However, Montoya conceded: “Don’t get me wrong, Spa is a beautiful place and a fantastic circuit. But you also have to put yourself in the shoes of the fans. You don’t see much because it is full of trees. Spa is a great race to watch on TV at home, but not to attend live.
“Again, I love Spa and I’m not saying this is a race that should be removed from the calendar, but nowadays it’s about the experience. And I think the people at Liberty Media understand that very well,” reckoned Montoya.
Modern ‘pop-up’ circuits such as Miami and Las Vegas are tolerated but not widely favoured by drivers. Red Bull triple F1 World Champion Max Verstappen has made it clear he does not enjoy race weekends on street venues turned into GP tracks.
But Montoya is not convinced they have a case and ventured: “Drivers tend to complain a lot. Especially beforehand: ‘This is bad. That is not nice. Why do we have to do this?’ This is distracting.
“Once they have experienced it and noticed that there is nothing wrong with it, you don’t hear them anymore. Drivers should just complain. That is apparently second nature to them,” added Montoya, a seven-time F1 winner during a five-year career in the top flight with Williams and McLaren.
F1 has already visited Miami this year, a race won by McLaren’s Lando Norris. The Grand Prix goes to COTA for the 12th time in October, and for a second time the modern version of Las Vegas takes place a month later.
Big Question: Is the Americanisation of Formula 1 a good or bad thing for the sport?
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Source link : https://www.grandprix247.com/2024/06/17/montoya-says-times-have-changed-formula-1-has-outgrown-europe/
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Publish date : 2024-06-17 12:50:28
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