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Gerhard Berger says Liberty Media has lots of work to do to keep the F1 show alive.
The F1 legend, who drove for McLaren and Ferrari, told Auto Hebdo that a lot of what the sport's new owners have done over the past two years have been distractions.
"What I see are actions aimed at diverting attention," Berger, now the boss of the DTM series, told France's Auto Hebdo.
"Take the ban on grid girls, or the ban on changing the colour of one's helmet. Meanwhile, we fall asleep in front of the TV," he said.
"Liberty Media is trying to make the sport more attractive, but if the show on the track is not good, it is useless," Austrian Berger added. "Honestly, I'm surprised there are still so many fans."
Berger also commented on the situation at his old team McLaren, with whom he shared a garage with Ayrton Senna in the early 90s.
Now, McLaren is struggling for performance and has just parted with its team boss Eric Boullier.
"It's a bit painful for me to see what's going on. Based on my experience, things do not work this way," he said.
"Perhaps I'm wrong, but for the moment, progress is slow. It's not my business but things are starting to get very complicated," Berger added.
Grand Prix of Belgium
G. Zhou
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Replies (6)
Login to replyblade
Posts: 341
GH is stating what EVERYONE br Liberty are saying the on track action is not good enough. For me it starts with the tracks themselves, lets move away from these crappy cant overtake venues. Any new track MUST be able to have three cars side by side in all sections, and we should also do away with these small, itty bitty tracks of 2.5 mrs or less and make them larger to allow cars to combat in some way the effects of turbulent air. Liberty are presiding over a real problem - they have a lot of cash invested now in F1 and they could see that value halve if they don't get this right - stop pandering to teams and do the right thing. In fact, if Liberty were a truly customer oriented organisation, they wouldn't listen to the manufacturers at all - they would listen to what the customer wants to see - now wouldn't that be refreshing?
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I agree to an extent, HOWEVER 3 car's width regulations are nonsensical. A wider track doesnt necessarily mean better action or better quality "show", as shown by Abu Dhabi over and over again. No, we need a certain variety in tracks. I legit dont think Monaco is as bas as many say, and Singapore tend to be pretty exciting just because of that tight nature and how easy it is to make mistakes. It leads to tense races, and we need that kinda variety of tracks for it to not get dull. But do limit the amount of tracks like that, 2 are enough.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
I see Liberty working quite actively on that. My question is were where all these people during the Bernie tyranny of bullshit? Are drivers afraid of Bernie of what? Suddenly everyone feels emboldened to express their views, but kept their mouths shut for the previous decade
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Oh they talked back then too, but not as loudly, as it was utterly pointless. Everyone knew Äckelstone didnt listen to anyone unless they wafted some eau du dough in front of his nose. Now we have an owner that may or may not listen, so everyone will try to get their way.
MADMICK
Posts: 19
Let the engineers build the cars but clip their wings as far as aero is concerned. If you have a car that produces 3g downforce in clear air but only 1.5 when following closer than 1 second behind the one in front how can they ever push through corners. Yes DRS helps but is false. Give more freedom on engine / suspension / brake development as long as it is relevant to improving road cars and efficiency. Widening the track on corners but also tightening the curve would allow a driver to seek out cleaner air and hence increase speed on the outside and overtake in or after the corner especially if 2 corners opposite ways are close together. Corner 1 get alongside corner 2 make it stick.
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
Just Berger trying to stay relevant. I think the show has gotten better this year and Liberty is taking some good steps. I have a lot of confidence in Ross Brawn. He shows great vision and leadership abilities. He knows what makes the show better and is working toward it. The biggest problem with overtaking in F1 now is the front wing aero and he stepped up to make the change next year instead of waiting until the major spec changes. If Berger is falling asleep in front of his tv this season it's because he's old and outdated not because of the racing. Granted 2 of the races have been a bit boring, but the majority have been great.