F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

F1 drivers are demanding transparency from the FIA and this week you will see how a debate about swearing has just gotten a lot more interesting. I also have a look at Liberty Media’s plans for MotoGP, how Formula E moved their testing location in 72 hours and the latest on the NASCAR lawsuit with Michael Jordan. All this and more in this edition of the Business of Motorsport Roundup.

Motorsport Industry News

Formula 1

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

Awhile back I asked the question, is the FIA fit for purpose? And the ongoing controversy over the driver’s swearing is just another example of whether or not the FIA are focusing on the right priorities.

The Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) has just issued a statement demanding transparency from the governing body by asking the FIA to reveal where exactly these imposed fines go. According to Autosport, (The GPDA) asked that Ben Sulayem should “provide financial transparency” for the application of any money accrued from fines, and that all stakeholders should be in agreement of where to put that money.”

Furthermore, the FIA should treat the drivers as adults and understand that “there is a difference between swearing intended to insult others and more casual swearing, such as you might use to describe bad weather, or indeed an inanimate object such as a Formula 1 car, or a driving situation.”

The Race notes that this demand for transparency is probably not the way FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem expected things to go when he brought up the issue and now it leads the FIA president with nowhere to hide.

Even veteran F1 writer Joe Saward is losing patience with the FIA. “I have to say that I am appalled by the FIA’s current campaign about bad language. Fining Charles Leclerc €10,000 for saying “f*ck” in the post-race press conference in Mexico seemed wildly excessive. F1 is not supposed to be missionary service, going around trying to cure the ills of the world. The stars are not meant to be like Snow White.”

It all leaves a bad taste in most people’s mouths and the sympathy is trending towards the drivers and not the FIA, yet again.

In non-swearing Formula 1 news, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali confirms that the European calendar will be overhauled with some potentially hosting grands prix on a bi-annual basis according to Autosport.

“We have some news to share very, very soon with regard to the possibility in the mid-term to have some rotational European Grand Prix and some other new options coming later,” Domenicali said on a Liberty Media investors call. “This is something that, of course, we will clarify in the due course. It is true that we have a large demand of new possible venues that wants to come in and our choice will always be balanced between the right economical benefits that we can have as a system and also to leverage in the growth on the market that we can see potential that will be beneficial for us to grow even further our business.”

You can read more about the plan here.

Christian Horner has cemented his status as the highest paid F1 team principal, with Red Bull’s accounts revealing that he received an 11 per cent pay rise in 2023. “The latest published accounts for Red Bull Technology Ltd have revealed that the company’s highest-paid director, believed to be Horner, has been rewarded for the marque’s recent success with a pay rise of 11 per cent. The boost has seen his salary rise from £8.04million in 2022 to £8.92m in 2023.”

Read more at Planet F1.

Autosport reports that the future of F1 broadcasting in Brazil and the United States is unclear with contracts running until the end of 2025 – for now. “But, with interest in the championship still riding the crest of a wave, uncertainty over broadcast deals in the key markets of the US and Brazil could see some of that popularity crash down to earth.”

Read more here.

General Motorsport Industry News

MotoGP

Formula 1 owner Liberty Media is hoping to complete its proposed takeover of MotoGP by the end of 2024 according to Autosport. “Let me turn briefly and give you a MotoGP transaction update,” Liberty president and CEO Greg Maffei added. “We are making progress with the European Commission which is our only remaining regulatory jurisdictional hurdle and we continue to expect a year-end close.”

Once the transaction closes, Maffei wants to take what has worked with Formula 1 and apply that to MotoGP as SpeedCafe explains. “We saw what we were able to do with Formula 1 by telling the stories, making them humanised, making the story larger than just about the car, the technology, but also about what the drivers were doing, what was going on behind the scenes, telling those stories, making sure the world understood the breadth of what was going on.”

“But also we did a lot to improve things like improving the TV experience, improving what you could see on the screen, making our fans understand the story better. All of those are things that can be helped here.”

MotoGP also announced that the season finale will now take place in Barcelona instead of Valencia due to the tragic flooding affecting the region.

In Formula E news, driver Lucas di Grassi has has told Motorsport Week that drivers in the series are the second-best paid in any motorsport after Formula 1. “Before, when I did GP2 back then, Formula 2 now, you had Formula 1, IndyCar maybe, and endurance racing with very few teams in an LMP1, so it was even a tighter market. “Now at least Formula E has another 20 spots or 22 spots that drivers can make a living, a good living out of it.”

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

Autosport explains the incredible last minute logistical work involved in getting Formula E from Valencia to Jarama for their pre-season test. “Decision to cancel made, attention immediately turned to whether a new alternative could be found at such short notice and “how do we get approximately 100 tonnes of equipment from Valencia to any track in the south of Europe and within a time frame of 72 hours”, adds Longo.”

Read all the details at Autosport here.

NASCAR has penalized the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota of Bubba Wallace, the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Dillon, and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain, due to what the Series has deemed potential race manipulation after the review of Sunday’s radio communications of those teams during the Martinsville Cup race.

The penalties are the same for the all three drivers and teams across the board: A $100,000 fine, the loss of 50 driver and owner points, and one-race suspensions for crew chiefs, spotters and key team executives. Motorsport.com has all the details.

The World Endurance Championship has captured the attention of manufacturers and fans, but how does it plan to capitalize on its rising popularity? BlackBook Motorsport looks back over the 2024 WEC season to pick out the major off-track storylines from a record-breaking year.

“It has taken some time for the series to establish itself since being founded in 2012, but it is safe to say that any growing pains are firmly in the past. After all, it was initially challenging to recreate the excitement around its most famous event across the rest of the calendar.”

Read their full analysis here.

Quick Takes on the Business of Motorsport This Week

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

Highlights from the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup

Net-Zero 2030

How Formula 1 innovation can drive a net-zero future is just one of the topics covered in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. Motorsport is uniquely positioned amongst all other sports to directly contribute global sustainability solutions, and you will see how this week. I also have news on a “Battle of Technologies” on the track, dealing with an electric dragster fire and much more.

The Numbers

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

Formula One’s viewership for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix was decimated last weekend after severe weather but NASCAR delivered its second-highest viewership of this season’s playoffs at Martinsville. BlackBook Motorsport has all the details.

Ferrari topped the podium for the second consecutive race at the recent Mexican Grand Prix, igniting fan excitement with a record attendance of 404,958 people across practice sessions, qualifying, and race day. Blinkfire Analytics has the numbers.

Motorsport Law Roundup

A look at some of the legal and regulatory issues and analysis in Motorsport this week

Michael Jordan NASCAR lawsuit

The North Carolina federal judge overseeing the antitrust case against NASCAR will remain on the case after attorneys waived concerns about the apparent conflict posed by one of his former clerks working on the suit. Here are the latest developments in the ongoing NASCAR lawsuit.

Sport Law has provided Guidelines for the Modern Waiver in Law: 10 Ways to Reduce Risks that is particularly applicable to Canadian jurisdictions.

“A waiver of liability is a document outlines the risks that participants are willing to accept. The purpose of waivers is to absolve organizations of potential liability and provides organizations an opportunity to demonstrate their legal responsibility, when used properly. As with any legal document, there is a risk that waivers will not be upheld in court and expose the organization to liability and the payment of damages.”

Read the full article here.

Motorsport Sponsorship & Partnership News

Here are the latest motorsport sponsorship deals, partnerships and related analysis that were announced this week

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

The Business of Running a Race Team

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency

Team & Manufacturer News

Here is a roundup of the latest team news from around the world of motorsport

F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
F1 Drivers Demand FIA Transparency
Mark Boudreau
Author: Mark Boudreau

Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.