3 Jun 2011

F1 revenue rising

5:16 am on 3 June 2011

Annual revenue from Formula One's commercial rights is set to double in the next five years to more than 3.7 billion dollars thanks largely to race hosting fees.

A statistical review of Formula One's finances, uses data from various sources in a sport where official figures are hard to obtain and sponsorship details are kept secret.

Formula One's commercial rights are owned by private equity firm CVC and managed by the sport's 80-year-old supremo and dealmaker Bernie Ecclestone.

This year's calendar was to have been a record 20 races, and could still be if the postponed Bahrain Grand Prix is reinstated.

However, the sport's future remains uncertain, with U.S. media group News Corp and Italian financial holding Exor, which controls Ferrari through carmaker Fiat, teaming up to explore options on how to run the sport.

Ecclestone has said News Corp has a "close to zero" chance of buying the sport.

Formula Money predicted the highest race hosting fee would rise to more than 120 million dollars by the end of the decade.