Briton hopes it will bring a new generation of fans to the sport
Thursday 8 September 2016 14:22, UK
Jenson Button has backed Liberty Media's takeover of F1 and thinks it will help the sport attract a younger audience and break into the United States.
US firm Liberty Media have bought the sport from CVC Capital Partners in a deal worth £6 billion.
Digital media is an area Bernie Ecclestone admits is not his strongest, and Button hopes Liberty's experience in the area will bring new fans to F1.
"I agree with Bernie that that is probably not his strong point, I don't think he understands apps on phones so he has a lot to learn and I'm sure he will," Button told Sky Sports News HQ.
"This will definitely help the future of the sport, most sports are going down a certain directions with apps and Formula 1 is behind in that area and getting out to a younger audience.
"At the moment our audience is people that watched me start in Formula 1 and they are still watching Formula 1. We don't really have a young audience at the moment.
"So we need help in that area and that is the way the sport will grow worldwide and not just in the countries where it is strongest, like the UK and Japan and other countries in Europe."
Ecclestone will continue in his role as F1's chief executive and Button thinks it was the right decision by the new owners to retain the 85-year-old.
"I think the continuity of Bernie being in charge day to day is exactly what it needs," the 2009 world champion added.
"He's got quite a lot of experience of working in Formula 1 and directing the sport in the right way.
"The funny thing is that the States is probably the only place that has been difficult for Formula 1 to break into over the years. We have the Austin grand prix, which to be fair is always a full house, but that is one small race for the size of America.
"So hopefully this is going to help the sport break into the States."
