F1: is it about teams, or drivers?
Discussion
Do F1 fans root for a team, or for an individual driver? How about a PH poll to test the water?
If it's about the teams, the drivers can be contracted accordingly. Then they'll know they have to subjugate personal glory for the benefit of the team, and will therefore do so without moaning. Plus we as punters will know where we stand and won't lose our money down the bookies betting on individuals.
If it's about the teams, the drivers can be contracted accordingly. Then they'll know they have to subjugate personal glory for the benefit of the team, and will therefore do so without moaning. Plus we as punters will know where we stand and won't lose our money down the bookies betting on individuals.
Or is it about Bernies millions?
Or grid babes? (No can't be that Bike babes are much better)
Or how bad Jonathon Legard is?
Or EJ's new wig?
Or controversy, fines and politics?
Or technology?
I thought I agreed with a previous poster, it's about competitive racing, which happens a couple of times during a grand prix, the start and usually something else. But I still watch so it must be something else. How about:
Reminiscing about the good old days,
The sheer spectacle,
The noise
Truth is, it's probably a bit of everything.
Or grid babes? (No can't be that Bike babes are much better)
Or how bad Jonathon Legard is?
Or EJ's new wig?
Or controversy, fines and politics?
Or technology?
I thought I agreed with a previous poster, it's about competitive racing, which happens a couple of times during a grand prix, the start and usually something else. But I still watch so it must be something else. How about:
Reminiscing about the good old days,
The sheer spectacle,
The noise
Truth is, it's probably a bit of everything.
The majority of people and fans definitely root for the drivers over the teams. It's something I've been following for quite a while.
There are some exceptions and the PH contingent might part of that small exception but all the evidence points towards the former in the team's marketing strategies too, starting with the conditioning of the driver's behaviour, their constant workload of media/publicity events, driver's names and faces on merchandise, so forth even down to the driver's championship becoming more important than the constructor's.
They represent the team and how well the team does depends on the driver.
I don't think it's particularly surprising, though. It's human nature to prefer a fellow human over an inanimate object, follow the driver's ups and downs and generally feel as though you and the driver are in it together as a group.
You can see it even to a point when it comes to engineers - if a team doesn't have a star engineer or designer then they are sometimes not considered to be a good team!
There are some exceptions and the PH contingent might part of that small exception but all the evidence points towards the former in the team's marketing strategies too, starting with the conditioning of the driver's behaviour, their constant workload of media/publicity events, driver's names and faces on merchandise, so forth even down to the driver's championship becoming more important than the constructor's.
They represent the team and how well the team does depends on the driver.
I don't think it's particularly surprising, though. It's human nature to prefer a fellow human over an inanimate object, follow the driver's ups and downs and generally feel as though you and the driver are in it together as a group.
You can see it even to a point when it comes to engineers - if a team doesn't have a star engineer or designer then they are sometimes not considered to be a good team!
Edited by zac510 on Monday 2nd August 15:49
Interesting insights there Zac, I suppose they have to promote the drivers rather than the cars as they respond better to questioning. Plus the cars are shrouded in secrecy so even if they could talk I don't suppose they'd be allowed to. Isn't the biggest problem though that the teams see the drivers as a necessary evil? One way to establish the truth on the 'drivers or teams' question I guess would be to run the cars without drivers – as they could easily do now. How much dropoff in interest would that cause? 50%? 80%? Or 100%?
zac510 said:
The majority of people and fans definitely root for the drivers over the teams. It's something I've been following for quite a while.
There are some exceptions and the PH contingent might part of that small exception but all the evidence points towards the former in the team's marketing strategies too, starting with the conditioning of the driver's behaviour, their constant workload of media/publicity events, driver's names and faces on merchandise, so forth even down to the driver's championship becoming more important than the constructor's.
They represent the team and how well the team does depends on the driver.
I don't think it's particularly surprising, though. It's human nature to prefer a fellow human over an inanimate object, follow the driver's ups and downs and generally feel as though you and the driver are in it together as a group.
You can see it even to a point when it comes to engineers - if a team doesn't have a star engineer or designer then they are sometimes not considered to be a good team!
Is your assumption true? Since those cheats Ferrari most likely have the largest global fan base, I'd say that actually the majority of fans so support a team over the drivers. Ultimately, the drivers come and go, the teams don't. I support the team, not the driver and it has always been that way for me and the majority of F1 fans I know personally; it's like supporting a football team rather than a specific player which is totally normal. I must say that since the cars have become more similar to each other, and with ever smaller engines & tyres and more reliance on wings, I have become less fascinated in them, as they are all so similar. There are some exceptions and the PH contingent might part of that small exception but all the evidence points towards the former in the team's marketing strategies too, starting with the conditioning of the driver's behaviour, their constant workload of media/publicity events, driver's names and faces on merchandise, so forth even down to the driver's championship becoming more important than the constructor's.
They represent the team and how well the team does depends on the driver.
I don't think it's particularly surprising, though. It's human nature to prefer a fellow human over an inanimate object, follow the driver's ups and downs and generally feel as though you and the driver are in it together as a group.
You can see it even to a point when it comes to engineers - if a team doesn't have a star engineer or designer then they are sometimes not considered to be a good team!
Edited by zac510 on Monday 2nd August 15:49
That said, I do not condone blatant cheating. F1 should run their sport like MotoGP, where you see talented sportmen racing each other, even within the same team. Can you imagine Valentino Rossi whining and radioing his team that he can't pass Jorge Lorenzo? Alonso is a pathetic fool in comparison to his 2 wheeled superstar compatriot Lorenzo, let alone Rossi.
Fair points Jenkins (even if your last paragraph was a bit O/T 
). But even if you support a team your attention is still primarily upon the drivers and their results. I notice it most when I speak to people who are much more casual F1 fans - they watch the races, know the drivers' names but don't particularly speak passionately about teams. And I notice it in myself when I watch motogp which I follow casually.
All my 'IMO' and my own analysis of course!
Tony I think it would drop, but then they might elevate an engineer or strategist to become the new hero with which the public can personify the team's success
). But even if you support a team your attention is still primarily upon the drivers and their results. I notice it most when I speak to people who are much more casual F1 fans - they watch the races, know the drivers' names but don't particularly speak passionately about teams. And I notice it in myself when I watch motogp which I follow casually.All my 'IMO' and my own analysis of course!
Tony I think it would drop, but then they might elevate an engineer or strategist to become the new hero with which the public can personify the team's success
Edited by zac510 on Monday 2nd August 16:43
zac510 said:
Fair points Jenkins (even if your last paragraph was a bit O/T ). But even if you support a team your attention is still primarily upon the drivers and their results. I notice it most when I speak to people who are much more casual F1 fans - they watch the races, know the drivers' names but don't particularly speak passionately about teams. And I notice it in myself when I watch motogp which I follow casually.
All my 'IMO' and my own analysis of course!
I think you are right, that most casual F1 fans start off knowing the drivers, if they get more into it then they might follow a team like they do with a footie team. I only care about which driver wins so that I know if my favourite team might win the championship! ). But even if you support a team your attention is still primarily upon the drivers and their results. I notice it most when I speak to people who are much more casual F1 fans - they watch the races, know the drivers' names but don't particularly speak passionately about teams. And I notice it in myself when I watch motogp which I follow casually.All my 'IMO' and my own analysis of course!
Edited by zac510 on Monday 2nd August 16:43
I still think that Lorenzo could teach Alonso a thing or two about how to handle defeat like a man!
For such a young kid, he deals with having an outstanding team mate like Rossi in an amazingly mature way. Even when he loses he has dignity. Alonso doesn't have that when he "wins"!
I suppose that Rossi is such a phenomenon that you can't help but like him. But the bikes are great too, with different engine cylinders/weight combinations giving different sounds and power delivery characteristics (Jap bikes vs. Ducatis for example) make for superb entertainment.
I think whilst there is a driver's world championship which bookmakers take bets on it has to be about the drivers with no team orders.
I wonder how the bookies deal with blatant team orders like those Fiat used - just like if it was a horse race and the jockey deliberately pulled it up to let a stablemate win.
People have gone to jail for fixing horse races - why is F1 any different
I wonder how the bookies deal with blatant team orders like those Fiat used - just like if it was a horse race and the jockey deliberately pulled it up to let a stablemate win.
People have gone to jail for fixing horse races - why is F1 any different
Edited by andy_k on Monday 2nd August 18:57
tonym911 said:
We could have that as one of the poll options. Not sure how to go about getting the poll going tho.
I don't know if you can add a poll to this thread?If not click "Start Topic" at the top of the page there should be a "create a poll" "button"
Click that & create the options.
Have had favourite drivers, some of whom are still there, but forgive me, I've always been a Ferrari fan, ever since seeing the "sharknose" cars at Aintree when I was a boy. My uncle took me to see the cars that were at a garage just off the circuit, where he knew one of the employees, and it was love at first sight. Been a fan ever since, no matter who's driving, it's got to be Ferrari.
Shaw Tarse said:
tonym911 said:
We could have that as one of the poll options. Not sure how to go about getting the poll going tho.
I don't know if you can add a poll to this thread?If not click "Start Topic" at the top of the page there should be a "create a poll" "button"
Click that & create the options.
Mazda Baiter said:
I would prefer to see a deserving winner of a good race. Don't care who, don't care what team they drive for.
That could be the third option for the poll (if only I could work out how to set one up). Maybe the wording could be:What should be the main focus of F1?
-the driver
-the team
-neither of the above, I just want good racing
Only trouble with having that as a third option is that it allows respondents to opt out of what I think is the key question, ie team or driver.
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