As Method 1’s world fanbase continues to develop, Liberty Media, the game’s industrial rights proprietor, is setting its sights on new territories, with Southeast Asia a goal for future races.
Liberty’s chief govt Greg Maffei hinted on the excessive chance of a race becoming a member of the calendar from this area, with Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia all expressing sturdy curiosity.
This strategic territorial transfer comes after solidifying the presence of Method 1 in the US with three races.
The success of the Chinese language Grand Prix this 12 months additional strengthens the case for growth into Asia. Maffei, talking at an ‘F1 in Depth’ occasion final week in Monaco, highlighted the Shanghai occasion race as a main instance of the potential for progress in new markets.
“We’re fortunate that we have been capable of get a Chinese language race this 12 months after 4 years,” he stated, referring to the occasion’s a number of cancellation within the wake of the Covid pandemic.
“It was very profitable. The curiosity in China has exploded partly as a result of we now have a Chinese language driver.
“Critically, you see cultural id a lot when you have got drivers from a rustic, and when you have got groups from a rustic. And in order that’s been nice to see the expansion in China.
“However there’s plenty of curiosity throughout Asia, as we’ve curiosity from many cities. However in Asia, as you rightly level out: Thailand, Seoul, and we have had curiosity from Indonesia. There are many locations which need a Method 1 race.
“We have now actually appeared on the intersection of the place our followers are, the place they may very well be, who might run a fantastic race, and who can frankly afford a race – and all these kinds of intersections of these three circles.
“I believe you might very simply see a second one in Southeast Asia [alongside China].”
Method 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali with Liberty Media boss Greg Maffei on the Monaco GP.
Throughout the ‘F1 in Depth’ occasion in Monaco, Maffei shared a number of the invaluable insights gained from Method One Administration’s determination to straight promote the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
FOM’s hands-on method permits them to assemble invaluable knowledge on what excites followers, which may then be utilized to future races around the globe.
“We have actually modified the game in some ways,” added Maffei. “Considered one of them is that this actually was a B2B enterprise the place we actually simply dropped the product on the native promoter they usually offered it.
“However an increasing number of, between issues like F1TV and promotions that we’ve been doing ourselves like Las Vegas, we perceive the followers higher. We’re a direct-to-consumer enterprise and we perceive their wants.
“That enables us to have higher learnings and meet their wants higher over time, together with in Las Vegas.
“So I am excited for what we are able to do collectively there. I believe it’ll be a fantastic spectacle. And I hope it stays as thrilling a race because it was 12 months one.”
Regardless of the now-infamous drain cowl incident that precipitated disruption on the opening day of operating, the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was finally deemed successful.
Constructing on these learnings, Maffei expressed his confidence that this 12 months’s Vegas race can be even higher.
“I hope we are able to get a race almost pretty much as good, and even higher. I hope we’ve no observe failures early – that might be good! That was a heartache too early,” he admitted.
“I believe our dry run went very effectively, and we are able to solely hope that the spectacle is pretty much as good. I anticipate we are going to be taught to optimise and do issues extra effectively as a result of in some instances we transfer so rapidly.
“I actually credit score the crew at LVGP and our companions in how rapidly we moved to get that up. To get that race from actually zero in 15 months is wonderful.
“I believe we’ll be smarter subsequent time. And we’ll be extra environment friendly and that may in all probability be much less disruptive to the neighborhood.”
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