Former F1 champion praises FOM and FIA for sport's 'explosion'

Former F1 champion Nigel Mansell has praised Liberty Media and the FIA for their contributions to the sport's recent "explosion".

Liberty acquired the sport in 2017 to relinquish control from long-time supremo Bernie Ecclestone and, led by CEO Stefano Domenicali, has gone about opening up F1 to a brand new audience.

Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive allowed new fans an accessible corridor into what is an advanced and technical sport and instead placed a focus on the personalities within the circus, with the rewards being easy to see in the years since.

Race tracks have been welcoming record-breaking attendances year-on-year whilst the demand from new venues to potentially be added to the calendar has also increased.

No bigger effect has been seen that in the United States, where this weekend's race at the Circuit of the Americas accounts for the second of three races Stateside after Miami and before Las Vegas.

The race cars don't try to kill you on every corner

Speaking ahead of the United States Grand Prix, 1992 World Champion Mansell - who followed up his success with a title triumph in CART [now IndyCar] a year later - told AceOdds: "Formula 1 has always been the pinnacle of motorsport worldwide.

"It is the most incredible race car - a grand stallion - and nowadays, the race cars don't try to kill you on every corner. Now the cars are sexy, they're quick.

"The amazing work the FIA has done with the manufacturers in making the car safe means you don't have horrific accidents anymore. You rarely, if at all, have anybody being injured due to an accident.

"You have drivers that are now doing over 300 Grands Prix in their careers, whereas before, if you had nothing over 150 races before you died, or you're too old or too slow, that was a miracle back then.

"Things are so dynamic now and, I have to say, I think Liberty taking over from the incredible job that Mr Ecclestone did has taken it to a new level, especially for the fans in America and different countries around the world.

"Look at the explosion - I don't need to tell you about the explosion on the internet, the explosion with media worldwide - F1 is reaping the benefit of all that."