Saturday, November 5, 2016

Formula 1 Racing


Von Trips led by Hill in 1961 (above), Rosberg and Hamilton in 2016.

My thoughts on Shortening the F1 Season

FORMULA 1 racing was basically born of the competitiveness in the automotive industry. Elite engine manufacturers would strive to prove the superiority of their product with endurance of the machinery under extreme conditions. Major manufacturers financially sponsored their own cars from their own factories. Winning races meant bragging rights when advertising to the buying public... especially wealthy celebrities.

In those days, races would be run on open roads that coursed through rural country sides, passing small farms on the way through small towns. Spectators could freely sit on hills and fences along roadsides to watch the racer cars speed by. There was a certain charm to early Formula 1 racing. But it was a very dangerous time and the demand for driver and spectator safety began to shape F1 into what it is today.

Design engineering, technology, closed courses, safety equipment, and travel: all these elements understandably contribute to the rising cost of F1 Racing.

Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way

My interest in F1 racing this year was rekindled when I read Michael Cannell’s book “The Limit” about American F1 Champion Phil Hill and his teammate and rival Wolfgang von Trips. It is a good book... the REAL old school kind with hard cover and paper pages. It took me back to my days as a kid when F1 racing was shown on Saturday mornings after the cartoons were over. We watched it on ABC’s Wide World of Sports and then rode our bicycles around the neighborhood pretending to be Jackie Stewart. I wondered how the F1 Circuit had changed since those days of clipping playing cards into the spokes of our bike tires to emulate the sound of engine pistons. And so I began to follow the 2016 Formula One season.

First, I visited the official F1 website to get the season schedule. I printed and posted it in my cubicle at work, and wrote the location of each race on my wall calendar. That’s right...I didn’t use my mobile device. I wanted to be sure my interest in racing was purely mine, not some electronic reminder to tune in.

Next, I reviewed the list of drivers, and visited their profiles. I’d like to say I selected drivers to “favor” based on their records, but as my online F1 Go-To-Guy Michael Lamonato will attest, my race vocabulary and understanding was a bit rusty. So I did the next best thing: chose drivers to watch based on their looks. It was a tough choice because Formula 1 drivers are traditionally very handsome.

I chose to follow Felipe Nasr and Nico Rosberg. To my delight, the rivalry between Nico and his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton reminds me much of the Hill/Von Trips rivalry 55 years ago. Watching Felipe race is a pleasure because he is a good driver. He has to be: otherwise he would not be racing at this level. It’s exciting to see his car move up in position during the races. (I just wish I was able to read his blogs.)

At the beginning of the season, I was following the F1 GP on Social Media. Twitter, connected me to a live audience, but it was not the race itself. Then I tried live streaming it on the F1 website, it was a little faster getting updates, but it was clumsy at best. Then, early one Sunday morning, I went to the family room and flicked all over the cable channels until I heard David Hobbs’ voice commenting on the race. I had found the live televised coverage and I was transported back in time to the excitement we experienced as kids. I continued to track the commentary on Twitter during the race: asking questions about tire strategy and track design. The combined use of a variety of media was GREAT!!!

Whether is it via social media or television, I have been “tuning in” all season long. It is exciting to be able to converse with fans in other countries during a live race. I have to admit to being a little envious of those fans in Monaco! (Ah... some day!)

Endurance and Innovation

So while the excitement for Formula One racing is building momentum for me -- and I’m making the effort to watch the races live--it was curious to hear that some would contemplate shortening the race season, and even the races themselves.

Yes. The race times are not always convenient for everyone around the world. I choose to wake up early on Sundays to watch the race. I could sleep in, but only dreams happen in slumber. Real life requires waking up, getting involved and connecting with other people.

Yes. The races are long, usually running and hour and a half. I was able to watch many race starts which are exciting because a lot of action takes place off the Pole. Anything mechanical and strategic can happen during any lap, giving any driver an advantage and a chance to win. That is F1 racing at its fundamental core: endurance, skill and strategy.

True. I don’t get the opportunity to see many finishes because I attend Mass on Sundays. This is a choice of priority for me. While my mobile device is switched off in Church, my prayers include the safety of all the F1 drivers. After the closing prayer and benediction, I check the F1 Twitter feed to see who won.

Television viewing is said to be on the decline. Perhaps that’s true for a variety of marketing factors: primary among them may be a finite number of viewers accessing race coverage by the growing number of avenues which those viewers choose to access the races. Couple that with the on-demand viewing habits of millennials. From a consumer stand point, I think one of the more glaring factors is advertising format. It goes beyond major sponsor logos being plastered all over retaining walls, cars and the drivers themselves. Televised live race coverage shrinks to the size of a postage stamp in the corner of a television screen while the same commercials run over and over. It should be the other way around. I tune in to watch the race... not cinematography about car parts. And although the Pirelli Tyre spot with the soft yellow shoes is totally relatable, I don’t need to see it every 20 seconds.

The most obvious factor of all might be the lack of interest in the sport itself. That raises a separate set of marketing questions to which solutions would be a topic for another blog.

I respectfully disagree with those who might speculate the season is too long. Tweeted or televised, I have looked forward to each race. I’m bummed out that the 2016 season is nearly over. In 10 months, I’ve learned enough from broadcasters, commentators and fans to the point where I am comfortable weighing in with my opinion here. 

F1 racing is about endurance and innovation. It is my opinion the length of the season is a perfect test of mental, physical and mechanical stamina.

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 Inspired by Human Endurance and Innovation.