BIC, Al Sakhir: Arif Rahimi, Chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, welcomed Chase Carey, Chief Executive officer and Chairman of The Formula One Group on his first trip to the Kingdom of Bahrain ahead of the 2017 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.
The new Chief Executive and the senior management of Liberty Media, which acquired Formula One last year, arrived for their maiden visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain. The meeting with the new F1 owners underlined joint ambition to grow the sport and the BIC Chairman emphasized the BIC’s long-term commitment to Formula One.
Rahimi welcomed the CEO of the new owners of Formula One arriving today at Bahrain International Airport. This follows a number of meetings held to date between senior representatives of the Bahrain International Circuit and Liberty Media, since they took ownership of the sport.
“We welcome Liberty and the new senior team at F1 to Bahrain, with whom we have already established a strong working relationship,” Arif Rahimi, Chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit, said.
“Whilst it is clearly early stages, we have been encouraged by the fact that Liberty has already committed to an agenda which is focused on maximizing the experience for fans. Liberty also recognises that in order to achieve the best fan experience, it involves building partnerships with everyone involved in the sport, creating an aligned vision.
“Liberty also recognises that F1 should be “good business” for all involved in F1. Whilst we are pleased that our race continues to grow every year, there are always improvements which can be made and we are particularly keen to work with the rights holder to grow our presence as a global sport.
“As a promoter with a long-term commitment to F1, without doubt there are major opportunities to work with Liberty to grown the sport in Bahrain and reach out to new audiences, both geographically but also in how we communicate with them. Under Chase’s stewardship, with the support of Ross Brawn on the sporting side and Sean Bratches on the commercial side, we believe there are exciting times ahead.”
