Will MotoGP follow Formula 1? Arjan Bos, chairman of the TT Circuit in Assen, sees opportunities in the recent takeover of MotoGP by Liberty Media, the American owner of F1, he tells FORMULA 1 Magazine. “If they want to experiment with combining MotoGP and F1 in one event, we would love to hear from you, haha.”
Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Mercedes world champion, recently said he thought it would be ‘epic’ if F1 and MotoGP were combined in one mega weekend in the future. Bos does not believe in that, he admits.
“Honestly, no. I don’t think the revenue model allows that. There has always been close contact about the race calendars between MotoGP and Formula 1 to prevent overlap, and that will remain the case,” says Arjan Bos. “An F1 race and a MotoGP in two consecutive weekends at one location? In terms of organisation, that might be possible, but then you will have to deal with other practical objections, such as police deployment, etc. But if Liberty Media ever wants to experiment with combining MotoGP and Formula 1 into one event, then we recommend it, haha.”
F1 ambitions TT Circuit in refrigerator
Arjan Bos does believe in further globalization of MotoGP and motorsport in general, as a result of the takeover of MotoGP by Liberty Media. But the Formula 1 ambitions of the TT circuits are now on hold.
Bos: “We have shelved the old plans to apply for the required Grade 1 license for the circuit. We know what it takes and it could be achieved in one winter, but it is not an option at the moment. In the Netherlands we have Zandvoort and those people are doing very well and have a well-deserved and beautiful place on the F1 calendar. It does not benefit us as Assen to dig around in this.”
Read the full story with Arjan Bos in the latest edition of FORMULA 1 Magazine. The magazine is NOW in stores, but can also be ordered digitally (with free delivery throughout the Netherlands!).
