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Juss Event says new F1 bosses more open minded, expects to extend the contract again

By Ma Yue | 13:40 UTC+8 April 9, 2017 | Online Edition

THE local organizers of Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, Juss Event, said they were looking forward to the next round of contract extension talks, adding the new F1 bosses were “more open-mined.”

This is the last year of the seven-year contract to host the premier motor sports race in China. F1 itself has undergone change with American Chase Carey replacing Bernie Eccleston to become the new chief executive of the Formula One Group.

Asked if Shanghai was ready to extend the Chinese GP deal, Jiang Lan, the general manager of Juss Event, said he saw no reason why it won’t happen.

“We haven’t talked into (contract extension) details yet during our meeting this weekend. It was more about the sport itself and how to promote it better here,” said Jiang.

“F1 has been seeing a drop in viewership worldwide. But I found Chase, who has a media background, more tolerant and open-minded. He was willing to give more power to F1’s local organizers.

“Of course, we need to thank Bernie for all his contributions to the sport over such a long time. But it’s obvious that the sport and its promoters are expecting some changes and renovations, especially on how to expand the market. Chase might not know about F1 as clearly as Bernie did, but he agrees that the F1 weekends should be more fun, which is in line with what we want.”

Jiang said they have been trying to make the race weekend into a “big party” over the past 14 years, which has helped to get fans to the Shanghai International Circuit every year.

“There is little suspense about whether we will continue to host the race,” said Jiang. “Apart from working to make F1 an important sports activity in the city, we will explore more in industrial aspects next, including how to use F1 to drive China’s motor industry and the development of related high-technology.”

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