Bernie Ecclestone Tag

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The intense speculation and fear for Circuit of the Americas and the United States Grand Prix’s future after 2015’s torrential floods killed attendance and morale are history because the US GP is well and truly back. Attendance figures for last weekend’s event came to a fantastic 269,889 people for the three day event. Whether it was due to Taylor Swift’s massive Saturday night concert, the perfect weather, Haas F1, or a combination of factors, the numbers topped even the attendance of the inaugural race in AustinRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Colorado based company Liberty Media has confirmed it will undertake a buyout of Formula One from current majority stakeholders CVC Capital Partners, who have owned the majority stake in F1 for a decade. Liberty has already purchased a stake of 18.7% for $746 million. The plan calls for them to purchase the rest of CVC’s shares, at which point the company will be aptly renamed from the Liberty Media Group to the Formula One Group. Despite some changes behind the scenes, few immediate changes will happen.Read More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Monza’s place in Formula 1 as the home of the Italian Grand Prix looks to be secure after event organizers and Bernie Ecclestone came to an agreement during negotiations for a new race contract. The circuit is F1’s most historic track, having first held the Italian Grand Prix in 1922 and has been on the calendar for every season of the championship, bar 1980 when it briefly lost the race to Imola. Ecclestone had been upping the pressure on Angelo Sticchi and the ACI (Automobile ClubRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor In a special press conference held today from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Dutch brewery Heineken finally unveiled its new and much speculated sponsorship deal with Formula One. The deal runs through 2020 but has an option to extend through 2023 and is reportedly worth up to $250 million. A major tenet of the deal will see Heineken serve as the title sponsor for three races per season from 2017 on, they will also be the title sponsor for this September’s Italian Grand Prix as well.Read More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor The organizers of June 19th’s upcoming European Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan have unveiled some of the newest photos and footage of the nearly completed circuit, including the first onboard film of the new track which winds its way through the historic streets of the capital city. The circuit features several very long straights, book-ended by 90 degree turns, but also features a very, narrow section that twists around a castle and some of the ancient city walls. This section will be the narrowest on theRead More

By Adam Tate, Associate Editor According to multiple sources, Formula One is on the verge of a major sponsorship deal with Dutch brewing giant Heineken. The details of which are set to be announced in a special Thursday press conference as part of the build up to next month’s Canadian Grand Prix. A leak to the Dutch media has all but confirmed the impending deal which is part of a massive push by the brand, which already has major sponsorship deals with titans such as the UEFA Football League and theRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, better known as Imola, the beloved home of the San Marino Grand Prix from 1981 to 2006 has stated it is ready to return to Formula One. Since losing Italy’s second round of the championship a decade ago, the track has undergone massive renovations and is one of the few FIA Grade 1 circuits not currently on the schedule, which is odd when one considers that the raison d’etre of grade 1 circuit is to host Formula One. With the fraughtRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor The letter worked! Just hours after all 11 teams unanimously signed a letter demanding the old qualifying system of 2006-2015 be reinstated, it has been reinstated! Miraculously Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt and the FIA went down without a fight this time and agreed to terms the teams, drivers and fans have been calling for since qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix on March 19th. Once rubber stamped by the Strategy Group, the F1 Commission and lastly the World Motorsport Council, the return to the tried and true qualifyingRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor All 11 Formula One teams have come together and drafted a unanimous letter to FIA President Jean Todt, Bernie Ecclestone and CVC Capital Partners, demanding a return to the 2006-2015 qualifying format. The letter makes it clear that the teams want the disastrous elimination format dropped immediately and that any ideas of aggregate qualifying Ecclestone may have, are not wanted either. It is easily the strongest show of force from the teams on a single issue in some time and something that team bosses and driversRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Bernie Ecclestone has revealed that there are at least two potential buyers interested in taking over CVC capital partner’s 35% stake in F1 and that a sale price has been agreed to. All that remains is for CVC to decide whether or not they are finished bleeding Formula One dry and agree to sell. Miami Dolphin’s owner Stephen Ross has built a consortium with Qatar Sports Development and they are reportedly open to a seven to eight billion dollar bid. Their main competition seems to beRead More