Comparing Sponsors for F1 & FE

[Casper]

I had an idea after contributing to the Mac/Honda thread and asked Mr Google a couple of questions about sponsors and comparing the difference between what is obviously the future in Motorsport and that is a move away from the IC engine whether we as fans like it or not. The links ask the same question about sponsorship deals between F1 and Formula E and it is quite apparent that Formula E has got a lot of sponsors interested and dipping into their pockets to get on the bandwagon whereas F1 has very little of that and a feeling of it is not going anywhere fast. People as a rule don't like change so I expect some will try and ignore the results and shut their mind to it all but it is happening whether we like it or not. The present FE series may collapse but the social trend is moving away from IC use and embracing electric/hybrid technology for all its present problems with energy storage. There is a lot of serious money out there pushing this and F1 will not escape the changes. I doubt if this thread will get much response but I find it a fascinating subject as the impact on F1 has started to happen already along with those who are trying to ignore it.

https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sour...nsorship+deals

https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sour...nsorship+deals

[Razor]

Simple, Uncle Bernie is currently the Mr. Burns of motorsport while Formula E is taking modern approaches.

[mikuni]

Would Formula E be much cheaper for car space though?

[Casper]

Originally Posted by mikuni

Would Formula E be much cheaper for car space though?

Could you explain what you mean by that as I understand what your are asking.

[GT6]

Originally Posted by mikuni

Would Formula E be much cheaper for car space though?

i should think that a sponsor decal on the E car would be a fraction of what that would cost on a F1 car, i have noticed that the initial burst of publicity for formula E seems to have subsided and very little interest for that type of racing either amongst motor racing fans or the green lobby they might like the idea of green racing but are not interested enough to actually watch it. I do agree that motor racing will change over a period of time but burning coal/oil in a power station is no more enviromentaly perfect than petrol in a car. However IMHO the reason formula E is struggling is without the noise and excitement motor racing is never going to be popular

[Greem]

Formula E struggling? I don't think so, but that's a discussion for another forum.

Reference your comments about power generation vs. internal combustion, I suggest you go and look at the difference in thermal efficiency of the two. Again, not really a discussion for the F1 forum though.

One thing is very, very clear: Formula E is resolutely not aiming itself at the hardcore motorsport "fan". They're aiming themselves squarely at people who have had zero interest in motorsport before; when you look at the social media presence the teams and organisers have (along with Fan Boost, whether you like it or not) you'll see what I mean.

In other news I got told yesterday that I'll be a flaggie at Battersea in June, so I'm sure I'll let you know how it goes

[Casper]

Originally Posted by GT6

i should think that a sponsor decal on the E car would be a fraction of what that would cost on a F1 car, i have noticed that the initial burst of publicity for formula E seems to have subsided and very little interest for that type of racing either amongst motor racing fans or the green lobby they might like the idea of green racing but are not interested enough to actually watch it. I do agree that motor racing will change over a period of time but burning coal/oil in a power station is no more enviromentaly perfect than petrol in a car. However IMHO the reason formula E is struggling is without the noise and excitement motor racing is never going to be popular

Your first sentence is but one problem, did you happen to notice the number of FE sponsors that have 2015 next to them compared to F1, that is the real issue. I doubt FE will succeed as a huge fan sport in the near future but the debate has been had in all its forms and the IC is on the way out. The debate of emissions and where they occur is now old hat and the world on a social level has decided that alternatives are going to be the future. The sponsor companies obviously think the same and want to be seen to be on the bandwagon of change and F1 either gets on that same bandwagon or ignores it, the choice is that simple. The noise factor will become less of an issue as people become used to not hearing it. We can all try and ignore the change that is occurring but that will not make it go away.

[Paradise City]

They are on two different ends of the marketing cycle. F1 is institutionalised and commands the motorsport market, FE is a start up and is developing from the ground up.

But the problems are even more fundamental. F1 isn't bothering to market itself at all. It trades on its marketing dominance and always assumes that it can use it's reputation to command top dollar. It's now just a cash cow for the bigwigs. Whereas FE development is quite calculated.

Motorracing will need to be loud, terrifying and fast. FE just whirring silently around isn't convincing enough to be the prototype of all of racing going into the future.

Or to go further with that, if the switch is inevitable, motorsport will undergo a dramatic decline.

[steve_r]

FE is in it's infancy, and from what I have seen is doing well. The drivers are of good quality, and the racing is pretty good. The inner city tracks are a bit stop/start in nature though.

I can see F1 moving away from the IC combustion engine at some point in the future, but not for a very long time yet. I think that the hybrid solution will be with us for quite some time, in one form or another.

On the subject of sponsership - I am not surprised that companies want to be involved with FE. It's "Green" and it's probably comparitively cheap. I don't know what the viewing figures are like. Things may change when teams start developing their own Electric cars in a couple of years time - as that will no doubt ramp up the costs involved in running a team, and may also ramp up the interest levels amongst fans.

[JacobP]

I watched the first four FE races and the close racing in FE reminds me of IndyCar. After all, like FE, IndyCar races a lot of tight street circuits, uses a spec chassis, and employs a lot of drivers who didn't reach or didn't quite make it into F1. The only difference is the astonishingly low reliability of the FE cars. I don't speak disparagingly of FE here. It's a different kind of racing from F1, and quite enjoyable to watch. The drivers are the cream of crop open wheel racers. This series has a lot of promise.

[AoB Special Stage]

It's a classic example of impatience in this fast paced modern world.

The V6T PU's were unreliable in their first year because they hadn't gone though the years of GP's that helped the teams make them so durable and the Year 0 dev costs that are no longer an issue. Before the year's end, they wanted another new engine formula for '16.

FE is the same, Y0 is the worst, with improvement to be found over time.

It's just a matter of which finds significant improvement quicker and financially chokes out the other.

[JacobP]

Even though it's only first season, FE does already look impressive. There is a lot of eye candy on TV. The beaches and skylines look pretty. There is a lot of close racing up the the end of race, but we don't see five safety car periods per race like in IndyCar street races. Many IndyCar drivers drive like maniacs, but I see significantly less reckless driving antics from the FE drivers. Overall, the FE field of drivers looks pretty impressive. Most of them have gone though a long ladder of open wheel racing, and many had some F1 seat time, at least for a practice or a test session.