Future Relevance of F1
Discussion
I have been pondering recently that F1 in the not so distant future could find itself at a cross roads.
The road car industry is going full EV so traditionally you would expect F1 to follow this trend to keep the manufacturers happy and engaged in the sport.
However such a big change could be argued is a risk for the sport or maybe not?
Many people complain about the hybrid era yet the sport has never been in better health in terms of viewership and engagement so maybe the engines don't matter? Although watching the way a crowd lights up when one of the old cars is wheeled out is quite telling.
It got me thinking what if they decided not to follow the road car industry? Could it be an opportunity for F1 to accept that it is exclusively in the entertainment business therefore the link to the road car industry isn't necessary. Leading to rule changes to make the cars as exciting as possible most notably bring back the engines that the fans want as well as lighter smaller cars etc.
They would probably lose some of the big manufacturers for a while but it might attract other teams and brands to the sport. I think after a while the manufacturers would come back if F1 is big enough. As it would still be good for their brand to be associated with something as glamorous and exotics F1 that enthusiasts are excited about as well.
After all F1 will never be able to get green lobby on side as the whole concept of going all over the world to drive around in circles is a massive waste of resources however you try to spin it. They could still run it sensibly with synthetic fuels and attempt to limit the travel to be greener.
So what do we think the future holds?
The road car industry is going full EV so traditionally you would expect F1 to follow this trend to keep the manufacturers happy and engaged in the sport.
However such a big change could be argued is a risk for the sport or maybe not?
Many people complain about the hybrid era yet the sport has never been in better health in terms of viewership and engagement so maybe the engines don't matter? Although watching the way a crowd lights up when one of the old cars is wheeled out is quite telling.
It got me thinking what if they decided not to follow the road car industry? Could it be an opportunity for F1 to accept that it is exclusively in the entertainment business therefore the link to the road car industry isn't necessary. Leading to rule changes to make the cars as exciting as possible most notably bring back the engines that the fans want as well as lighter smaller cars etc.
They would probably lose some of the big manufacturers for a while but it might attract other teams and brands to the sport. I think after a while the manufacturers would come back if F1 is big enough. As it would still be good for their brand to be associated with something as glamorous and exotics F1 that enthusiasts are excited about as well.
After all F1 will never be able to get green lobby on side as the whole concept of going all over the world to drive around in circles is a massive waste of resources however you try to spin it. They could still run it sensibly with synthetic fuels and attempt to limit the travel to be greener.
So what do we think the future holds?
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I worry for F1, they are too far up themselves.
If Red Bull drinks wake up one day & decide they've had enough of F1 the whole bag of mashings is likely to collapse.
Would it though? If Red Bull drinks wake up one day & decide they've had enough of F1 the whole bag of mashings is likely to collapse.
There would still be 9 teams and there will be people in the background who would jump at the chance to buy the teams.
Red Bull is not bigger than F1.
Gtom said:
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
I worry for F1, they are too far up themselves.
If Red Bull drinks wake up one day & decide they've had enough of F1 the whole bag of mashings is likely to collapse.
Would it though? If Red Bull drinks wake up one day & decide they've had enough of F1 the whole bag of mashings is likely to collapse.
There would still be 9 teams and there will be people in the background who would jump at the chance to buy the teams.
Red Bull is not bigger than F1.
F1 has only had a semblance of relevance to road cars for about a decade now. Before that there was no real connection, and no attempt to make a connection. What did a 20k rpm V8 have to do with road cars? They were just the pinnacle of internal combustion technology at the time.
I'm sure they'll be fine if they have to break the illusion of relevance to hybrid or EV road cars at some point in the future. Manufacturers will come and go as they always have. There were more manufacturers in F1 in the previous V8 era than there are now, so the lack of relevance didn't concern them then. They just wanted to compete, and be seen to compete.
Most people watch F1 for the sporting element and the personalities involved, not because of the technicalities of the motive power. Most casual fans wouldn't be able to tell you what engine configuration they used anyway.
I'm sure they'll be fine if they have to break the illusion of relevance to hybrid or EV road cars at some point in the future. Manufacturers will come and go as they always have. There were more manufacturers in F1 in the previous V8 era than there are now, so the lack of relevance didn't concern them then. They just wanted to compete, and be seen to compete.
Most people watch F1 for the sporting element and the personalities involved, not because of the technicalities of the motive power. Most casual fans wouldn't be able to tell you what engine configuration they used anyway.
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