Is F1 All About The Fans?

[Dutton]

It would appear, on the surface at least, that an awful lot of people think it is (or should be if they think it isn't). It is certainly what we are told quite a lot, by various sources.

Personally, I think the notion is absolute nonsense.

F1 is about the competitors and the competition that ensues, which is exactly the same as any other sport. I watch the sport because I enjoying watching the event, I don't see it as somehow being something I am owed. I consider it a privellige that such a great thing exists for me to follow, as opposed to me somehow innately deserving iit.

To my mind, if I am delluded, and in fact it IS all about the fans, then F1 is a business and nothing more. I like to tell myself that, although business is a massive part of the whole F1 affair, that it still needs to be sport in order for that business to have a foundation. Perhaps we have reached the point where the sport has been lost, and in which case F1 really is on a downward spiral competition wise. I like to believe not.

Is F1 all about the fans? Definitely not, in my opinion: or, if it is, it shouldn't be.

[Kicking-back]

F1 is not about the fans.

It is a sport.

If people watch it, fine, but a sport can be entertaining, rather than being designed as entertainment pretending to be sport.

[Hip Priest]

Is isn't ALL about the fans, but they play a huge part. The teams and drivers (aside from those with rich families) rely on the financial input of sponsors. You do not need a masters degree in marketing to realise that without fans, sponsors would not be very willing to part with their cash. As a fan, i don't expect (and indeed, would hate it) if the sport was diluted in order to appeal to more fans or satisfy TV stations.

However, if i have handed over my money at the gate, i do expect to be shown some respect by the organisers. I think that all those people who forked out their hard earned cash for the privelege of watching the US GP should have been considered when the F1 organisers were deciding on a solution to the tyre problems last weekend. And if that is nonsense Dutton, then so be it.

[johnh875]

Yes the whole "circle of life" of the sport needs to be considered

[Adam43]

What is a "circle of life" for a sport?

[cybersdorf]

F1 is definitely not about the fans, but these days, neither is it a sport. It's all about the money, pure and simple.

[Adam43]

Like all other major sports then! However, apart from maybe last weekend, between the lights and the flag it is still a sport.

[MacMan]

I think the question that should be asked instead is "Would F1 still go on with out the millions and millions of fans?" to that I say yes it would as there will always be someone somewhere willing to watch it as a SPORT and not the WWE. F1 has to get back to worrying about what is best in the sports best interests and let the fans catch up.

2c

[VilleneuveTracy]

Like all other major sports then!

Good point. Change "F1" to "NASCAR" in the post prior to yours and that post would be indentical to what most NASCAR fans think about today's NASCAR. I don't think F1 or NASCAR are anomalies on this front and I would argue that NASCAR, like most sports, is not much different from how it was during the alleged "good old days." I am not familiar with F1's history so I can't comment today's F1 versus F1 in 1985 or 1965.

People tend to remember the good things about the past far more than they remember the bad things and I believe this is why nostalgia is so common, especially among sports fans.

[Gt_R]

I stand in my views that F1 should be a sports first.

Many people seem to think that fans are the ultimate in F1, that everything should be done to please the fans. Indeed, fans are important and should be treated right. But still, I am attracted to F1 as a sports, not an entertainment show that has a racing theme.

I must admit i appreciate millions of fans. Many like-minded fans helped to boost the popularity, and convinced TV-stations in my region to broadcast F1. Fans in a way played a role in allowing me access to F1 easily on TV...and i'm hoping the same interest would work to promote other events such as DTM and FIA GT and Japan GT.

However, F1 shouldn't take the route of deliberately working in an environment to create a show for fans... but rather let the strengths and essence of the sports to attract fans. FIA, teams and promoters can help to promote and support the growth, to innovate ideas to enhance it's entertainment value to attract members of the public. But never bend the principles of the sports just to please fans.

Soccer doesn't allow a 3rd Div club play an extra player when fighting Chelsea. Olympics don't allow a runner to take drugs to enhance his performance simply because he runs slower than the others.

Fans are important to us and to teams because their presence is what attracts sponsors to come, and sponsors are those who give them huge chunks of money. It would be nice if the sports recognise this and reward the fans with a good experience, but not to the extent that some fans are unreasonably demanding.

[Dani Filth]

its not about the fans .. no sport its about the fans .. but it can be entertaining ...
because of the fans it became a business .

[Cougar]

I saw the 1st half of the thread's title and a song came to mind

Its all about the money, its all about the dum dum duh dee dum dum.
I dont think its funny.To see us fade away.
Its all about the money, its all about the dum dum duh dee dum dum.
and I think we got it all wrong anyway.

Coogz gets his coat (and eats it)

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Dani Filth

because of the fans it became a business .

Let's hope it because less popular then! (my pet theory).

[Gerben24]

Tricky argument this! Because there would be no Formula 1 without the fans. The cars and teams of today exist as they are nowadays because of the money that comes in through sponsorship. Sponsorship exist because of all the people (fans) that watch the Grand Prix'. In this era it would not be possible to run the cars as they were before Colin Chapman brought sponsorship into Formula 1. So yes, I do think a big part of Formula 1 is about the fans. Just think about what would happen with the TV ratings & ticket sales if we had a couple of races like we had in Indianapolis. People would lose interest, tv ratings & ticket sales would drop and therefore the sponsors would drop the teams.

If you ask me what it SHOULD be about, then I would say, it should be about the sport, the COMPETITION, but it should also be accesible for the fans!

[Hip Priest]

A good ananlogy would be to look at the music industry.

Music isn't all about the fans, and i would hate it if one of my favourite artist were to change their sound in order to appeal to a wider audience. But by the same token, if i turned up to a gig and was treated to six songs instead of the twenty promised, i think i would be justified in stamping my feet a little. Anyone who paid to attend Indianappolis who didn't feel aggrieved at their treatment must be very laid back indeed.

[Marbot]

As a sport it would be great if you could go and see every race, live,around the world,but no one can afford to do that.So we rely on its popularity as entertainment to casual fans to get our fix every other weekend.No fans,no TV,no fix.And reading about the race in Autosport,just isn't the same thing.So yes,the sport is about the fans,indirectly.

[johnh875]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

What is a "circle of life" for a sport?

Just trying to say that there is a relationship between all the various elements. Racing costs money, so teams need sponsors. Sponsors want something for their money, often it is exposure. To attract an audience you need an attractive product. Have I made a circle yet?

To take Formula 1 to the ridiculous extreme of an ultimate technical battle, we would be running engines on dynos, or driving cars in circles on skid pans to see who could pull the highest g force.

I like the view that F1 is the technical pinnacle of motorsport, and because of that would hate to see control components used be they tyres, brakes or otherwise (I suppose I could see a case for non-performance parts such as seat belts though). Simply, F1 has always given a set of parameters for teams to work within and they have changed from time to time because of various factors. But surely you can make the racing attractive within the bounds of a set of technical regs with just as much "purity" as those that would give you procession-like, boring and unattractive racing?

More particularly to last weekend's racing, as much as the outcome was not in the interest of the fans it was also not in the interest of the competition. Sport rewards risk taking, if it was all about the sport the teams would have been out there doing what was necessary (setup and driving changes) to gain the three championship points that were not awarded. Hell anyone could have driven around turn 13 at 20km/h for 66 laps and gained 2 precious WDC points.

Edit: Don't just take my word for it... Max Mosley said "Formula One is a sport which entertains." in his response to questions on the USGP
Here: http://www.fia.com/mediacentre/Press...220605-01.html

[knock-on]

Motoracing has never been about the fans. It has always been about people that get enjoyment out of driving fast and competing against other people with the same interests.

Problem is, thats makes great spectating and so "fans" get great enjoyment out of seeing this spectacle and audiences are born.

Audiences means people to sell to, which excites companies and sponsorship and marketing enters the frame.

End of the circle is that the technology, and therefore the most successful "brand", is more important than anybodies mere enjoyment; either drivers or fans.

However, circles have a funny habbit of turning back on themselves. The audiences are diminishing and therefore the sponsors are getting jumpy. Less return on their buck makes it not as profitable to keep investing. Things have to change.

So, it's either get the audience back or cut sponsorship.

Suddenly the marketable audience (us mere fans) mean something. Soon, a step-change will occur in F1 which has already begun. Look for more exciting racing with emphesis on driver skill rather than technology.

Look also for a shift in the power base away from established (mature) markets to the great untapped. ie. India, China, Russia etc.

Can't have one without the other unfortunatly.

[N I Tram]

As for the music analagy, spare a thought for Pete Doherty's fans - they never know if he'll turn up, what he'll play, or whether he'll be coherent throughout the evening. And yet his shows are still selling out....

[dsg]

Like most things in life it is a compromise. F1 is a mixture of sport, business and entertainment. In order for it to remain a success it needs to ensure each slice of the pie doesn't overwhelm the others.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by dsg

Like most things in life it is a compromise. F1 is a mixture of sport, business and entertainment.

at one point in time motor racing was more than sport/ business/ entertainment, it was a very real attempt to push the development and technical aspects of material construction and engineering into new areas through competition.
its always been more than just sports, fans or no fans and sponsers or no sponsers, car companies, motivated engineers, and whoever has the forsight to build something new would still be doing it regardeless. thats just human nature.
the question is, is do we want to see it on tv, and if the answer is yes we need to accept it no matter what it is.

[Robert Duncan]

Originally Posted by Gerben24

...there would be no Formula 1 without the fans. The cars and teams of today exist as they are nowadays because of the money that comes in through sponsorship. Sponsorship exist because of all the people (fans) that watch the Grand Prix'. ...

This is the core of the mess Formula One is in at this time. In the '50s through the early '70s it was pure sport. Rich boys doing it for the love of competition and to prove who had the biggest . When it became franchised such that formal funding agreements were required to race it moved into a spectator driven marketing tool.

From that point of view it must be "all about the fans" or the money machine that drives F1 stops. There is no RBS, Allianz, Marlboro or TV package monies if there are no fans to watch the product.

This is where the lofty goals of protecting competition and holding the rules as sacred become self defeating if the fan base walks away.

If it was independently funded I would say keep it pure and to the rules. If it has to sustain itself, self preservation comes first, rules second.

[dsg]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

at one point in time motor racing was more than sport/ business/ entertainment, it was a very real attempt to push the development and technical aspects of material construction and engineering into new areas through competition.

Which I think falls into the business part because someone was looking to make a buck out of it.

[alfasud]

No, it isn't all about the fans.... it should be a 'sport', while to be all about the fans suggests it should be simply 'entertainment'.

For example, consider "success ballast"... there is a case for "success ballast" in some areas of motorsport, because it can create closer racing. For example, there is no doubt that if from 2000-2004, the powers that be, determined that Michael Schumacher should carry an extra "success ballast" the fans would have witnessed closer racing.... but would anyone seriously have wanted this?

If you prefer, you can wind back the clock and substitute Ayton Senna as the recipient of the success ballast.

On the other hand, the purist view can only be taken so far.... should tyres and aerodynamics be totally free? Lets have wide slicks again, change them as often as you like and full ground effects cars with huge downforce.... greatly increased cornering speeds and then we have questions of cost and safety....

What about engines.... totally free, qualifying engines, V12, V10 whatever you like, and each year build a new one that is 5kg lighter and just slightly more power and lower c.of.g... the purist in me says yes.... but the pragmatism in me wonders how many could afford this and how many teams would drop out due to the cost?

We've seen a race where only three teams started.... but that was (hopefully) a one off, because of a tyre problem. How would we like it if only three teams could afford the cost of engine development and every race was a bit like that?

It has to a bit of both.... a pure sport, that also considers the fans.

[krt917]

Originally Posted by Gerben24

If you ask me what it SHOULD be about, then I would say, it should be about the sport, the COMPETITION, but it should also be accesible for the fans!

I think this hits the nail on the head. F1 needs to strike a balance between retaining it's fundamental sporting elements whilst also remaining reasonably entertaining for the fans. I would want it to go down the NASCAR route where you just restrict everything for the show - there needs to be some sporting purity.

Of course, the increasing fan base has helped increase sponsorship and TV coverage, the latter of which is certainly a plus for those of us who can't get to the circuits. However, I'm a believer in TV (in sporting terms) merely being a tool to show what is happening in a sporting event. Those that want to watch it will. The rules shoudn't be changed to make it more appealing to the casual fan, partly because you then start upsetting the core interest, but mainly because you start infringing on the whole point of the exercise - which is competition. Certain human beings will always want to compete against each other, irrespective of sponsorship or TV viewing figures.