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Liberty: 'Nice GP not a means of pressure for Monaco GP'

Liberty: 'Nice GP not a means of pressure for Monaco GP'

26-06-2022 08:49 Last update: 12:54
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GPblog.com

Earlier it was announced that the Formula 1 organisation is considering to move the French Grand Prix from Paul Ricard to Nice. Greg Maffei, CEO at Liberty Media emphasises that this is not meant as pressure to renegotiate the Monaco Grand Prix. He does think that certain things in the contract should be changed so that they are the same for everyone.

Stefano Domenicali announced earlier that the Formula 1 organisation is interested in moving the French GP to Nice. This means that there would be no future for Paul Ricard on the F1 calendar. For many fans this is not a loss, as Paul Ricard is not one of the most popular circuits on the calendar.

Favourable conditions

Nevertheless, a race in Nice could have consequences for the Monaco Grand Prix. The mini-state is only a 30-minute drive from the French city. Monaco's contract with the F1 organisation contains some favourable conditions including the lowest fee of all races on the calendar. In addition, Monaco is free to create space for its own sponsorship. These conditions are now in the past, and negotiations are currently taking place for a new contract.

Pressure?

The interest of Nice to organise a Grand Prix could be seen as pressure by the F1 organisation to get better conditions in the contract with Monaco. According to Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei this is not the case."No, we just want to have great races, that's what we want. We always look, there are a lot of people interested in holding a race, and we look at the alternatives," he says to Motorsport.com.

He also denies that F1 and Liberty are playing hardball in the negotiations with Monaco. "I dispute that characterisation. I think Monaco has the best deal of any track on the calendar. They may deserve it. But there are certain things that need to be consistent with everybody else. We think Monaco is a special place, a wonderful place. But, you know, fairness says there are certain things that should be everywhere", he closes.