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Leagues and Governing Bodies

New Formula 1 Managing Dir Of Commercial Operations Lays Out Four-Point Plan

Formula 1's new commercial chief "has revealed the four key areas that are his immediate priority as Liberty Media bids to make the sport better," according to Jonathan Noble of MOTORSPORT. Sean Bratches, a former ESPN exec, has been drafted in as F1's managing director of commercial operations to work alongside CEO Chase Carey and Managing Dir Ross Brawn, "who focuses on sporting matters." Bratches identified "some key areas that he believed needed the most attention in this first phase in his new role." He said, "There are four real things I am going to focus on. One is the brand -- the brand is the entry-point for any company, any brand, any sport. And we are going to work to understand the brand. ... The second is digital. I think there is a huge opportunity in the digital space to re-imagine the digital products that F1 has today, and to engage fans in very new ways and also to use sponsors to activate it. The third is creating a much more democratic approach in terms of how we approach our partners -- from teams, sponsors, promoters and rights holders. There is a lot of opportunity to leverage the F1 IP to integrate it to their businesses. And the last one is the race experience. Creating a better race experience that engages fans, spectators there and on television is a huge opportunity" (MOTORSPORT, 1/25).

NEW DIGS: In London, Jonathan McEvoy reported F1’s post-Bernie Ecclestone era "will be directed from a new headquarters -- a structural and symbolic break from the Knightsbridge domain the 86-year-old owns and runs." That is one of the "clean breaks Liberty Media outlined on Tuesday," its first day in "total charge." Carey said, "We will not be able to run the business from Bernie’s offices. They are too small. There isn’t even room there for me now. We will find somewhere else. I am living here most of the time in an apartment in central London, and Formula 1 will still be based in the United Kingdom" (DAILY MAIL, 1/24).

BRAWN PRESENTS VISION: The BBC's Andrew Benson reported Brawn said that he wants to develop a "purer, simpler sport in which more teams and drivers can win." He "was critical of some rule changes of recent years." Brawn said that he wanted to "narrow the gap between the top and bottom" of the field and give F1 a "broader appeal." He said, "I have ideas we should study and perhaps use in 2018 or '19." Brawn added, "We all know the analogy of Leicester City -- that would be the ideal in F1, when a good team on a great year with a great driver could really mount a challenge. But at the moment that's not really possible" (BBC, 1/24).

ABU DHABI JOINS TEST ROSTER: Noble reported in a separate piece F1's '17 test plans have been finalized, with Abu Dhabi and Hungary both added to the roster for all teams. Following discussions among team execs about "their plans for the season ahead, it has now been confirmed by the FIA that there will be three group tests this year" beyond the preseason running. The first in-season test will take place on the Tuesday and Wednesday after the Bahrain Grand Prix from April 18-19, while the second test has been shifted from Silverstone to Hungary and will take place from Aug. 1-2 (MOTORSPORT, 1/25).

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