Liberty Media chief executive Greg Maffei admits that Max Verstappen's current domination of F1 is proving “a challenge” for the sport’s chiefs as they seek to sustain the remarkable growth of Grand Prix racing's fan base.
Last weekend at Monza, Red Bull upheld its clean sweep win rate thanks to its flying Dutchman who claimed in Italy his tenth consecutive win, surpassing the record previously held by himself and former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel.
But Red Bull and Verstappen’s banner year and extraordinary achievements, while they showcase the pair’s outstanding skills and execution, have become a legitimate concern for F1’s chiefs who fear the potential impact of team and driver’s hegemony on the sport’s overall appeal.
While die-hard Verstappen fans revel in his success, others may find the predictability of his victories disheartening, which could lead to waning excitement and intrigue.
"The midfield is quite interesting, and we can show statistically there's more overtaking than has ever occurred," Maffei said at an event hosted on Tuesday by investment company Goldman Sachs.
"The challenge obviously is Max Verstappen is having an unbelievable year, or record-setting year.
"Stefano Domenicali is rightly trying to pivot and say, 'Come watch this historic event, you've never seen success like this, you don't want to miss it.' We'll see if that works."
Striking the right balance between a dominant force and a competitive field is crucial to ensure the continued growth and engagement of Formula 1 enthusiasts around the world.
Maffei acknowledged that F1 was powerless in what it could do to rein in Verstappen’s supremacy, “short of breaking his leg a la Tonya Harding”, he joked, referring to the infamous American figure skater who organized in 1994 a hit job on her greatest rival, Nancy Kerrigan, ahead of the US championships.
"The reality is, we have a very attractive competitive product, other than the fact that Max is that fast," added Maffei. "Short of breaking his leg, a la Tonya Harding, I'm not sure what we can do about that!
"But he's a phenom. He's driving what seems to be the fastest car and he's driving it very well.
“If you look at the lines he's taking, how aggressive those lines are, but how well he's able to navigate them. It is truly stunning. And you can see statistically why he is faster than anybody else."
Maffei described F1’s current ratings, mainly in the US, as “a little tough”. But growth across all metrics remains robust.
"I think you need to look at overall interest in the sport," he said. "Viewership is a little tough.
"We've had many successes this year, I think three of the top four races here in the United States were all this year in terms of viewership, and our average viewership is up year over year.
"But nonetheless, there can be a specific circumstance, like last year Miami was standing alone, this year was up against a Miami Heat game in the [NBA] playoffs. Those particular circumstances can drive viewership of a race.
"If you take the totality of interest as measured by growth, not only in linear TV, but how much we've grown Instagram, YouTube views, TikTok views, the amount of interest in the sport has only catapulted greater, much greater than double digits. So I'm convinced our demand is very high."
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