Motorsport Off Topic Thread

I suspect that the main cause for the drop in viewing figures is the cost to watch the races even at home, Not the number of cylinders on the engines!

For example, Sky F1 when first launched totaled up at £363 for a year, its now up to £562! No wonder most people I know that follow F1 have turned to illegal streams!

It would be interesting to see a comparison between the drop in TV viewing figures in countries with free coverage and those with paid access...
 
Svack said:
I suspect that the main cause for the drop in viewing figures is the cost to watch the races even at home, Not the number of cylinders on the engines!
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Drop in viewing figures in the UK can not be attributed to one factor alone. Sky did not take over coverage until 2012, so what happened between 2008 and 2012?
IMO the factors (in no particular order) which have lead to lower viewing figures since 2008 are:

1) switch to Sky
2) dominance of Red Bull and Vettel
3) lack of competitive British drivers in competitive cars
4) move from classic tracks to Tilke ****
5) more fly away races means more early morning races
6) lack of wheel to wheel racing due to tracks and aero
7) too many random changes in rules with no relevance to racing

To me, the change from V8 to V6 actually improved the racing due to different people having better cars/engines initially.
 
How do we even know what the viewing figures are, most of them are made up bs, with more digital viewing and more subscriptions what you can perceive as viewing figures may be more accurate but it's near impossible to tell if say 5 people all independently watched F1 at home on the BBC in 2008 and now collectively get together in one guys place watching with a single Sky subscription.

Viewing figures have by and large always been huge estimates anyway. So getting past that and likely exaggerations and getting around the stupidity.... F1 revenue went up 40-50% in the same time frame. Deuse keeps painting the massive drop(estimated) in viewing figures as detrimental to F1 yet the financial figures(actual facts) suggest F1 is going from strength to strength.

As with most sports, what will maintain the sport isn't mass viewership but actual ability to produce revenue. More subscription based viewing usually brings with it both less viewers and higher income.
 
Some good points there actually,
I watch the Sky races down my local pub since they show them all live, even the early morning ones!
On the subject of Tilke tracks, I actually switched off the Sochi race last year due to how mind numbingly boring it was, I wonder how many others did the same!

I quite like the switch to the V6 engines, the cars push out so much more torque,
watching them slide round some of the corners makes for great viewing!
 
I think the Ferrari effect is having and effect on the numbers.

Also, after Schumacher left, people who loved him were struggling to find a new hero and the ones who hate him and want to see him beaten lost their villain. Between 2008 and 2012/15 Ferrari were crap i think this had some kind of effect.
 
The article that deuse linked too that started this discussion suggests the primary cause is the reduction of free to air broadcasters.

He's just ignoring this so that he can use it as 'evidence' in his campaign to **** off the V6s at every possibility. Which is hillarious when he then starts telling us that we should use facts and not opinions in our arguments :p:rolleyes:.
 
Of course the indications of Renault saying they would leave if the V8's continued and Honda only coming back because of the V6 twin turbo Hybrid engines has been conveniently overlooked?
 
MissChief said:
Of course the indications of Renault saying they would leave if the V8's continued and Honda only coming back because of the V6 twin turbo Hybrid engines has been conveniently overlooked?
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No not really as Horner has said he would prefer the Renault V8 to these engines.
Caterham have gone and Lotus now has the Merc engine so Renault only supply 2 teams(I think)
There are rumors that Renault may buy FI soon but who knows.
 
MissChief said:
Of course the indications of Renault saying they would leave if the V8's continued and Honda only coming back because of the V6 twin turbo Hybrid engines has been conveniently overlooked?
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Mercedes were making serious noises about leaving too. Sticking with V8s could have quite possibly seen F1 with a single engine manufacturer!

deuse said:
No not really as Horner has said he would prefer the Renault V8 to these engines.
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So a team owner says he preferred the regulations as they were when they won 8 championships to the regualtions now when they have won... none.

Shock. In other news, Horner has also confirmed that water is wet and that the sky is blue.

I wonder which set of regulations Toto Wolff prefers... :p
 
That fence around the topiary is fairly recent. Looked so much better without it.

I think they've replaced the bodywork now, but a couple of years ago the suspended FW-19 still had Schumachers tyre marks on the sidepod. :D
 
Its almost impossible to get decent pics in the Williams Museum, the lighting in there is so odd!
Its does not look to have changed much at all from when I was last in there about 5 years ago.
 
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