McLaren boss Zak Brown reckons F1 has "never been stronger" and that the new technical regulations being introduced into the sport for 2022 will boost this further. Brown thinks various signs point to the current strength of F1, such as the number of fans attending races and the continued popularity of the Netflix series Drive to Survive. "Formula 1 has never been stronger," Brown said in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.com . "It's getting stronger every day. It's [shown in the] record number of races, record number of countries wanting races, record attendance... TV's super strong, sponsorship is very strong. "[With] digital, I think Netflix is going to be another great series, with all the different elements that took place [last] year."
Better racing and "very healthy" F1 teams
With the new rules coming into effect, Brown is anticipating that the excitement over how this will have an effect on racing will only further bolster F1. "The racing should get better," he explained. "You've got brand new race cars, which I think will be exciting for everyone to see. What [do] these things look like? How do they race? So I think Formula 1 has never been stronger. " Brown also believes that, in terms of finances, every team on the grid is in a healthy position. He added: "All 10 teams are financially very healthy or owned by people that can afford Formula 1 teams. Even if they're not making money, they can afford them. "So I just think if you look at all the data points, everything is super strong. I just think it's going to get stronger."
Finding performance and turning a profit
When asked further about why certain teams are not making money - particularly in light of F1's commercial success, as well as the budget cap resulting in less expenditure - Brown denied that there is a "disconnect". "I think people are still starting from a lower base of sponsorship and are far away from the cap," Brown said. "So I think everyone probably could make money, it depends on what their competitive desires are. If someone wants to run at the cap, I presume a Sauber, a Haas, a Williams, they're all lacking a lot of sponsorship that I think they can get over time. "I bet they could make money now, but that might come at the cost of performance and I think, given that they'll have a desire to perform, they're probably - because they can afford to lose money - losing money in the pursuit of performance. "Eventually, when they get their performance and they get the sponsorship up, they'll become profitable."
Most read
