DECEMBER 8, 2005

Why Formula 1 needs to settle down NOW

NASCAR has just signed a new TV deal in the United States worth $4.48bn for the period 2007-2014. The long-term nature of the deal highlights the need for Formula 1 racing to stop fighting internally and get its house in order so as to do deals while there is still room for the sport on the US market. With the arrival of Scott Speed in F1 and the raised profile of F1 at Indianapolis last year - for all the wrong reasons - there is a chance that F1 might finally gain a foothold in the United States, currently the world's biggest consumer market.

The 36 annual NASCAR events are to be split between Fox, ABC/ESPN and TNT with the annual all-star race on Speed Channel. The new deal dwarfs the previous six year deal which was worth $2.8bn. This represents a boost of around 25% in annual TV income.

Print News Story