Has something gone wrong with the F1 publicity machine?
Discussion
I've been a fan of F1 for quite a few weeks now and I've noticed a few changes. In the 60s the fan base was quite big. Everyone had heard of Stirling Moss and later on there was Jackie Stewart. When Lauda had his accident it was a major topic of conversation at work and I remember office girls talking about it on the train in the morning.
During the great days of Senna everyone it seemed knew something about F1. In the early 90s I ran what now would be called an F1 fantasy league at work and had to curtail participants due to the amount of money that was coming in. There was some rule evidently that no internal competition could exceed £200 and mine was running at just under £500 a month before the start of the season.
I used to watch F1 the group friends. Ahen I subscribed to the original Sky coverage, I had around 10 mates in my house all fighting for a view of the TV. We used to go to each other's houses so the cost of feeding the mob was evenly spread. As the years went on the numbers dropped but there was still a hard-core of half a dozen or so.
I met one of my F1 mates in town today and the chap asked me if there was a race this weekend. It struck me how things have changed. A few years ago if I went to a party where the conversation tended to focus on canapés and such it was always easy to find someone, more than one normally, who was keen on F1 and chat with them for a while. I'm off to a neighbour’s birthday do tomorrow where there will be around 40 people. I know the vast majority already and none know about F1.
20 years ago, when Senna and Prost were busy falling out, the majority of the men would have some knowledge of the sport. What's gone wrong with the F1 publicity machine?
When Senna took Prost off in Japan every newspaper ran a couple of articles at least on the subject in the Monday editions and most for those up with further articles during the week. Fair enough, someone absolute rubbish and only included to trying gain readers but then who bothers nowadays?
Everybody I knew at the time knew the names of Senna, Prost, Mansell, Schumacher, and even Ron Dennis. Balestre and Mosley by household names, albeit for the wrong reasons, but who has heard of Todt?
With this level of ignorance F1 is doing something badly wrong.
During the great days of Senna everyone it seemed knew something about F1. In the early 90s I ran what now would be called an F1 fantasy league at work and had to curtail participants due to the amount of money that was coming in. There was some rule evidently that no internal competition could exceed £200 and mine was running at just under £500 a month before the start of the season.
I used to watch F1 the group friends. Ahen I subscribed to the original Sky coverage, I had around 10 mates in my house all fighting for a view of the TV. We used to go to each other's houses so the cost of feeding the mob was evenly spread. As the years went on the numbers dropped but there was still a hard-core of half a dozen or so.
I met one of my F1 mates in town today and the chap asked me if there was a race this weekend. It struck me how things have changed. A few years ago if I went to a party where the conversation tended to focus on canapés and such it was always easy to find someone, more than one normally, who was keen on F1 and chat with them for a while. I'm off to a neighbour’s birthday do tomorrow where there will be around 40 people. I know the vast majority already and none know about F1.
20 years ago, when Senna and Prost were busy falling out, the majority of the men would have some knowledge of the sport. What's gone wrong with the F1 publicity machine?
When Senna took Prost off in Japan every newspaper ran a couple of articles at least on the subject in the Monday editions and most for those up with further articles during the week. Fair enough, someone absolute rubbish and only included to trying gain readers but then who bothers nowadays?
Everybody I knew at the time knew the names of Senna, Prost, Mansell, Schumacher, and even Ron Dennis. Balestre and Mosley by household names, albeit for the wrong reasons, but who has heard of Todt?
With this level of ignorance F1 is doing something badly wrong.
May be a generational thing.
I know a fair number of people who can identify Lewis, Jenson, Vettel, Schumacher etc.
But if you mention Prost, Senna, Piquet, they look at you with a blank stare.
I don't think I know anyone outside of my 'petrol head' circle of friends who could identify Brundle or crazy Dave, though.
I know a fair number of people who can identify Lewis, Jenson, Vettel, Schumacher etc.
But if you mention Prost, Senna, Piquet, they look at you with a blank stare.
I don't think I know anyone outside of my 'petrol head' circle of friends who could identify Brundle or crazy Dave, though.
Disinterest in EVERYTHING has been growing for years. We pay more and more to obtain less and less in almost everything we do.
Watch it all collapse gradually.
Boxing is the prototype of what happens.
In the 1960s and 70s, even grannies knew who Henry Cooper or Cassius Clay was.
In the 1960s my dad could hate The Beatles.
Now we don't even know who we don't like.
Watch it all collapse gradually.
Boxing is the prototype of what happens.
In the 1960s and 70s, even grannies knew who Henry Cooper or Cassius Clay was.
In the 1960s my dad could hate The Beatles.
Now we don't even know who we don't like.
Years ago there were 3 channels on TV, about the same on radio and no VCR meaning most people watched the same media at the same time. This meant a shared experience amongst the majority, nowadays however there is so much entertainment available that this is no longer the case. Add in subscription TV and the viewer base is so diluted that it is difficult to find another person who follows the same sport/programme as yourself. No F1 on TV - no problem I'll watch something else or fire up my X-Box, watch a DVD, surf the net etc.
Gaz. said:
Is this not a case of rose tinted specs and someone simply getting older? Most of your points made about F1 in the 80's when you were at work and had a large social circle still apply today to people in the 20's/30's/40's.
It's a possibility, I accept that. But the party I'm going to has a spread of ages, from me, one year older than the principal, to a grandson, about 12 or so. There are also neighbours who are in the range of 25 - 45, mainly younger. In 'my day', 20 years ago, every age group knew about F1.I've just realised that of my circle of F1 friends - even taking the larger group of around 1990-95 - I was the oldest. The younger ones were the ones who dropped off first (role reversal there).
My lad plays rugby so the team is around 18 - 31, and there are 25 of them. I don't know one who is interested in F1, not to the degree I was at their age.
Everyone had an opinion of who was at fault when Senna and Prost collided at the first corner in Japan. I've got one mate who still blames Balestre. But everyone voiced an opinion. They'd all seen in. They talked of racing lines, turning in a bit early, leaving a gap, too fast to take the bend. One bloke I worked with had a picture of Prost's head on a cluedo piece on his desk with the wording underneath of Professor Plum, in the first corner with his back wheel. No one had to ask what it meant.
When Webber and Vettel collided, was there a similar display of opinions?
As you say, maybe an age thing, but there was more interest in the Senna days.
Derek Smith said:
Del's summary of F1.
It's really quite simple. Schumacher.
When I were a lad, everyone was raving about Mansell, Piquet, Senna, Prost - the fab 4 as they were called in retrospect. Every race absolutely anything could happen. Piquet could create sensation. Mansell made drama. Prost could create political intrigue. Senna would defy belief.
But then this German arrived. For one non-legal means or another - be it car, contract, gamesmanship - he won and won and won... All the while the powers that be licked his ass instead of saw reality. Overnight the sport went from an exciting, gladiatorial, mans-sport to boring dronal toss. People quite simply, lost interest. The power and the glory of F1 ceased to exist.
He made the sport boring. The passion evaporated. He created a generation gap of interest. A gaping hole. It will take time to fill.
The new breed is here. The fans, the excitement, the glory and the thrill of the spectacle will slowly return. Give F1 a chance to heal from it's wounds.
Edited by mattikake on Friday 22 June 22:28
With over 8 million houses receiving Sky I believe that F1 now reaches more people than ever before because it can be viewed on phones, pads and LCD etc. The web has increased people's knowledge hugely and look at how quickly tickets for Silverstone sold this year. The current drivers championship is very close and with magazines, blogs, webcasts and Fans Forums F! access is better than ever. The problem is with some of the luddites on here who cannot see beyond Land's End as to how much F1 is now truly global.
I have friends in the US who love the great F1 coverage they now have.....5 years ago there was nothing. I know people in Singapore who stay up late to watch races live and have friends who have children who have pictures, video games and merchandise from teams and drivers.
Get into the 21st century and look beyond the shores of little England to the world which is leaving the UK behind economically, socially, and financially! F1 is huge and the drivers and teams are getting better known across the globe.
I have friends in the US who love the great F1 coverage they now have.....5 years ago there was nothing. I know people in Singapore who stay up late to watch races live and have friends who have children who have pictures, video games and merchandise from teams and drivers.
Get into the 21st century and look beyond the shores of little England to the world which is leaving the UK behind economically, socially, and financially! F1 is huge and the drivers and teams are getting better known across the globe.
belleair302 said:
With over 8 million houses receiving Sky I believe that F1 now reaches more people than ever before because it can be viewed on phones, pads and LCD etc. The web has increased people's knowledge hugely and look at how quickly tickets for Silverstone sold this year. The current drivers championship is very close and with magazines, blogs, webcasts and Fans Forums F! access is better than ever. The problem is with some of the luddites on here who cannot see beyond Land's End as to how much F1 is now truly global.
I have friends in the US who love the great F1 coverage they now have.....5 years ago there was nothing. I know people in Singapore who stay up late to watch races live and have friends who have children who have pictures, video games and merchandise from teams and drivers.
Get into the 21st century and look beyond the shores of little England to the world which is leaving the UK behind economically, socially, and financially! F1 is huge and the drivers and teams are getting better known across the globe.
OP was referring to the UK. Sky gets less than 2m viewers for their races, compared to the 6m that the BBC was getting for a lot of races last year. It can't help the UK situation.I have friends in the US who love the great F1 coverage they now have.....5 years ago there was nothing. I know people in Singapore who stay up late to watch races live and have friends who have children who have pictures, video games and merchandise from teams and drivers.
Get into the 21st century and look beyond the shores of little England to the world which is leaving the UK behind economically, socially, and financially! F1 is huge and the drivers and teams are getting better known across the globe.
davepoth said:
OP was referring to the UK. Sky gets less than 2m viewers for their races, compared to the 6m that the BBC was getting for a lot of races last year. It can't help the UK situation.
Thanks for that. Spot on.As for the comment about other countries enjoying the sport, you only have to look at the stands at some of the new circuits to see that it has failed to grab the attention of the locals. Further, Europe is where F1 was born and where the big fan bases are. These are the people whose loyalty has not been rewarded. How long will the enthusiasm last for those circuits built on sand or rice?
And with regards booking, one year I booked for Silverstone in March and had a very limited choice of stands. Another year they were all booked up around April or so. I'm not sure when they were all sold out this year but you have to remember the restriction in numbers nowadays.
S 8 GRN said:
mattikake said:
Life Saab Itch said:
mattikake said:
It's really quite simple.
Schumacher.
You're getting very very repetitive.Schumacher.
I also knew of loads of people who weren't interested in starting to watch because of the reasons I claim.
For years I had to take ridcule, only playful like, that my sport was crap and boring. Even I was watching races out of fan principle, not because I wanted to or looked forward to it.
Look at it this way, we went from the high of Mansell, Senna, Prost, Piquet, to the utter low of just Schumacher and Bernie and Mosley licking his arse.
Who wouldn't lose interest apart from German's and glory-hunters?
I think it is somewhat to do with the competition, I know a few people who had never watched F1 until a couple of seasons ago, but started to follow it all of a sudden. I can only guess that this is because of more talk about it due to the races getting better, rather than a lot of the talk being F1 politics, and of course Button and Hamilton in a winning car.
Sadly these few people have all stopped watching this year as they never know when a race will be broadcast so I think any gains that have been made, may have been lost due to the coverage going to Sky
Sadly these few people have all stopped watching this year as they never know when a race will be broadcast so I think any gains that have been made, may have been lost due to the coverage going to Sky
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