McLaren makes a future claim

F1's exponential expansion that has led to record numbers has increased Zak Brown's conviction that the sport is just getting started. The sport's rising popularity has been driven by Liberty Media's strategy over the past few years. 'Drive to Survive,' a Netflix programme that introduces F1 to a wider audience, has helped increase the championship's popularity.

Brown is impressed by the popularity of F1 today and by the health of the teams, as well as the number of corporate partners in the sport. 'Television ratings have increased to record levels, more races have been watched, more people have attended, and digital sales have skyrocketed,' Brown said. 'I'm most excited about the future,' he added. 'The cost cap, over time, will benefit from a levelling of the playing field and will go from one or two dominant teams to at least five or six.'