Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/908437
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2017 Sport 21 FORMULA 1 Formula One's owners have plenty of work to do THE Formula One season ended at the weekend with even some drivers stifling a yawn but the sport's new owners remained upbeat about their investment and future prospects. "I feel good about where we're at," chairman Chase Carey told reporters at the Abu Dhabi circuit ahead of Sunday's dull finale. "I think we've made head- way this year. It's early days so we're not declaring victory. But I feel good about the mo- mentum we've got." There may be storm clouds brewing and battles to be fought but the flamboyantly moustachioed boss, who replaced former supremo Bernie Ecclestone in January when Liberty Media com- pleted their takeover, sound- ed optimistic. A new logo presented on Sunday heralds an extensive re-branding of the global series, with a big push into digital platforms, and there is plenty more to come even if details remain scarce. Work on the more complex issues, such as implementing a cost-cap, rebalancing rev- enues distributed to teams and a rules blueprint for the future, is just getting started. "The initiatives that we have underway - whether it's cost, revenues, engines - the reali- ty is that there is broad-based support for the broad direc- tion of where we're going," said Carey. "As you get into the specif- ics there are always going to be differences, that's just the reality of life. What we need to do is find the right com- promises. "Nobody gets everything they want but everybody's better off than they were be- fore. "So I think our goal would be to try and find those com- promises and I think we hon- estly believe we're going to get a compromise." The American and his team - including ex-Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn and former ESPN executive Sean Bratches - have plenty to keep them busy. Making the racing more exciting and competitive is a priority, with the season fiz- zling out in the later stages after Ferrari's Sebastian Vet- tel and eventual champion Lewis Hamilton had looked like battling down to the wire earlier in the year. Sunday's race under the Abu Dhabi floodlights was so processional that Red Bull's Max Verstappen, one of the most exciting drivers on the grid, did not attempt to hide his boredom. "If I had a pillow in the car I could have fallen asleep," de- clared the 20-year-old. Creating a more level play- ing field and fairer revenue distribution to teams after current commercial agree- ments expire in 2020 is high on the list but Liberty can expect stiff resistance with several competing interests that are at play. In fact, Fer- rari, the sport's oldest and most successful team, have already warned they could quit if they do not like what the future holds. "You've got a long list of par- ties so this is a game of three- dimensional chess in finding the right balance," said Carey. "What you try to find is compromises that really are at the end of the day in the best interests of the sport and ultimately the fans." Liberty has ramped up investment in the sport, spending on infrastructure and putting a marketing, re- search and digital operation in place. That has led to a drop in earnings which has hit rev- enue payouts to the 10 teams with payments, at $273 mil- lion in the third quarter, 14 percent lower than the same period last year. That has raised concerns but Carey said that it was all part of growing a business. "Realistically, to grow things, usually there's no free lunch- es," he said. Chase Carey, chief executive and chairman of Formula One (C) arrives at starting grid of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Honda will be more proactive with Toro Rosso HONDA chief Yusuke Hasega- wa says the manufacturer will take a more proactive approach in its partnership with Toro Rosso, accepting it allowed itself to be dictated by McLaren. Honda returned to Formula 1 with McLaren in 2015, but struggled for reliability and performance, and revised its concept for 2017, believing it to hold greater long-term po- tential. However, its woes contin- ued and McLaren opted to sever its partnership, linking up with Renault, while Hon- da signed a three-year deal to supply Toro Rosso. Hasegawa says the relation- ship between Honda and Toro Rosso will be "more equal" than the one it held with McLaren, citing the ex- perience it has gained across the last three seasons. "We've been the ones mak- ing the majority of requests so far," Hasegawa said in an interview with the official Honda website. "But it's fair to say this will be a more equal partnership than it was with McLaren in terms of leadership. And that's not just because of the size of the team. Obviously Honda as a company is huge but we had little recent F1 experience – so from that point of view McLaren was still leading us. That won't be the same with Toro Rosso. "We are working quickly to swap teams. We have to prepare things before Febru- ary, so it will be a very busy winter. Development is ongo- ing on the power unit. It will remain the same power unit concept from this year, so we are able to use the current one as the starting point." Hasegawa commented that "many modifications" are still required but believes Honda and Toro Rosso has begun its project in the cor- rect manner. "Toro Rosso is also a very good team and they are very open with us," he said. "Compared to their posi- tion – in terms of size and resources – they are actu- ally very competitive. I don't know how the rest of the Paddock looks at Toro Rosso but we've had many meetings with them and they are tech- nically very professional. The installation is the biggest job for us, to get the engine to fit to the chassis. We need to make many modifications, which is a big job, especially in a limited amount of time. "Honda and Toro Rosso – from both sides – are doing a very good job."