Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Baku City Circuit, 2018

New F1 tracks must produce exciting races – Carey

2018 F1 calendar

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Formula One CEO Chase Carey says the first requirement for new additions to the F1 calendar is that the circuits provide ‘great racing’.

Speaking at the FIA Sport Conference in Manila, Carey explained F1 commercial rights holder Liberty Media’s goals for adding new events to the schedule.

“First, we want to make sure it’s great for a race,” said Carey. “We’ll build all the things all around it [but] it starts with having a track that can provide a great race.

“Today, realistically, there are tracks that probably we need to work on that are not conducive to providing the most exciting, best racing. There are some that fabulous. To start we want a track that is going to deliver a fabulous, exciting race.”

Miami is known to be in the running for a place on the 2019 F1 calendar. Carey said more races at ‘destination venues’ is F1’s second requirement.

“We want a site that is going to capture the world’s imagination. We’re in the great cities around the world – we want to use the phrase ‘destination cities’.

“We’re in places where you want people when they look at it on the TV are excited about it and think it looks spectacular. Really capture people’s imagination, and if they go to it it’s even more special. So we want those magical cities, magical countries that really intrigue and fascinate the world.”

The majority of recent additions to the F1 calendar have come about due to government support and investment. Carey says local backing will remain an important consideration for future events.

“To have a successful event we really need a combination of public sector – public government, whether it’s national, state, local – and corporate support. For the events to really be what they can and should be that combination of support from the corporate and public sector are important in really enabling the event to be the spectacle that we really want it to be.”

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13 comments on “New F1 tracks must produce exciting races – Carey”

  1. It sounds like we can look forward to more street circuits then. This suggests F1 may be heading to a calendar more resembling Indy Car in the long term.

    I have always quite enjoyed street races and there are some traditional circuits which rarely produce really good races e.g. Barcelona, Monza, Russia. But then there’s Monaco which as we have seen, can provide a poor spectacle these days.

  2. What is an exiting race really?
    I thought the last monaco race was pretty exiting, nothing really happened but many cars were close togheter and you never know if someone is trying to go for it in some weird place.
    I would not say it was superexiting but still pretty exiting.
    If there was a williams or some more underdog in the top 3-4 places it would had been more exiting, but that what happens at monaco some times.
    And some tracks are simply just to quick so that everybody is going full throttle all the time so no one ever catches the front runners.

    I would say that this technology of front wings and floor is the main problem rather than the tracks. thera have been many overtakings at monaco before, the cars need to be able to be closer the the car in front.

    I would like to see DRS only when you are more than 1.5 sec after a car. so catchup is possible but to pass, you need to have that little extra guts and go for it.

  3. bring back lagunaseca in f1

  4. A circuit should not be selected based solely on ‘good racing’, That should not even be the top priority. A circuit should be selected because it’s a good circuit which offers a challenge to car & driver as well as something that is fun to watch cars going around on TV & for fans at the track.

    Suzuka for example has never really been a track that produced great races in terms of close racing/overtaking but watching F1 cars going around that place is always a joy & it’s also a track which drivers pretty much universally love. It was the same with tracks like Post 1994 Imola & Magny-Cours, Never great for racing but great in every other regard.

    Most of the new tracks introduced over the past 15-20 years have been designed to promote close racing/overtaking & while for the most part they have achieved that I don’t think anyone would put them up there as been as good as some of more traditional venues where overtaking can tend to be more difficult.

    1. would you prefer bahrain or imola as a championship round?

      1. @chrisgalaz Imola.

        Always been one of my favorite tracks despite how difficult overtaking was after the 1995 alterations.

  5. Get the fans closer to the action by suspending the stands above the run off areas. Expensive, then again the fans are paying too much already for poor views.

  6. ”Today, realistically, there are tracks that probably we need to work on that are not conducive to providing the most exciting, best racing.”
    – The problem mostly lies in the cars rather than on the tracks, though.

  7. The best tracks in the world have produced terrible races, and the worst tracks in the world have produced brilliant races. So, yes you can make a track lay-out that looks appealing, but it could still produce boring races.

  8. We welcome Formula One to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. A street race unlike any in a spectacular beautiful area. Massive elevation changes in the hills of the city along with a high speed waterfront main straight. A perfect spectacle of speed, beauty and passion. Why not ?

    1. And 85% chance of a wet race. Why not?

  9. So we want those magical cities, magical countries…

    Could it be a hint? The Grand Prix of Disneyland? Mickey Mouse cars racing around Mickey Mouse street circuits – that’s marketing magic!

  10. pastaman (@)
    6th June 2018, 11:44

    I’d rather a “destination track” (spa) than a “destination city” (monaco)

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