Imagining a LIV Golf-Style Takeover of Formula 1
The $700 Million Question: Is Formula 1 Ripe for a "LIV Golf" Takeover?
The sports world recently hit a collective "reset" button. Between Shohei Ohtani’s eye-watering $700 million contract with the Dodgers and the ongoing ripples of the LIV Golf expansion, the sheer volume of money flooding into professional sports has reached "James Bond villain" levels.
In the latest episode of Hard Compound, we took a break from our usual 2023 season review to ask a provocative question: What happens if a Saudi-backed investment group decides to do to Formula 1 what they did to the PGA?
The Precedent: Why Golf?
LIV Golf (named for "54," the score if you birdie every hole on a par-72 course) challenged the PGA and the European Tour by leveraging Saudi billions to poach top talent and rewrite the rulebook. They traded four-day tournaments for three-day ones, leaned into rowdier fan interactions, and focused heavily on social media.
While golf is a "participation" sport that anyone from 10 to 100 can play, F1 is the ultimate exclusive club. Yet, the friction is already there. With the ongoing tension between Liberty Media (the commercial owners) and the FIA (the governing body), the door is cracked open for a well-funded disruptor to kick it down.
Poaching the Grid: Who Would Jump?
If a new league offered $200 million just to sign, the "loyalty" of the paddock would be put to a severe test. While some drivers might be "too righteous" for a move, others have clear incentives:
*The Veterans:** Legends like Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button, or Kimi Räikkönen might be enticed back into the cockpit for a "legacy" contract that secures their great-great-grandchildren's future.
*The Frustrated:** Drivers like Sergio "Checo" Perez might see it as an escape from the pressure cooker of Red Bull.
*The Teams:** While iconic brands like Ferrari or Mercedes are likely too intertwined with F1's DNA to leave, a team like Williams—lacking family ownership and currently struggling for a massive capital injection—could be a prime target for a total "port-over."
Format: A Vision for a Globalized Alternative
A competing league wouldn't just copy F1; it would reinvent it. Here’s what a "LIV-F1" disruptor might look like compared to the current structure:
The "LIV-F1" Alternative |
| Race Length | Set number of laps (~305km) | Time-based (e.g., a "90-minute sprint") |
| Team Structure | Manufacturer-based (Red Bull, McLaren) | Regionalized (Team USA, Team China, Team Brazil) |
| HQ Location | 70% based in the UK/Europe | Global R&D Hubs (spread across continents) |
| Fan Access | High-barrier / Expensive | Social-first / Raucous / Fan-interactive |
By regionalizing the teams, the sport could move away from its Euro-centric roots. Imagine a North American team based in the US, a South American team based in Brazil, and an Asian team based in China—each with their own R&D and engineering pipelines. This would open the engineering "brain drain" to a much wider global talent pool.
The Upsides: More Than Just Cash
Beyond the controversy of "sportswashing"—the idea that billions are spent on sports to cover for social or political policies—there are genuine benefits for the fans and the industry:
1. Innovation: More money means more wind tunnels, more R&D, and faster development of sustainable power units (likely keeping the internal combustion engine alive through biofuels).
2. Driver Longevity: We’d finally have seats for the "Liam Lawsons" of the world who get booted due to a lack of space, or veterans like Alonso who want to race until they're 50.
3. Accessibility: With massive investment, there’s a hope (however theoretical) that races could become more accessible to fans who were priced out of events like the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Crazy Prediction: A Hostile Takeover?
Patrick closed the episode with a bold take. He doesn't see a "breakaway" league; instead, he predicts a Saudi-backed investment group will eventually take over and govern the existing F1 structure. By leveraging the current "kerfuffle" between the teams and the FIA (like the recent scrutiny of Susie and Toto Wolff), a massive investment group could decentralize the sport, stripping it of its "country club" mentality and making it a truly global, corporate, and ruthlessly efficient entertainment product.
Whether you're a traditionalist or a fan of the new "Americanness" in the sport, one thing is certain: in the third decade of the 21st century, big money makes people move in very unpredictable ways.
