Interesting topic. Thinking that when the overseas races are on in the US (which may be anywhere from midnight to 7:00AM), the competition is usually in the form of infomercials and other blathering nonsense so people park on something that is at least fun to watch and therefore there is a faint ratings pulse. Pure theory. When comparing F-1 to NASCAR however, F-1 does an adequate job in exposing their drivers and there is a bit of a level of privacy in F-1 which NASCAR tramples. So, while F-1 may be higher fruit on the tree (so to say), it may encourage some to inquire further on their own to find out more about a particular driver either through their websites or Twitter feeds, etc. NASCAR on the other hand obviously has no such issues in exposing their drivers. They're almost like cartoon characters brought out for their traveling dog & pony show. The drivers are introduced on stages like rock stars with crazy lighting, smoke machines and fireworks in the same manner professional wrestlers are when they walk to the ring. It is utterly tasteless. Having caught some of the events from Daytona this week, another aspect we're seeing is the drivers trotting their kids out for the cameras. In more interviews than I care to mention, the drivers are either holding infants or have older ones by the hand. When did this start? What is the point? To some, this development may be unseemly and way over the line. In NASCAR, the races are almost secondary to the endless pre-race hype where every driver is asked the same questions over and over until it becomes so watered down that by the time the race starts, viewers have been beaten up so badly by all the blathering hype, they're exhausted. F-1 should stay the course in this regard. F-1 drivers are brands within themselves, and they ignore the number one rule of marketing, over exposure cheapens the product, at their own peril. BHW
