I'd expect this to result in a better focus on pulling in consumers to justify the sponsorship cash, but the downside may be more gimmicks if the sponsors influence sporting decisions??
Key extracts below, the full article is here
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f92d6836-7aed ... z3KvomT7PYCVC Capital Partners, the private equity group which owns 35.5 per cent of F1, is thought to want Mr Walsh to take on some executive duties in addition to chairing the board.... one person with knowledge of the situation said that if Mr Walsh is chosen to become a more hands-on F1 chairman, that could see Mr Ecclestone’s role as chief executive marginalised.
“Donald [MacKenzie, CVC co-founder] said there was a possibility of him [Mr Walsh] being in the chair in the event that Peter [Brabeck] decided to stand down,” said Mr Ecclestone.
Mr Mackenzie has been priming several important participants in F1 about his intentions, said people close to the situation.
They said he had praised Mr Ecclestone for what he had achieved at F1. But Mr Mackenzie is said to want a more professional approach to the running of the motorsport, and to have admitted he should have acted sooner. In particular, Mr Mackenzie was worried about F1’s digital, commercial and PR strategy.
Mr Walsh, 57, [ex chairman of Diagio] recognised the global reach of F1 when Diageo became a sponsor in 2005, using the McLaren team to promote its Johnnie Walker whisky. In September, Johnnie Walker was announced as a global F1 partner