Supercars' Relationship With F1 Creates Opportunites For Expansion

Supercars' strengthened relationship with Formula 1 will create opportunities for the Australian category as it pushes to expand into Asia, CEO James Warburton said. The elevation of Supercars' Australian F1 Grand Prix support races to championship status was confirmed on Tuesday by the Australian Grand Prix Corp. The catalyst for the deal was last year's change in F1's commercial ownership, with Liberty Media taking over the organization. Supercars is currently in talks with various Asian venues, including Malaysia's Sepang Int'l Circuit, to establish its own events. Warburton said, "From our point of view, now we have a very good relationship with Formula 1 management and it does open up other opportunities for us. We've got lots of MOUs signed with various countries, but there's a lot of background work, tracks needing to be improved." Warburton added that the championship will likely expand to 16 events next year, allowing for the upgrade in Albert Park's status and the establishment of a new event (Supercars).