Prost "frustrated" by fan reception to new F1 engines Prost "frustrated" by fan reception to new F1 engines | Formula 1 news | Motorsport.com Four-time world champion Alain Prost has expressed his frustration about the way Formula 1's new engine rules have not won over fans. The arrival of hybrid turbo power units in F1 has not been universally supported, and teams are already looking at ways to make the engines more powerful and louder over the next few years. Prost sees a huge contrast between the attractiveness of electric power in Formula E, in which he is a team boss, and the fact that impressive technology in F1 is a turn off. In F1, its a bit different and what is happening is a bit frustrating, he told Motorsport.com. We have an engine whose technology is incredibly advanced, but people have not bought into it. Maybe people expect something very different from F1. At the end of the day, they dont really care about the chassis, or about outright pace. "They want battles on track, because they want it to be interesting; its a real drivers championship. Formula 1 remains a bit distant, and youre always a bit far away from F1. Yet, this two-year-old engine which is as powerful but consumes 30% to 40% less fuel, you feel like the fans dont really care about that. You also need to understand it according to the series, according to the approach, according to the customer base and theyre real fans, rather 40 to 60 years old. But we in [Formula E] are aiming at another category, notably for younger people. You shouldnt have the same marketing positioning on both, thats obvious.
I think the argument about noise is also a little frustration by fans because the racing has been quite **** for the last 2 seasons. Only very occasionally we've had a different car as a winner, and no challengers for wins really. Watching the parade and then with **** noise was an easy target. I'm still not happy with the noise, but if races where like Sunday's GP more often we wouldn't complain so much. I wouldn't be interested if F1 was Formula E though. Even with these battles... FE is not winning over young people to be interested in racing. At all. People interested in going as green as possible are quite simply not interested in racing.
I have been a huge fan of Formula 1 since I started following it in 1974, and even 2 years later and after a great race in Hungary, I still do not like the current engines (power units). I know they are a great technological breakthrough and are much more efficient than the previous V8 engines they replaced, they just do nothing for me. I am very thankful I was able to attend over 20 races between 1992 and 2013 to witness how awe inspiring I found the normally aspirated Formula 1 cars. Maybe it is just too much like health food, I know it is better for me, but I prefer what I like more than what I am told I should like. For what it is worth, I am not that interested in Formula E either. For me personally it is V12>V10>V8>1980s turbos>current V6 turbo hybrids...
I am with you on this. What the "fans" want is good racing with a simple formula easy to watch. For the last 2 years, F1 has been too difficult to understand, with complicated technical rules, compounded with unjust penalties that spoil the show. I am afraid that for people who lived through the V10/V12 atmo era, nothing else will do, apart maybe the turbo era with its mad power, and banzai qualif cars. The hybrid era is a real put-off for many long-standing followers because it lacks the noise, and it's too tame. Who cares if cars use 40% less fuel? Prost may be thrilled by that, but the punters in the grandstands or in front of their TV don't give a damn. Also, at drivers level, I think the grid penalties dished out because of mechanical/electronic failures are ridiculous. The ban on testing, the restriction on development, the lack of reliability, the absence of noise are contrary to the aims of F1.
He's mad bc he's in formula E which I can't imagine is doing very well. I've never heard of or seen a race nor do i care to. Electronic cars don't stir my soul the same way.
Formula E has its merits and should be seen as another series. It has nothing to do with F1 and will attract a different audience, I believe. It's adopting hybrid technology that is the cause of the present F1 identity crisis. The FIA, Prost and some manufacturers want a formula "relevent" to road car technology, but in doing so they have emasculated traditional F1 which is about power and noise and not clever electronics and fuel saving. That alienate the purists.
AP was a truly great driver who has his head firmly planted in le sand when it comes to F1. There is a simple fact - fans are leaving and turning off in their droves. Trying to contort F1 into a mass production car relevant series is killing the sport. Whilst the last two races have served up some great moments, the biggest danger comes from those that seem to think that makes everything OK. The "..see, we had some interesting things happen in Hungary so everything is fine" attitude is the greatest danger to our chances of extracting F1 from its death spiral.
With the new start procedure your concerns will probably come to an end. Though maybe not for the next few races...the mercs should sail right past the ferraris perhaps maybe not the Williams
The fuzzy noise is the worst. From the 80s till the 2000s, the sound of an F1 car's engine was like one of the identity of F1. Since those changes, I went to 2 live GPs, and I will never go anymore. Not till they bring back the sound. Secondly, let's accept the fact that the bloody hybrids were brought in to please those Greenpeace fellas.
Formula E sucks and so do the engine sounds of F1 because of the fuel flow limits. Hybrid cars rule, KERS and turbos rock.
I want max power, I want drivers who admit to being physically challenged in the car, not commenting that it's nothing like ten years ago, I want qualifying pace on every lap, no saving fuel, tires, brakes, or anything else. Full out, breakneck pace racing...refueling, and risk. Make the cars advanced, but don't restrict the racing by needing tire or fuel saving.
Someone tell prost racing is not about using 40% less fuel! Racing is about taking man and machine to the ragged edge of blowing up and then pitting that timebomb against another man's time bomb while fans watch the fireworks.
I just have to wonder - do they really care? Also, what is that based on? I hear it a lot, but I haven't seen any supporting facts. If attendance is down at the venues, that affects the venues; not F1. Roughly a third of F1 revenue comes from the venues paying for the race. Next year they will add yet another race probably to the tune of 75-100m and continue growing revenue unless I'm missing something. I don't like the formula right now entirely either, but I question how much leverage the argument that "fans are leaving" really has...
Diminishing attendance at venues will force some organisers to give up holding GPs. for pure economical reasons. Circuits cannot run at loss for ever. Less viewing on TV will also push some channels to stop showing GPs, or at least to renegotiate lower fees from Ecclestone. If the F1 audience is shrinking, the sponsors may seek new pasture for their money, or stop being so generous to the teams they support. F1 is competing against several sports for the sponsors money. It's a fact that Ecclestone is constantly looking for new venues, because some old ones stop holding GPs, or are under threat to stop. Some venues have absolutely no local support, but are financed by governments looking for temporary exposure; after a few years, they will stop paying the fees, and then what?
In the end, it's all about going as fast as possible and racing as hard as you can. Effing with that to make some sort of political point misses the essence of what racing (F1 or otherwise) is all about. That's what turn folks off. To see your favorite team or driver relegated to the back bench because they failed to exploit the rules to their greatest advantage is disheartening, especially when there is nothing they can do to change their plight, because the rules restrict testing and development. I've been an F1 fan since Jack Brabham and Stirling Moss, Fangio drove for one of my high school classmates fathers. But, lately, NASCAR is more fun to watch than F1. Simply because it focuses more on racing than BS. With NASCAR, all I have to worry about is who can out race who, not who found the magic loophole and can't be beat until the rules afford some other team the opportunity to find the next magic loophole. It really pisses me off that F1 is so frustrating.
Races in Sochi, Baku and the Persian Gulf countries are a combination of tourism ads and stroking the dear leaders ego.
Again, I'm not entirely happy with F1, but playing devil's advocate here ; ) Where is attendance down exactly and based on what? It does not appear to be across the board. Likewise as you mention later, the venues are subsidized by government's which value the exposure and see the fee, and losses (if they are taking losses), as the price associated with hosting F1. Eh...I find that a bit hard to believe honestly with the motorsports that get aired in the US with substantially lower viewership. But again, I've been unable to find any real stats on the viewership drastically decreasing. Do you have a link? Not being argumentative, but I haven't been able to find that data. That's a legitimate concern for sure. However sponsorship is a much smaller piece of the pie than even the venue fees. Around half at most. True. Unfortunately, it seems like an effective strategy for new revenue and to exert leverage on the existing venues. Still, not all venues pay the same, so certain ones do maintain leverage of course. Italy pays less; Germany can afford to tell him to pound salt; Monaco pays nothing. But he is still growing revenue with his scheme. Why do you think they are temporary though or that they would stop paying? Do you think Qatar is going to reach their tourism goals in a few years? I doubt it personally. Plus the new venues are the kind of countries/people Bernie likes to do business with - morally flexible is as nicely as I can put it. I want to believe that the fans have leverage and are influencing the sport, but I wonder if this is actually reality.
Punishing a driver for his team's lack of performance is a double whammy. So, because a driver suffered several engine failures, he is relegated to the back of the field; it's adding insult to injury. It's a pill hard to swallow, I think.
I can't follow NASCAR here in Europe, but I think you have a fair point. Lately, I have had more enjoyment following Touring and GT racing than anything else, with the occasional GP2 races. I am more thrilled by the racing in British Touring Car Championship (with ballast, reverse grids, etc...) than F1 really. At least there is action, constant dicing between cars, daring overtakes, etc... and no processional race at all. Plus 3 races in an afternoon, rather than just one almost decided on the first lap. Finally, the drivers are real, not clones regurgitating their PR stuff in stage-managed press conferences or fake interviews. GP2 is also interesting for me, as is the Blancpain GT series. Frankly, F1 has a very low priority for me now. I still record it and watch it later, but if there is a different race on the box, that's what I will watch. F1 the pinnacle of motor sport? No way ...
Yes, I know, there are still people who think F1 isn't at a crossroad at all, and that everybody is scaremongering. F1 is becoming too expensive, for the teams, for the circuits and for the spectators. Worldwide TV audience is decreasing, this I read. Soon, we will only be able to see F1 through subscription, in Europe at least. Terrestrial channels just cannot afford to buy TV rights and broadcast for free anymore. Several sponsors have reduced their support or gone away; again, this isn't advertised. Thanks to its complexity, the new formula has more than quadrupled the cost of the power plant; one of the main reasons why engine customer teams have hit the rocks recently. FOM organisation fees are becoming exhorbitant for European tracks: they don't receive subsidies from government - and neither should they! F1 is now a business, and it will prosper and survive according to market forces, just like anything else. I personally think that the people at the top are slowly killing the golden goose and turning people away. My family was closely involved with air racing in the late 40s and 50s. It was a sport that attracted millions of spectators, many sponsors, huge headlines in the press and airtime on the radio back on the good old days. It has almost completely disappeared nowdays, thanks to the jet age, the show becoming difficult to follow, etc... I predict F1 will become like air racing: a thing of the past.
The reason the fans don't like the engines is because they sound like CRAP! I have been to plenty of Indycar races, (Long Beach, Indy GP, & Indy 500) and they still sound just fine. The Indycars are running twin turbo V6s and they still have the classic shriek to them. The F1 V6s sounds horrible. This year they do sound a teeny-tiny-hair better than last year, (Hockenhiem vs Silverstone) but the F1 V6s still sounds horrible.
I was in a cafe in Europe watching the British GP several weeks ago; the place was empty. The owner told me that its been that way since they changed the spec. In 2014 you couldn't find a seat in the place, now, no one cares.