Disaster Grid Walk
Discussion
grumpy52 said:
Clearly this race is more of a social/media event than a Motorsport race .
Can it not be both?Wasn't it Frank Williams who said "F1 is a sport for 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon, the rest of the time its a business".
Ultimately when was the last time anyone said anything of real interest or insight - to a "true" F1 fan - in a grid walk interview?
Its always a variation on "we'll see what happens at the start and take it from there" and "it's going to be a long and difficult race". It's supposed to be difficult, its Formula 1!
Mixed feelings myself. He obviously had some twerp in his ear telling him to speak to certain people and the info was inaccurate.
I guess he could have been charming anyway and wished them an enjoyable race.
Thing is like all american sport its a mix of business guy/music/drug dealer personas and 8ft tall sports people.
Why these lumps are there is anyones guess as they wont fit in most cars and probably drive trucks. They should go to
truck races or shoot each other out in the car park.
I guess he could have been charming anyway and wished them an enjoyable race.
Thing is like all american sport its a mix of business guy/music/drug dealer personas and 8ft tall sports people.
Why these lumps are there is anyones guess as they wont fit in most cars and probably drive trucks. They should go to
truck races or shoot each other out in the car park.
Muzzer79 said:
It's a good job that a lot of you don't work for F1....
The Celebs, shallow as they may seem in matters of F1, are a necessary evil to promote the sport.
'Banning' them from the grid would be shooting oneself in the foot.
Nobody apart from F1 nerds wants to just talk to engineers, mechanics and ex-drivers on an F1 grid.
Hate to break it to you, but nobody apart from F1 nerds is watching.The Celebs, shallow as they may seem in matters of F1, are a necessary evil to promote the sport.
'Banning' them from the grid would be shooting oneself in the foot.
Nobody apart from F1 nerds wants to just talk to engineers, mechanics and ex-drivers on an F1 grid.
The sad part about this really is that is only going to get worse, it is why there is such a furore over things like OScars, Golden Globes, Brits, MTV awards, F1 is becoming just an event to be seen at, so you can tweet about it to your millions of followers, THAT is what Liberty want. Watch the footage, they will flick to celebs routinely, or ridiculous fake shots of crowds cheering or paddock club toffs drinking booze while over a balcony watching the dullest motorsport currently around. it is sales, nothing more.
I find it insipid, dangerously ignorant of the sports history, but then again they race in a lot of places where there are no famous people, just very rich countries willing to pay well above the going rate to host F1, places like Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, are paying twice what Silverstone and regulars have to pay, yet they get no crowd so really it is just a write off, that is what you are up against.
Like it or love it influencers are the new media stars, how many times while watching British GT yesterday did Broadbent's name come up? Nearly every 10 minutes, he has nothing to do with it. That is where you are, these people sell product, and are pivotal in certain industries working or not working.
The all girl fight the other week in Madison Square Garden, Jake Paul was heavily involved with the promotion, that tells you all you need to do, the bloke isn't even a sodding boxer. Yet his social media reaches more than any news channel, tv station can.
You might not like it, and if not, don't watch it. It really is that simple, and it works believe me
I find it insipid, dangerously ignorant of the sports history, but then again they race in a lot of places where there are no famous people, just very rich countries willing to pay well above the going rate to host F1, places like Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, are paying twice what Silverstone and regulars have to pay, yet they get no crowd so really it is just a write off, that is what you are up against.
Like it or love it influencers are the new media stars, how many times while watching British GT yesterday did Broadbent's name come up? Nearly every 10 minutes, he has nothing to do with it. That is where you are, these people sell product, and are pivotal in certain industries working or not working.
The all girl fight the other week in Madison Square Garden, Jake Paul was heavily involved with the promotion, that tells you all you need to do, the bloke isn't even a sodding boxer. Yet his social media reaches more than any news channel, tv station can.
You might not like it, and if not, don't watch it. It really is that simple, and it works believe me
Muzzer79 said:
It's a good job that a lot of you don't work for F1....
The Celebs, shallow as they may seem in matters of F1, are a necessary evil to promote the sport.
'Banning' them from the grid would be shooting oneself in the foot.
Nobody apart from F1 nerds wants to just talk to engineers, mechanics and ex-drivers on an F1 grid.
I don’t agree with you.The Celebs, shallow as they may seem in matters of F1, are a necessary evil to promote the sport.
'Banning' them from the grid would be shooting oneself in the foot.
Nobody apart from F1 nerds wants to just talk to engineers, mechanics and ex-drivers on an F1 grid.
I can’t think of another sport that permits access to the field of play in this way. The celebs at Wimbledon, Wembley, Lords etc are in the stands and suites. They aren’t on the court, pitch or square are they?
Motorsport is serious; people die. Distractions like this circus in the critical minutes pre-race are a terrible idea.
paulguitar said:
g4ry13 said:
Jenny Tailor said:
Grid walk needs major rethink. Ban Celebs/ Social Influencers etc . Period.
Might as well take Monaco off the calendar then if that's the case. You can't do that.
Monaco has become so bad, its our tradition to 'watch' it with copious bottles of fizz and invite friends round for a party. Take the Monaco GP away and we would have to think of another excuse.
Spevs said:
Well, how uncomfortable was that. Martin was as out of his comfort zone as much as the driver's are on the crap track. However, it is not unnoticeable that the tennis players don't want to talk to a non black journalist about F1. Who says we should embrace everyone, I do.....
Tough crowd. Martin knows what he's doing, I find it entertaining. He gets good info from the drivers and CH etc. and allows celebs to either demonstrate an interest or look ridiculous, their choice.That little gay youtube influencer with the grey beard for example. Although if I was Martin I'd have been a little more forceful and said "so Eduardo (or whatever his name was) you're live to 5 million people right now, go ahead, influence them, what do you wanna say?" and ostentatiously shoved the microphone 2 inches from his mouth.
I actually found the DJ Khaled part quite funny, but that's just because DJ Khaled just rambles on for the promo without even being asked a question. The guy loves being on camera. He was on a live instagram at the same time.
Having said that, I can guarantee you he doesn't know anything about F1 apart from who Lewis Hamilton is and never watched the full race. But he has always represented Miami, so was only fitting he was there for a big event.
Having said that, I can guarantee you he doesn't know anything about F1 apart from who Lewis Hamilton is and never watched the full race. But he has always represented Miami, so was only fitting he was there for a big event.
I try to avoid the gridwalks precisely to avoid having to watch Brundle interact with supposedly vacuous non-entities creating car crash television.
They're only interesting when Martin bumps into and learn a celeb with genuine F1 interest. Unless the race is wet or changeable conditions the driver/team interviews are pointless as you learn nothing new, the drivers have done a load of interview over the weekend answering similar questions.
Nowadays I start watching F1 when the race coverage begins and all the pre-race BS has stopped. Most weekends I don't feel like I've missed out on anything.
They're only interesting when Martin bumps into and learn a celeb with genuine F1 interest. Unless the race is wet or changeable conditions the driver/team interviews are pointless as you learn nothing new, the drivers have done a load of interview over the weekend answering similar questions.
Nowadays I start watching F1 when the race coverage begins and all the pre-race BS has stopped. Most weekends I don't feel like I've missed out on anything.
WindyCommon said:
Muzzer79 said:
It's a good job that a lot of you don't work for F1....
The Celebs, shallow as they may seem in matters of F1, are a necessary evil to promote the sport.
'Banning' them from the grid would be shooting oneself in the foot.
Nobody apart from F1 nerds wants to just talk to engineers, mechanics and ex-drivers on an F1 grid.
I don’t agree with you.The Celebs, shallow as they may seem in matters of F1, are a necessary evil to promote the sport.
'Banning' them from the grid would be shooting oneself in the foot.
Nobody apart from F1 nerds wants to just talk to engineers, mechanics and ex-drivers on an F1 grid.
I can’t think of another sport that permits access to the field of play in this way. The celebs at Wimbledon, Wembley, Lords etc are in the stands and suites. They aren’t on the court, pitch or square are they?
Motorsport is serious; people die. Distractions like this circus in the critical minutes pre-race are a terrible idea.
As would the Superbowl.
"But this is Americanised fluff!" people will cry.
Yes it is, but that is what people want.
I find it ironic that people complain how remote F1 drivers are, how other forms of motorsport are more interactive, yet there's seemingly a portion of people who want the part where people get closest to the drivers removed.
Now, we know that it's a privileged few who get grid access and we mere mortals have to watch it on TV. But, that's economics of celebrity I'm afraid.
Muzzer79 said:
The NBA called. Would like a word:
As would the Superbowl.
"But this is Americanised fluff!" people will cry.
Yes it is, but that is what people want.
I find it ironic that people complain how remote F1 drivers are, how other forms of motorsport are more interactive, yet there's seemingly a portion of people who want the part where people get closest to the drivers removed.
Now, we know that it's a privileged few who get grid access and we mere mortals have to watch it on TV. But, that's economics of celebrity I'm afraid.
No those examples are actually putting on a show during a slot specifically when no other action is taking place and none of the protagonists are on the field, not randomly mingling with the players as they prepare themselves, mere moments before competition. F1's gridwalk is the equivalent of letting celebrities onto Wimbledon Centre Court as the players are trying to warm up for the final. No other sport allows anything like what F1 does.As would the Superbowl.
"But this is Americanised fluff!" people will cry.
Yes it is, but that is what people want.
I find it ironic that people complain how remote F1 drivers are, how other forms of motorsport are more interactive, yet there's seemingly a portion of people who want the part where people get closest to the drivers removed.
Now, we know that it's a privileged few who get grid access and we mere mortals have to watch it on TV. But, that's economics of celebrity I'm afraid.
thegreenhell said:
No those examples are actually putting on a show during a slot specifically when no other action is taking place and none of the protagonists are on the field, not randomly mingling with the players as they prepare themselves, mere moments before competition. F1's gridwalk is the equivalent of letting celebrities onto Wimbledon Centre Court as the players are trying to warm up for the final. No other sport allows anything like what F1 does.
Precisely.I don’t know how it started, or what utility it has for F1.
I can see the utility for the celebs. But that isn’t the point.
Why are they on the field of play at the same time as the participants?
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