Formula 1 "assured British fans it wants to keep the country's grand prix on the calendar" despite Silverstone announcing the end of the current contract in '19, according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. F1 CEO Chase Carey said to the crowd at the F1 Live event in Trafalgar Square on Wednesday, "We are very proud of our British heritage. We're based in Britain, two-thirds of our teams are in Britain. It is certainly our plan as long as we are running Formula 1 to have a race in the U.K." (REUTERS, 7/12). F1 Live, which took place in Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, drew crowds of 100,000 on Wednesday. Fans were able to see teams participate in events highlighting the engineering that powers F1 cars (F1).
FAN-FRIENDLY: SKY SPORTS' James Galloway reported F1 Managing Dir Ross Brawn said that the sport needs to develop an engine for the future which provides a "better emotional connection for fans." Discussions are currently ongoing between F1 execs, current engine manufacturers and potential future suppliers over "the direction the sport should take when its next generation of power units are introduced" after '20. F1's move to hybrid turbo power three years ago "came at a huge cost, and while the technology has received plaudits and straight-line speeds have increased," fans have consistently "mourned the loss of louder, higher-revving engines." Brawn: "We have a lot of fans who say we want to go back to normally-aspirated engines and what you've got to do is ask the next question of 'Why is that?' And it's because it creates more emotion with the noise and the revs" (SKY SPORTS, 7/13).
