The new cars are ruining the sport. The racing is too processional. The sport was better ‘back in my day’.
These are just some of the accusations levelled at Formula One following the most recent alterations to the sport’s regulations.
True, they are the most significant modifications in a generation, but fan discontent following rule changes is nothing new.
Whether it’s the start of the ground effect era in 2022, the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014, or the double diffuser drama of 2009, Formula One starting afresh and fan protests often go hand in hand – and that’s just this century.
And so, with the introduction of active aerodynamics and a greater reliance on battery power this season, it is no surprise to see a new era greeted with the same grumbles among certain sections of the fanbase.
That’s not to say that the complaints levelled at this year’s new regulations are not justified, but they likely would have arrived regardless, and the sport’s increased global profile means they are perhaps louder than they have been previously.
But Formula One sees changes to the racing formula as necessary to keep things fresh and ensure car development and racing are as innovative and exciting as possible. Owners Liberty Media will also point to the dramatic off-track growth of the sport in recent years as vindication of its approach.
Never before has the series known this level of popularity, which has brought a new set of concerns from traditional fans who fear widened appeal will dilute what they enjoy about the sport.
Indeed, the unfalsifiable argument that Formula One was better before it became popular will continue to permeate fan discourse. The problem is that a sport that only caters to its existing fanbase will struggle to retain long-term relevance, as the series’ chief communications and corporate relations officer, Liam Parker, tells BlackBook Motorsport.
He says: “My view would be do you want to look back in ten years’ time and I say, this is a very simplified argument but, [our fanbase is] two million men, 50 years old, love our sport and will never leave?
“Or would I like to say they’re still with us, but we’ve got five million younger boys and girls in the US that are now the future generation of this sport and love it for different reasons? I would take that any day.”
Americanisation or modernisation?
The specific focus placed on expanding Formula One’s presence in the US has been particularly disconcerting for traditional fans. The argument is that the Americanisation of the series has seen the spectacle of entertainment given precedence over the sanctity of the sport.
Indeed, the Formula One of old would likely not have enjoyed a global box office hit starring Brad Pitt and generating over US$600 million. While the accuracy of the movie can be questioned, its goal was to introduce the sport to new audiences – something it undoubtedly achieved, building on the well-documented success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Ultimately, Parker argues that Formula One’s off-track activities only become an issue if the on-track product isn’t living up to fan expectations, likening it to the media’s treatment of the England soccer team.
“It’s really great when all the families and wives and girlfriends are in the England football squad when we’re winning … as soon as we start losing, it’s a problem,” he says.
There is also an argument that the rapid commercialisation of the sport is a direct effect of American influence thanks to Liberty Media, but US expansion has been a long-term ambition for the sport. Races in the car park of Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas in the 1980s and the infield of Indianapolis in the 2000s are but two examples of this in action.
It’s also hard to remember a time when Formula One didn’t follow the money. Tobacco sponsorships once dominated the sport, after all, while forays into the Middle East, Asia and Russia have all had similar motives.
The bottom line is that the average franchise in the National Football League (NFL) is now worth US$7.13 billion despite the league being a predominantly domestic product. The eye-catching financials of the US market are impossible to ignore for any sport with global ambitions, while the market has plenty of lessons for international properties to heed.
He adds: “Americanisation isn’t a bad thing, I would change ‘Americanisation’ to a modernisation mindset … Without that mindset and learning from American sports, we’d probably be a year or two behind where we are right now.”
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is now an unmistakable part of the Formula One schedule (Image credit: Getty Images)
‘The destruction of traditional sport’
A significant contributor to the Americanisation argument is the three races currently held in the US. A global championship staging three events in the same country, yet not currently having a single visit to Africa, is tricky to justify.
But the situation is much more nuanced than arbitrary numbers equalling a balanced calendar. Formula One is in discussions for a race in Africa, but Parker underlines that any new country that joins the schedule must have a bulletproof commercial case.
He explains: “It would be so easy for us tomorrow to say we’re going to Africa, but what happens if people don’t turn up? [If] people don’t return in year two [or] there’s no commercial deal around it?
“[What if] people don’t really fall in love with the sport and they have empty grandstands? That’s not what we want. We want to go and stay for five, ten years.”
It is this approach that has cemented the US on the schedule. Traditionalists might have reservations, but the Grands Prix in Miami and Las Vegas in particular have evolved into so much more than mere Formula One races. The commercial opportunity that exists around those races is enviable, and the teams often now structure partnership announcements around these tentpole moments.
The prestige and diversity of Formula One’s commercial portfolio have expanded significantly under Liberty’s ownership, allowing it to benefit from the vast marketing budgets of Lego, LVMH, and Disney. KitKat is now the official chocolate bar of Formula One as part of a series of more innovative and quirky agreements and activations.
Parker argues this new direction is about modernising the sport: “I think it’s great, I mean it’s simply great to walk into major supermarkets and see our presence there … if people want to consume it and enjoy it, it’s there.
“I think this term ‘Americanisation’, it’s a very pejorative term. People assume Americanisation means the destruction or undermining of a traditional sport that is European and should never change.”
Reaching audiences in the right way
He stresses that Formula One will always look to retain its core European audience, but this must be balanced with attracting new viewers.
As a developing market, the US enables Formula One to take risks and experiment. The new streaming deal with Apple would not have been possible in the developed European hubs where viewers are tied to traditional linear consumption habits, for example.
In a lot of ways, this is the crux of the Americanisation versus modernisation argument for Parker as, in his opinion, people are applying outdated methodology to evaluate a modern data set.
“There’s so much talk about ‘how were your TV numbers this week versus last week?’ and it’s a very linear way of doing it,” he says. “But there’s so many different ways consumers now in different markets consume media.”
In a preseason call with select media, the argument from Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali focused on the ‘reach’ that would be possible with Apple over ESPN’s linear route to market.
Parker expands on this by saying that Apple’s viewership numbers will in fact be comparable to ESPN, which averaged 1.32 million viewers last year, despite the fact that the streaming platform is yet to release any audience data publicly.
Of course, ‘reach’ is an unquantifiable metric, and Apple is historically secretive with its viewership numbers. The ‘halo’ effect of being on ESPN, the most influential sports platform in the US, is similarly unquantifiable but also significant and the loss of free-to-air (FTA) coverage on ABC is also a consideration.
However, the Canadian Grand Prix was simulcast on Netflix, reaching new audiences to compensate for any decline in exposure – evidence of experimentation at work.
Still, if the Apple deal proves to be a success, Parker says Formula One understands that does not necessarily mean it will work elsewhere.
“The key thing we’re seeing is a greater diversity of audience with Apple … that works [in the US], it might work somewhere else in the future [but] certain markets will continue to be TV, others will evolve in different ways,” he says.
Parker even suggests that airing races live via YouTube supported by ad sales could be a broadcasting tactic in certain markets, underlining the series’ desire to be flexible.
That said, rumblings of a global streaming deal with Apple will likely grow louder if the US market experiment proves to be an unquestionable success. A sequel to the F1 movie, which is in the works, will most certainly contribute too.
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