F1 - where has all the money gone?

[NaBUru38]

I don't think that things are much different now compared to 20-30 years ago,

One thing has changed. F1 and FOM are far more aggressive in getting sponsors to sponsor either the sport itself or individual races than teams.

That's true. Plus, only a few teams get to the podium (unlike IndyCar, for example). Sponsoring a mid-pack team isn't good business, except for national companies.

Ummmm, an F1 sponsor can go a whole season to see a glimpse of their logo on CNN. The vision that was captured when Alonso gave Webber a lift back to the pits was a rare moment and very rewarding for their sponsors. The camera's followed the pair as they made their way around the circuit. Every news program had it as a major vision for the race. It will be played over and over.

I doubt that a 30-second newspiece is worth the money. By sponsoring an F1 team, viewers associate those companies as major and established. Seeing the same sponsor on a car for years is even better for the company.

[Mark]

It works better in cycling IMO. Where the name of the team is the name of the sponsor, so they are called like, Sky, Garmin etc, not McLaren / Ferrari. So the sponsors get a name check in the commentary.

[dj_bytedisaster]

It works better in cycling IMO. Where the name of the team is the name of the sponsor, so they are called like, Sky, Garmin etc, not McLaren / Ferrari. So the sponsors get a name check in the commentary.

Technically the sponsors are part of the F1 team names, too - Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Scuderria Ferrari Marlboro etc. but it would be too cumbersome to always say the full team name in the commentary, or we'd end up with NASCAR-esque hillarity

"It's time for an update on that rack, sponsored by Maco Autobody shop. Let's try to get a word with the driver down there in Zagnut infield communication center."

[Malbec]

It works better in cycling IMO. Where the name of the team is the name of the sponsor, so they are called like, Sky, Garmin etc, not McLaren / Ferrari. So the sponsors get a name check in the commentary.

Sponsoring an F1 team has hidden benefits though. If Vodaphone uses McLaren imagery to advertise then all the other McLaren sponsors get exposure on the advert without paying a penny. I don't think any sport outside motor racing gets this level of cross-advertising.

Also because of the prominent positioning of logos and the fact that historic F1 seems to get more exposure than past seasons of other sports, sponsorship is likely to get returns many years down the line. Imagine all the free advertising Honda, Malboro and Nacional bank get whenever there's a Senna tribute film or programme.

[Mark]

And tobacco sponsors too. Which looks very strange these days.

[jens]

The money has gone or disappeared into recession blackhole. So has the F1 money, which is just a small part of the wider world context.

As pointed out, the ban of tobacco sponsorship has dried further avenues of sponsorship possibilites.

[steveaki13]

Bring back Tobacco advertising. I don't smoke or want to smoke, So why the hell should I care.

[BDunnell]

On top of that, the big sponsors of yesteryear aren't allowed anymore - tobacco companies.

And quite right too. It was ridiculous that one sport became so dependent upon sponsors from a single field.

[BDunnell]

Bring back Tobacco advertising. I don't smoke or want to smoke, So why the hell should I care.

Because it's not just about you. Anything that can be done to stop people from taking up smoking is fine by me.

[BDunnell]

Technically the sponsors are part of the F1 team names, too - Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Scuderria Ferrari Marlboro etc. but it would be too cumbersome to always say the full team name in the commentary, or we'd end up with NASCAR-esque hillarity

It used to be much more the case that commentators referred to sponsors' names. Watch a GP from the '70s and one often hears of the 'UOP Shadow', 'Olympus Hesketh', 'Elf Tyrrell' and so forth, to say nothing, of course, of JPS. The names were less long-winded than they often are today, I suppose, and tripped off the tongue that bit better.

"It's time for an update on that rack, sponsored by Maco Autobody shop. Let's try to get a word with the driver down there in Zagnut infield communication center."

Ah, memories of the Bathurst coverage in years gone by, with the 'Toyota Track-Cam', 'Ferodo Replay' and similar nonsense. I seem to recall that one one occasion this got so bad that the BBC had to pull its highlights coverage. But I digress.