Monza Organizers Want Better Deal to Remain on F1 Calendar

The Monza track is one of F1’s most iconic circuits. They are located at Italy, which is home to the Ferrari F1 team, one of the sport’s most successful and illustrious teams. The history associated with the track is one to behold.

But to continue to function as track for F1 races, the organisers of Monza have demanded a better contract from the sport’s owners, Liberty Media. The President of the Automobile Club d’Italia, Angelo Sticchi Damiani said, “I hope to write a new contract for ’20, ’21, ’22, ’23 and ’24. I hope.”

They have a contract until the 2019 season and would like to renew it but they want a reduction in the fee they pay to host the race. They’ll shell out $24 million for the 2019 race which is a 20% bump from the previous fee they were paying of $20 million.

The organisers want to negotiate a contract wherein the fee for hosting is cut to $15 million from 2020 onwards. Damiani also mentioned that they would like more freedom in the new contract with Liberty Media.

He said, “The [current] agreement is in general too; we want to have more convenience, not just lower the fee but more rights, more hospitality, more percentile of the sponsorship than now we have.”

The presence of Monza is confirmed until at least the next year which cannot be said for other tracks. Spa and Suzuka have yet to sign new contracts for 2019 and Monza too could follow suit if the demands are not met or the negotiations do not work out to the organisers’ liking.

The F1 calendar’s glamour comes from the likes of circuits like Monza, Spa, Silverstone and Suzuka. These tracks witnessed the progression of F1 from a low-key race to a global brand and are important to maintain a semblance of culture. Moreover, Monza celebrates its centenary in 2022 and F1 fans definitely do not want the track to be absent for that year.