Thread: "Formula 1 is getting old." Darren Heath

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Apparently the average F1 fan fits neatly into a predictable category: he’s 45 years old, has two children, a middle-management career, plans on attending one race a year, and couch-slouches the rest on either terrestrial or digital TV.

ouch

What a stupid blog.


F1 is now commercially more successful than ever before. With a world-wide television (now in HD) audience of several 100s million every fortnight, and seemingly no lack of sponsors, how is the sport in jeopardy?

Formula 1 draws the largest world-wide body of fans of any motorsport. The sponsors doesn’t care if it’s either balding 40-something ( * cough * ) or 20 year olds watching the events? Sponsorship deals continue to be negotiated and that is what’s ultimately financing the sport.

What “clock is ticking”? I, for one see, no imminent end to the sport.

Why should kids “adore Formula 1”? So what if they don’t? Millions of others do. I certainly didn’t “adore” the sport as a kid. My interest in it expanded as I matured.

“The sport lives in the past on a diet of one-off $50m deals when progressive minds are all about 500 million $1 deals.” Wtf is this all about? F1 currently lives on current 500 million world-wide deals every two weeks.

The author talks about kids playing Angry Birds, and continues to cricize Kimi’s Lotus emblazoned with anti-dandruff shampoo and deodorant. Does he not realize that the car also carries an Angry Bird prominently on the nose?

Rubbish.

What is that bloke getting at? Just because he doesnt know any young'uns that follow F1, he thinks that there arent any?

The fact is F1 isnt for everyone, and if they dont like it they dont watch it. Much like I think football matches are pretty boring.

While F1 is certainly not in a bad shape, I'm sure that some things could be done much better. For instance, Formula 1's involvement on the Internet is extremely poor, which is a huge shame - how many million viewers would an appropriate presence on the Internet bring? If only they started a campaign to promote the sport on the Internet - higher presence on social networks, more contents published on the Internet, perhaps even live streaming of races... that's a kind of thing that could increase F1's popularity significantly, and it might appeal to many people who don't know about the sport any more than it's about cars driving round circuits, don't you think?

Originally Posted by schmenke

The sponsors doesn’t care if it’s either balding 40-something ( * cough * ) or 20 year olds watching the events? Sponsorship deals continue to be negotiated and that is what’s ultimately financing the sport.

Actually they care, they care a lot, different products have different markets, if your market is 20's, then you sponsor a sport that appeals to 20's, if your market is 40's with high income, you sponsor F1, apparently many companies want to sell to 40's with high income, which is why F1 has no problems getting sponsors.

How many 45 year olds are likely to buy Red Bull? Obviously Red Bull see the utility of advertising on the side of a Formula One car or else they wouldn't have done it... twice.

I get on a bus during the school commute, and every Wednesday there's always at least one copy of Auto Action mag being read by a few high school students. That suggests to me that today's kids are as likely to be F1 fans as ever before if that's a useful sample.

I reject Darren Heath's reality and substitute my own.

This glut of 45 year old fans, won't their kids follow in their parents love of the sport????

Originally Posted by N4D13

While F1 is certainly not in a bad shape, I'm sure that some things could be done much better. For instance, Formula 1's involvement on the Internet is extremely poor, which is a huge shame - how many million viewers would an appropriate presence on the Internet bring? If only they started a campaign to promote the sport on the Internet - higher presence on social networks, more contents published on the Internet, perhaps even live streaming of races... that's a kind of thing that could increase F1's popularity significantly, and it might appeal to many people who don't know about the sport any more than it's about cars driving round circuits, don't you think?

I would say F1 probably does better in this respect than any other form of motorsport. For example the live timing is free, comprehensive and real-time - much better than anyone else's. There is good content on the f1.com web site. As a counter-example, have you tried to use the World Superbikes web site - it's rubbish. Some of the teams make good content available too, e.g. the telemetry and pit radio they have on the McLaren site.

Originally Posted by AndyL

I would say F1 probably does better in this respect than any other form of motorsport. For example the live timing is free, comprehensive and real-time - much better than anyone else's.

In terms of engaging with fans F1, by that I mean the series not the teams or drivers, has been very slow to utilise social media and is way behind the likes of Indycar and NASCAR. The amount of content, particularly via Twitter, from drivers, teams and journalists, is excellent and makes the sport more accessible but FOM seem unwilling to engage in the same way, preferring to restrict access wherever possible.

I follow him on Twitter, all he ever does is whinge. Great photographer, mind.

An opinion supported by no facts. However F1/FOM could do a lot more with its online media, rather than just make copyright claims on everything that appears on youtube.

Originally Posted by fandango

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I'm inclined to agree completely with what he says (even though I'm 43 with two kids). Anyone any ideas on what F1 should do to move with the times?

Ticket prices? Online live broadcasting? Demotion and promotion like in football? A thread for some new ideas..

A really badly written, un-researched, cheap shot. You could have done the same blog about football, cricket or knitting.

I am 27 years old, no kids, i don't have a middle management career, I watch it on TV unless I am lucky enough to get a ticket to Silverstone. How you watch F1 on TV without sitting on the "couch" is impossible to answer. Don't you watch "24" or "Coronation Street" in the same way? Nobody complains about that. Presume he is implying us F1 fans are fat and don't get out much. Slightly ironic considering he probably spends most of his day on a computer. For the record, I am very active - keen on playing football, swimming and going to the gym!

Impossibly stupid blog - please don't give this idiot any attention.

A large group of friends watch F1 with close attention, and they are - shock horror - the same age! Not only that, some have only got into it over the last 2/3 years and now love it.

I'm guessing the point of that diatribe is are/how to keep young 'uns engaged in F1.

Best to left to the young 'uns to answer.


...Actually, on second thoughts, I envy kids today. The interweb is a wonderful resource. In my day I relied on Autosport when it was regarded as a bible and a few books from the library.

As for social media - I find 99.9% of its content as utter meaningless drivel.

Originally Posted by wedge

...As for social media - I find 99.9% of its content as utter meaningless drivel.

Completely agree.

Originally Posted by SGWilko

This glut of 45 year old fans, won't their kids follow in their parents love of the sport????

he forgot to say the average fan drives an s-max too

Originally Posted by wedge

As for social media - I find 99.9% of its content as utter meaningless drivel.

Personally, I agree - but, of course, there are many people who enjoy its content. Giving F1 a higher presence in social media would make the sport appealing for a wider audience, and I can't see any downsides to it. It's not like it's really expensive, is it?

Originally Posted by wedge

As for social media - I find 99.9% of its content as utter meaningless drivel.

My apologies, but this sounds like someone who doesn't use social media themselves but has heard lots about it

Of course there is drivel on social media sites, just as there is in newspapers, on television and (dare I say it) on forums like this. They key to it is finding the content you are interested in, which isn't hard, and filtering out the drivel. Once that's done you have access to information, news, and (for a business) the means to manage your brand and engage with your customers.

At the last count Fernando Alonso has 591,226 followers on Twitter and his team have 277,142. That's a lot of fans, and customers, which Fernando and Ferrari have direct access to and who are interested in their brand.

Originally Posted by N4D13

Personally, I agree - but, of course, there are many people who enjoy its content. Giving F1 a higher presence in social media would make the sport appealing for a wider audience, and I can't see any downsides to it. It's not like it's really expensive, is it?

F1 was really slow in setting up their website as well. I remember wondering about it back then.

Originally Posted by wedge

I'm guessing the point of that diatribe is are/how to keep young 'uns engaged in F1.

Best to left to the young 'uns to answer.


...Actually, on second thoughts, I envy kids today. The interweb is a wonderful resource. In my day I relied on Autosport when it was regarded as a bible and a few books from the library.

As for social media - I find 99.9% of its content as utter meaningless drivel.

I remember when I discovered that Autosport existed and it was in the college library! Wow an entire magazine just about motorsport !