F1 questions the ticket prices of the Grand Prix

For several years now, Formula 1 Grand Prix spectators have faced high ticket prices, which could eventually discourage a large number of them from attending this event.

It is from this standpoint that Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes AMG, initiated a discussion on this theme by trying to raise awareness among Bernie Ecclestone and the Grand Prix promoters. In this discussion, Wolff emphasized the importance of so-called historical races on the calendar: “We dared to talk about ticket prices and discussed the impact and importance of traditional circuits like Spa, Monza, or Hockenheim. Such races must be part of the calendar. It is a global sport.”

« We must move forward and conquer new territories and new countries » continues Wolff for our colleagues at Autosport. « This has always been the case, but I also think we need to fill the stands at traditional races like Monza or Hockenheim. »

The comments from Wolff, of course, echo those made by Ron Dennis last week, who already highlighted the difficulties encountered in some countries to fill the stands: « How can we go to Silverstone and Austria and see full stands, and then go to Germany and see half-empty stands? There must be a reason. We can all make assumptions, but it’s not very scientific. We really need to understand why these things happen. Is it the ticket prices? Is it [a lack of] national heroes, etc.? Whatever it is, we need to address it. »

However, Toto Wolff does not deny the difficulties faced by Grand Prix promoters who have to pay a large sum of money to appear on the global Formula 1 calendar and who, as a result, need to balance their budget accordingly by impacting ticket prices, which still represent the largest share of revenue for them.