The end of an era and beginning of a new one. Formula One legend, Ross Brawn has been officially designated as the Managing Director, Motor Sports, as part of Liberty Media's takeover. The American firm bought rights to F1 last year from CVC and has prompted a major shuffle on the management level. This, obviously, will also bring new insight and a major shift in which F1 will now be presented to its viewers.
Ross Brawn is one of the oldest and most respected names in Formula 1, being an F1 winning team owner in the 90s and 2000s. This also marks Brawn's return to F1 after a long time.
Speaking on his role in F1, Brawn said, "It's fantastic to be returning to the world of Formula 1. I've enjoyed consulting with Liberty Media these last few months and I'm looking forward to working with Chase, Sean and the rest of the Formula 1 team to help the evolution of the sport." He further added, "We have an almost unprecedented opportunity to work together with the teams and promoters for a better F1 for them and, most importantly, for the fans."
Bernie Ecclestone
Meanwhile, Formula 1's current boss Bernie Ecclestone has been promoted to the position of Chairman Emeritus by Liberty Media with Chase Carey appointed as new CEO. Carey also confirmed that Sean Bratches will take on a similar role as his on the commercial side. Bratches is best known for his stint with ESPN, with his expertise in marketing, sales, digital media and distribution.
This ends Ecclestone's 40-year term with F1. There's no doubt that the 86-year-old has been extremely instrumental in bringing the sport to its cult status today, but, the new management will see him play a less active role at least in the decision-making process. Instead, he will be available as a source of advice for the board of F1.
Speaking on his new role Ecclestone said, "I'm proud of the business that I built over the last 40 years and all that I have achieved with Formula 1, and would like to thank all of the promoters, teams, sponsors and television companies that I have worked with. I'm very pleased that the business has been acquired by Liberty and that it intends to invest in the future of F1. I am sure that Chase will execute his role in a way that will benefit the sport."
Brawn recently conveyed that the new management is assessing what changes need to be made to F1 to make it more appealing to viewers and that there won't be any knee-jerk gimmicks. Instead, the new management is working on a three to five-year plan to bring a more wholesome change to the sport. The new ideas, however, won't come into action before 2018.
