Bernie Ecclestone: Formula 1 doesn't need young fans - F1 news - AUTOSPORT.com I believe building an fan base is beyond logic now. I have no faith in F1 given this lack of foresight for a future of F1.
A bit of "Götterdämmerung" here, no? Bernie seems to be thinking "I'm old and soon be fading away, but if the sport/spectacle that I have created could die with me, that would be my choice; i'm taking it with me"... Rgds
Wow. Maybe technically true, but eventually many broke 15 yr olds become wealthy 70 yr olds & if the love of a sport hasn't been inculcated into them earlier in life, it's at best a passing fancy or a modest interest & not a true that passion...T
+1 Bernie isn't stupid, my immediate thought with these comments are that he's still driving the price of F1 down so he can buy CVC out and run it his way.
A slap in the fact to youth - those who desire to work in F1 driver, mechanic any function in a team. I guess Bernie does not see the youth and dreams around him. He is beyond idiotic.
As if he is immune to death itself. I could care less what he wants strategically. He is all over the place now with his decision process. When he leaves a new direction could possibly be found. An idiot for voicing his thoughts today.
I thought the thread was about kimi raikkonnen before I clicked on it, whoopsy. But can't say I'm a fan of bernie. He is the first that needs to go. There's a distinction between engagement of fans and having the means to purchase sponsors products that bernie just isn't getting. Sure he is correct that the younger generation can't afford a Rolex and are somewhat irrelevant to the sponsors but if f1 doesn't manage to draw in younger viewers it will become redundant in the future. And tbh isn't the number of viewers the only relevant metric to sponsorship anyway? Or do sponsors decide how much they are willing to pay based on the viewer demographic? I will still be enjoying f1 long after he is dead. Even if I'm irrelevant to him right now
But he is, isn't he , well he may inspire the cabbages one day..6ft under....there again he will probably freeze himself and someone may eject him into spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace
Bernie has signed off on his own demise with these absurd statements. Time for F-1 to follow Ferrari's lead and clean house. BHW
CVC are in a strange position with Bernie. No matter what comes out of his mouth and how much they may disagree, they simply cannot ignore just how much return he's been instrumental in creating for them on their initial investment. He's helped them take out BILLIONS of dollars and is still doing it. He will die still in charge no matter what direction the sport takes and I'm not that convinced he cares what happens to it when he's gone.
Yup, I can't argue with that, and saying that, Hecklestone does have this seemingly bizarre ability to say one thing and completely mean another, and end up getting what he wants..
bernie loves stirring the pot. He not only says one thing meaning the other...but normally does as well.
"Après moi, le déluge" is a set phrase used to denigrate the attitude of someone who acts irresponsibly, without worrying on the consequences that his/her acts could have. Something like: "I don't care what happens next, I'll be gone", "The world could collapse after I'm gone, no big deal". The French sentence is attributed to Louis XV.
Not confusing. He has consistently ignored input from the teams on Social Networking and reaching out to fans who in fact use this, young or old. He is an ignorant old man doing great damage to a sport that is simply out of touch with its fans. The statements today only confirm this more. Today is the day for me to stop thinking Bernie has any skill at all to take the sport into the future. He cannot and utterly refuses to today. There is not much to explain here at all. Proof of his denial of systems to enhance fans of the sport - http://en.espnf1.com/caterham/motorsport/story/184017.html
To be honest, I doubt that a few tweets could do anything to avoid the current debacle in TV ratings.
I get what he is saying with branding, 15 year old kids are not the target for brands like Mercedes and Rolex... and in the US how many kids wake up at 6AM to watch an F1 race? same can be said for golf and other sports where demographics are a little older. but these demographics have always been the same, you do not have to target people as teenagers so that 10 years down the road they are fans that meet your branding demographics.
Most of F1 is about the glamour anyway. Out of every "fan" you meet, how many actually know the sport.
Amazing responses considering how many children I see at F1 races. Bernie has no sight for the future. He is the last person who should be running the sport at this time now. A critical time. He ignores the very reality and technology people communicate with. I watched F1 in my teens. I know many others who did. How little life has changed to be honest. Teens represent a powerful market. Maybe not for Rolex but for Red Bull etc. How many 70's are drinking Red Bull? When I attend a race I see alot of younger people without question. Bernie - The current idiot ruling F1.
Of course young people push a huge amount of money, otherwise why would the likes of Nike spend so much sponsoring young peoples's sports? Whether it's their own money or the money spent by older people on things identified as cool because young people think so, it's valuable money for potential sponsors. And, it may not be the current F1 sponsors, but new ones that would step in if the demographics shifted a bit. I also don't imagine that Bernie doesn't actually get all this. He says what he says... I do understand the point about lack of rich 15-year-olds to watch F1. All the rich 15-year-olds are too busy on race weekends to watch F1...because they're driving in F1.
