Chase Carey interview - what he said

04 May 2017 11:24

Chase Carey will on Friday mark his 100th day in charge of Formula One after he replaced the long-serving Bernie Ecclestone at the helm of the sport.

Press Association Sport sat down with the American to discuss his first three months as F1 chairman, Liberty Media's plans for the future, and who he wants to win the championship.

ON ECCLESTONE.

Bernie ran the business in a certain way - very much as a one-man show - and we are going to do it in a different way. We don't want a bureaucracy, but we want to hire talented people and give them the ability to drive the business and make things happen. I talk to Bernie now and again - to the degree that I can get insights from him - but we are really looking to organise and operate the sport in a very different way than it has been done before.

ON ECCLESTONE STILL ATTENDING THE RACES.

It was a known coming in. When you have someone so identified with the sport for such a long period of time there is always going to be some degree of complexity. I don't know if it is difficult, but it was not a surprise. For me, I will do what I think is right for the sport, what is right for all the players in the sport and executing the vision that we think is great for the sport.

ON LIMITED CHANGES SO FAR.

Realistically we are always going to be doing things. In today's world, if you are standing still you are going backwards. In Barcelona we are going to launch a whole series of things to add some experiences. Not one of them is going to be transformational, but they are all going to be part and parcel of creating what we think will be a more energetic and more exciting experience at the track.

ON STAYING PRIVATE.

One of the things that has not served Formula One well in the past is the want to talk about things in the public and then try and deal with them privately. In my business life I have done deals in private and then described what we have done after we are through.

ON HIS FIRST BIG GOAL.

Priority number one is creating a great sport on the track that engages fans in the best possible way. It needs to be great competition, exciting action, and stars are incredibly important too, so you need to create the right platform to let the drivers be everything they can be.

ON AMERICAN SPORTS.

America does a uniquely good job of making bigger sporting events and engaging cities so they are week-long extravaganzas, but with the sporting contest at the core. They aren't simply a two-hour race on Sunday. American sports have also worked hard to create structures that enhance competitive balance so the underdogs have a chance to win.

ON F1 EMULATING NFL'S DRAFT.

There are no games being played and yet the NFL is being covered and followed everywhere because they have made the draft into an event. They have added new ways for the fans to engage in the sport other than simply the football game itself. We need to find ways to continue to engage fans with new and interesting things. When the cars were revealed in Barcelona should that have been a much bigger event for us to see the cars for the first time?

ON NEW RACES.

We are talking to a lot of people. Realistically I have got a page-long list of places that would like to have races. We have 21 races next year. Our focus is to make those 21 great.

ON THE TITLE.

I don't mind who wins. I just want it to still be up in the air when we get to the last race in Abu Dhabi.

Source: PA