that some important people did not like at all.

So much so that they used the word “greedy” to describe the FIA’s intentions for this change. Teams skeptical of the economic issue were surprised after they opposed the change for 2022 because they did not accept the budget increase, particularly from this position of the union. Muhammad bin Sulayem witnessed fluctuations in his estimation due to this step.

FIA . deficit

Initial opposition from the FIA ​​came from the extra cost of staging a sprint race, which added to these doubts with the version change. Formula 1 is already paying the International Federation about $40 million annually to organize this new type of qualifying format. Teams are also concerned that rising costs will make it increasingly difficult to operate on budget.

It is a new work for the upcoming administration of the International Automobile Organization as it is seen how there is an economic problem behind the movement. contracts in The Middle East and doubts about him Monaco They have already questioned the FIA. Since April, the focus has been on engine heads. All decisions they make during the remainder of the year will be monitored with the teams’ most important eye.

[Más información: La Fórmula 1 se prepara para otro gran cambio: así son las nuevas reglas que FIA y equipos ya negocian]

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