Falling out between F1 and FIA...legal letters now

[RDMcG]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPvFM5fjz6s

Interesting video with Ben Sulayem getting rapped over the knuckles by FI and Liberty Media.

[Fundoreen]

RDMcG said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPvFM5fjz6s

Interesting video with Ben Sulayem getting rapped over the knuckles by FI and Liberty Media.

The thing I read was FIA saying you only have the license for F1 and we own the product or something.
Does BS expect to be around in 100 years time when it expires?

[vaud]

Ben Sulayem may have over reached but he does have a point. We have a healthy F1 at the moment, let's not over value it, sell it to someone who will then make it only 20 anonymous tracks globally with unbelievably high hosting (even higher) and attendance costs, as that risks damaging the sport that they need to be maintained.

I worry that we would lose even more classic tracks, personally.

[thegreenhell]

How many more desert races would they have if the Saudis took over?

Also, as Joe Saward pointed out yesterday, the deal for Liberty to buy F1 was subject to regulatory approval from the FIA, so why wouldn't any sale to a third party also be subject to the same conditions?

[sparta6]

anything that prevents Murdoch or Disney buying F1 can only be good

[LukeBrown66]

Could not give a toss who owns it, right now the owners are obsessed with marketing, not a lot else, meaning some fans leave it alone.

[KaraK]

thegreenhell said:

How many more desert races would they have if the Saudis took over?

Also, as Joe Saward pointed out yesterday, the deal for Liberty to buy F1 was subject to regulatory approval from the FIA, so why wouldn't any sale to a third party also be subject to the same conditions?

Presumably it would (and for the record I'd dread the Saudis taking over personally, I think it would be a disaster for the sport) - but the FIA's role in such a deal is (presumably) strictly defined, and while the exact details are confidential I'd expect things like commenting publicly on the potential valuations aren't in their remit.

As I understand it If Acme Media came along, offered Liberty $100billion for the commercial rights but their plan for operating the commercial side was hot garbage that would kill the sport the FIA could decline to approve the deal. But saying "we think it's only worth $5billion and a packet of Haribo" and implying they wouldn't entertain offers above that would very much be throwing a hand grenade at the commercial rights holder's ability to commercially exploit their lease (i.e. the whole fricking point of it in the first place), it would financially torpedo Liberty and I'd imagine the SEC wouldn't be particularly pleased at things like that.

[mat205125]

Why do people in such high positions of responsibility such as Ben Sulayem even use social media?

It's just a ticking PR timebomb ready to explode at any time, no matter what they end up posting ..... there is no way that they can ever get something right.