Following last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, it has been reported that billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are interested in purchasing the commercial rights to Formula 1, from current owners Liberty Media.
Musk and Bezos were both guests at the Miami International Autodrome last weekend, as they watched on as reigning World Champion Max Verstappen extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 14 points, following his third win of the 2023 season.
Musk was spotted hanging out in the Red Bull garage during the weekend, whilst the Tesla and SpaceX founder was also seen in discussion with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Bezos on the other hand, was with McLaren throughout the weekend, with the former Amazon CEO having been seen chatting with the Woking-based team’s engineers.
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Whether the duo were at the Grand Prix for work or fun is somewhat of an unknown, following the reports that they’re showing interest in the championship’s commercial rights.
Whilst Fox Sports have reported that a complete buyout from Liberty Media isn’t likely, it has been suggested that the duo have ‘serious interest’ in some type of investment.
The report comes not long after Liberty Media supposedly rejected a $20 billion offer to purchase the sport’s commercial rights, with the offer having come from Saudi Arabia.
Liberty Media are believed to have only paid £4 billion back in 2017 when they bought the sport, with the likes of hit Netflix docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ having helped more than double the current value of the championship.
The American company’s deal is currently set to conclude at the end of 2025, meaning a sale could potentially be on the cards in the near future should the sport’s current boom decrease.
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Interestingly, last weekend’s Miami GP wasn’t a huge hit with American TV viewers, despite the circuit itself having welcomed 30,000 more fans than it did in 2022.
It was revealed on Twitter by respected journalist Vincenzo Landino that Sunday’s race was watched on ABC by 1.646 million viewers, whereas the inaugural Miami race in 2022 was viewed by 2.066 million viewers.
Whether it’s a sign of the sport’s American boom plateauing remains to be seen, with the United States Grand Prix in October likely to be the first real indicator.