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Lotus chief Gerard Lopez has hit out at the management structure of F1, saying it should carry the blame for failing to bring more and better sponsors to the sport.

Speaking to French publication AutoHebdo (h/t ESPN.co.uk), Lopez said:

Formula One TV ratings are declining steeply whereas the show on track is exceptional, albeit still improvable. The sport must reach out to the younger fans, namely engage them not only through TV but also and above all via the Internet and social media. What's more, F1 does not have any genuine marketing department, which means there exists a significant untapped potential for commercial opportunities. According to the experts I meet regularly and who invest in other sports, Formula One remains the only activity offering a global platform likely to attract world companies. And yet, there seems to be some sort of blockage.

His call for the sport to attract more young viewers stands in sharp contrast to comments made by F1's commercial rights chief, Bernie Ecclestone, late in 2014. Speaking to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Ecclestone indicated younger fans were unimportant as they could not afford to buy into the brands being advertised.

But the lack of new fans coming in to replace old ones is starting to show. NBC Sports reported on Saturday that F1 has seen a massive drop in worldwide viewing figures.

From a peak of 600 million in 2008, the number now stands at 425 million—175 million down.

At the same time, more and more teams are encountering financial difficulties as the gap between rich and poor grows. Lopez feels this reflects badly on the sport's image and, coupled with an "archaic" management structure, pushes potential sponsors away:

Why do these potential sponsors never make the leap when they are not really undaunted by the amounts requested in F1. What's holding them back? Is it because of the sport's archaic management and organisation? While around $900 million are redistributed to the teams every year, the system keeps giving too much to the haves and too little to the have-nots. The gap is constantly growing, which in turn tarnish the overall image of F1. Therefore, potential sponsors tend to show wariness when it comes to invest in the sport. All this could be fixed pretty easily but unfortunately none of the [other] teams shares the same vision, nor the same agenda.

Lopez entered F1 when Genii Capital, the company he founded alongside Eric Lux, bought a controlling stake of the team now called Lotus. When Eric Boullier moved to McLaren at the start of 2014, Lopez took over as team principal.

His background is in business, and he understands the way money is made. His team also punches way above its weight on social media—per a Repucom report referenced by James Allen, Lotus were the fourth-most talked-about team in 2014, despite finishing a lowly eighth in the standings.

The Lotus boss is certainly speaking with some self-interest, but the things he mentions—attracting more fans and sponsors and ensuring all the teams have sufficient income to survive—are in the best interest of the sport as well as his own team.

Sadly, it's unlikely those in charge will listen.