commercial deal

Formula One could sign a new commercial deal to make races more entertaining, team bosses said yesterday.

Renault boss Flavio Briatore, in charge of 'spicing up' the sport, is believed to be close to a deal with Formula One’s commercial rights holder CVC, represented by Bernie Ecclestone.

An agreement was made on Wednesday after the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) threatened a breakaway series in a long-running row with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president Max Mosley.

“Flavio will be busy working with the commercial rights holder to improve the show of the sport, we hope we can find agreement with CVC in the coming days,” Ferrari president and FOTA head Luca di Montezemolo told a news conference.

Briatore added: “What we want is a Formula One and in the end we achieved that. We want to work for a better show, better entertainment.”

Briatore also hinted that FOTA will push for a return to some of Formula One's more traditional tracks that have been dropped in recent years in favour of circuits in developing markets, as the FIA looks for more lucrative venues.

"Even if the likes of Turkey are paying more money, we would rather have stadia that are full. It is better for the spirit of the sport. We want stands full of fans. There is no point spending all that money on an empty cathedral," he said.

Source: SportsPro Daily Deal