Floyd on F1
TODT’S ‘GREEN’ F1: THERE IS A DANGER THAT SPORT CAN BECOME TOO SANITIZED
Formula One is on it’s way to become pay television’s most expensive comedy. John Floyd
It is difficult understand the logic in many of the new proposals and decisions that will influence Formula One’s future. The onset of pay-to-view television is high on the list.
In 2018 Sky TV commences an exclusive contract that will see British fans lose the free to air broadcast of F1.
This is an experience that all fans in SA have had to live with for several years – a situation that has done nothing to enhance the sport.
The British fans are apparently outraged – many have stated that they are not prepared to add to their monthly expenditure just to watch F1. Like here, they will have to pay for the full package of sports in order to view F1. Too bad if you are not interested in the other sports – take it or leave it.
F1’s new owners have proclaimed their objective to increase global awareness of the sport and ensure that the shareholders receive their dividends.
So to ensure this scenario a pay wall will be introduced. I find this situation incongruous.
Motorsport has always required large sums of money to ensure its continuation.
From its earliest days, it relied on gate takings at the track and, most importantly, sponsorships.
These proved the most lucrative and circuits carried banners giving advertisers the opportunity to expand their product marketing. This increased when television broadcasts commenced.
When the broadcasts became worldwide, they allowed an excellent platform for major global companies to take their products to millions of potential clients.
During the course of the 2014 season, some 425 million people watched F1. Current figures suggest significant drops in viewers. Will pay TV further limit the number of companies willing to advertise as the number of viewers and consequently the potential market dwindles?
Even Honda motorsport chief, Masashi Yamamoto, is concerned that the move to pay TV is damaging the sport, particularly in Japan. He said: “Free-to-air TV would be the biggest issue to increase the number of viewers. Obviously, it would improve Honda’s F1 promotion.”
Governing body the FIA has once again ignored the requests of virtually all involved in the sport and announced that the 2018 season will bring a further reduction in the number of elements that teams can use before penalties are applied.
Article 23.3a of the 2018 Sporting Regulations states: “Unless he drives for more than one team, each driver may use no more than three engines (ICE), three motor generator units-heat (MGU-H), three turbochargers (TC), two energy stores (ES), two control electronics (CE) and two motor generator units-kinetic (MGU-K).
“Should a driver use more than those numbers during a Championship season, a grid place penalty will be imposed upon him at the first event during which each additional element is used.”
It is hard to believe that this change to the regulations has been enforced following the debacle that was the grid in Monza and the grumbling from both teams and fans alike.
Most teams are on the edge of penalties or have already suffered, after exceeding this season’s higher limits.
So, for 2018 we can expect to see even more penalties and a continuation of this utterly farcical situation.
But then FIA President Jean Todt’s apparent goal of ensuring that F1 is a green sport and will never again be plagued by the unacceptable noise levels of awful 12, ten and eight-cylinder engines, is continuing to raise its ugly head.
Add impetuous drivers taking risks in an attempt to overtake and cross the finish line first – surely a safety risk? After all, in the new sanitized version of F1 the wishes of the spectators and fans are of no consequence.
This was displayed by Todt at Monza when he was informed that the majority of fans were against the enforced implementation of the “halo” safety device. He responded: “Honestly, I don’t care. I would care if something dangerous happens and I realised that we could have prevented it.” So, no more danger, then. But the one idea to take the cake has to be the latest attempt to improve the sound of the engines, an area that has been a bone of contention from the commencement of the hybrid era.
Sean Bratches, the commercial chief of FOM, announced the latest plan to satisfy our auditory senses.
According to Bratches, a man with a “stellar reputation in sports television and broadcast innovation”, one David Hill, is working with a German company to improve the sound track.
They are developing a ceramic microphone that will be attached to the exhaust pipe to, in the words of Bratches. “Get the true amplification of sound for fans.”
Forgive me if I have got this all wrong but it is not the sound level that is the problem but rather the frequency spectrum issuing from the hybrid V6 engine. Rather like a performance tuned ride on a lawnmower, you can make that as loud as you like but it is not going get my adrenaline flowing.
I really believe those in charge are fast on the way to ensuring that F1 will become the best pay television comedy show in the world.