F1 - does it need a revamp?

[InfiniteVoltage]

F1 loses a 3rd of its audience from 2008.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/04/20/f1-has-lost-...

Fans turn off.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/articl...

F1 figures continue to fall.
http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2015/02/14/as-f1-...


Some scary looking headlines for F1 fans, suggesting that the main cause is due to no season-long freeview access to coverage, now being restricted to a few races or pay-per-view.
BUT.... what if its not just that. What if its more like F1 is moving in the right direction for sponsors but the wrong direction for fans?

I've been in to motorsport since before I was a teenager and as a long time dedicated fan I am now turned off from F1.
These days I have little motivation to make it home in time to turn on the TV to watch the start of a race. I cancelled my TV license a few years ago and only watch an F1 race when I'm round at my parents at a weekend or watch the odd race on catch up TV.

The main turn off of F1 these days is the lack of excitement....no engine noise to be heard, electric powered engines, robotic media-friendly drivers, immensely ugly cars, drivers entering the sport purely on cash and not via proven track record, the cars look way too easy to drive (if a 16 year old can drive them then its now a junior sport IMO).

On top of that the whole atmosphere of each event seems to be quite sterile. Seems to be a contant repeat of each previous event but with a different track layout.

I've been to a number of F1 races in my time, altogether about 10, mainly in the Hakkinen/Schumacher.Vettel era. Only been to one live event since then. And I've not been tempted at all to go to any live F1 with the new turbo engines.

I just wonder if F1 needs to re-focus on the fans rather than focussing on trying to be green?

[Eric Mc]

Quelle surprise!

[greygoose]

Switching to Sky was a mistake in my view.

[Eric Mc]

Short term financial gain.

Longer term financial (and viability) suicide.

That's modern F1.

[Evolved]

It's just too boring nowadays, you know the outcome before the races happen plus the limited viewing options means people don't switch on.

[EnglishTony]

Or by moving the sport into pay per view only the diehard fans will remain and the need for idiotic publicity stunts with half-arsed US teenie idols will be removed along with crowd pleasing overtake buttons, annoying soft drinks manufacturers, self-publicists, advert breaks during the race, non F1 journos asking invasive questions about driver's private lives for a piece in Hello magazine as if anybody gives a damn what they do off circuit (including cluttering up the internet with social media idiocy), people banging on about how boring it is and the abuse of the sport by repressive regimes to promote themselves.

Yeah, I know.

[Eric Mc]

It's been debated to death previously. F1 has become immensely wealthy over the past four decades precisely because it was free to see on TV in most countries.

With that era now over, it may very well return to where it was popularity wise in earlier eras. That may please some - but if the reduction in viewing affects the financial position of the sport, we may see a change of heart.

It is a dilemma for sport these days - take the big bucks now from the TV companies and watch the viewing figures drop, or accept higher viewing figures and lower overall income now but ensure longer term financial stability.

[greygoose]

I don't think Bernie is one to turn down the more cash option.

[Eric Mc]

He has no choice now. He has to extract maximum dosh now to satisfy CVC. It's all very short termist.

[Newscuttlepanel]

I guess I'm probably pretty typical of the lost viewers in as much as I used to watch every race I could when it was on the BBC, switching to PPV and not having SKY i find I lose continuity on what's happening through the season to the point that I'm not really arsed about watching the races that are on Ch4 now. A bit like missing a few episodes of Eastenders.

[thegreenhell]

Bernie's 85 years old. Why would the long-term interest him when he won't be around to milk it?

[SPS]

thegreenhell said:

Bernie's 85 years old. Why would the long-term interest him when he won't be around to milk it?

A bit late for that he has been milking a bloody herd of em for decades.
After all he has to look after his poor little girls - don't he just!
I love motor sport but cannot stand F1 - it's not even racing anymore.
I just cannot understand how this "sport" has so much money washing through it yet they rely of volunteers to actually run each event.
If the marshal's and other race day volunteers packed it in - it would disappear overnight - maybe that would be a good thing and we could get back to actually watching proper wheel to wheel racing like back in the day.
It will never happen as greed takes center stage and the audiences will continue to diminish at an ever increasing rate.

[Timbergiant]

I think it needs at least year off, its just supremely bland as it is, let them make the best cars they can then meet up in a year and begin again, best drivers in the best cars.
I was a massive fan but I simply don't care anymore, I see who the winner was if I remember, its the motorsport version of the eurovision.

[Eric Mc]

SPS said:

A bit late for that he has been milking a bloody herd of em for decades.
After all he has to look after his poor little girls - don't he just!
I love motor sport but cannot stand F1 - it's not even racing anymore.
I just cannot understand how this "sport" has so much money washing through it yet they rely of volunteers to actually run each event.
If the marshal's and other race day volunteers packed it in - it would disappear overnight - maybe that would be a good thing and we could get back to actually watching proper wheel to wheel racing like back in the day.
It will never happen as greed takes center stage and the audiences will continue to diminish at an ever increasing rate.

That's a very valid point. Maybe the marshals should hold F1 to ransom - i.e. adopt some Bernie type tactics to extract maximum dosh. Without the marshals, nothing happens.

[anonymous-user]

There are too many races, so their is no build up anticipation, its no longer special to watch an F1 race.

[Eric Mc]

True.

I'm finding it harder to allocate time to watch F1.

Maybe it will be a good thing when we can't see any of it.

[MitchT]

The cars sound st.
Only half of the season is on free-to-air TV.
Too many of the races are on bland circuits.
Too many races.
Qualifying is overly complicated - go back to the open hour with 12 laps in total.

[RYH64E]

There was a time when I would have paid to watch F1 but now even though I have the Sky F1 channel I don't watch all the races, and those I do watch I usually record and fast forward through the boring bits. The combination of pay to view and a spectacle that's not worth paying for won't do much for viewing figures.

[amare32]

It needs a revamp alright. Starting with throwing Bernie into the deepest of shark infested ocean with heavy lead boots.

[Harji]

Racing in oppressive countries like Azerbaijan where they've knocked down houses, tarred ancient cobbled streets for a race does not help it, as in other oppressive regimes like Bahrain.