F1 bosses in talks over street demonstration in London - MotorSportsTalk

Formula 1 bosses have held talks regarding a possible street demonstration through the centre of London, England that could take place ahead of the British Grand Prix, according to reports.

Multiple outlets including The Telegraph and The Times reported earlier this week that F1’s new owner, Liberty Media, has held discussions with Westminster City Council regarding a show run.

“Officers from the Greater London Authority and Westminster City Council have met with event organizers about a potential showcase event in central London, not a race,” a statement from Westminster City Council reads.

“Discussions are at a very early stage and as such nothing has been agreed.”

F1 last graced London’s city center back in 2004 (pictured) when cars ran between Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus, driven by Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Nigel Mansell.

Liberty has made its intentions to hold more events in city centers prior to races clear in the past, as well as expressing a desire to stage more grands prix on the streets of major cities.

A law tweak was recently passed in the UK that allows motorsport events to take place on roads and streets, but a grand prix in London still seems far off.

City mayor Sadiq Khan is open to staging motorsport events in the city, though, and is known to be pushing for Formula E to return after its spell at Battersea Park ended in 2016 following pressure from local residents.

Follow @LukeSmithF1

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”