Juan Pablo Montoya has applauded the changes made by Liberty Media, saying the Formula 1 paddock is now a “much nicer place to be”, compared to when he was competing in the sport.
Montoya competed in F1 between 2001 and 2006 with Williams and McLaren, starting 95 races and taking seven race wins.
Bernie Ecclestone controlled the sport during that time, but in late-2016, Liberty Media purchased the sport and has gone about making drastic changes to the way it operates, including opening up the paddock.
Montoya says the change is quite shocking: “I think they’re in really good shape. Formula 1 has been very interesting since Liberty came in and there have been a lot of changes and honestly, when you go to the paddock it’s shocking how much nicer it is nowadays than it used to be,” he told Autosport.
“It’s just nicer, people are way friendlier. It’s a much nicer place to be.”
Montoya also backed recent and future changes planned for F1, including sprint races which he believes is the “way forward” given a younger audience will no longer want to invest so much time in traditional sporting events.
“Getting everybody closer together is going to be better for the show. I believe the better teams will still win; the guys with the best ideas if you give them half of the time they will probably do an even better job, that’s the problem!
“You’re going to start realising that the attention span of people gets smaller so you can’t hope people sit down and watch one race on TV for two hours.
“People like us that love the sport, we do it. The younger generations are going to struggle. I think what F1 is talking about is sprint races and this is the way forward.”
I’m not against using short races or reversing points positions to shake up the grid occasionally, but Montoya seems to be implying that the future of Formula One should be dramatically altered to cater for those who lack the mental sophistication to sit still and follow an event for a couple of hours. To that idea I reply no, definitely not. Better to have a smaller audience of committed enthusiasts than a larger one consisting predominantly of disinterested and unreliable hoverers on the periphery, likely to flit to some other momentarily fashionable pursuit at the drop of a hat. Those responsible for the governance and organization of the sport would be well advised to put their best efforts into deepening and enriching the experience of those who are truly passionate for and dedicated to the genuine sport, rather than wrecking its integrity and heritage in a vain attempt to appeal to those lacking anything more than passing superficial interest. That way, when new fans are drawn to the sport, they will be attracted on the sport’s terms, and as a result will be likelier to become devotees for the longer term.
Montoya has spent too much time in the US. Watched too much WWE…. It’s a bit disappointing to me to see him celebrating the dumbing down of the sport to suit WWE type viewers…..
In my experience, friendlier people usually equals ignorance. F1 now seems very low brow and somewhat ignorant. I much preferred the old snooty, elite F1. When things become as pedestrian as F1 has become and delivering too much of everything (from social media, to pit lane access, to the amount of races), it becomes less desirable. People need to extraordinary things in life that seem almost unobtainable — and they need it in moderation — it causes people to aspire to do better in life rather than become stagnant and lazy. Modern F1 is lazy and doesn’t make my brain work very hard the way it used to. And speaking of lazy — Montoya — Incredible talent, but lazy, and missed out on winning multiple world titles in F1 due to lack of effort.