They were once teens who were actually into cars and racing. These are not those teenagers. I spoke with 16 year-old girl a couple of years ago who said she "loves F1." I asked who her favorite driver was and she told me "Charles Leclerc." I asked her what she thought of the previous Grand Prix and do you know what she said? Hint: it had nothing to do with anything relevant. She grimaced and told me she doesn't care about racing; she said she follows him on instagram and "he's hot." I also had a more mature version of this conversation with a high school Italian teacher. She also loves Charles while knowing nothing beyond "Drive to Survive." This is a microcosm of the modern popularity of the sport. There must be some young modern fans who are into the actual sport, but I doubt they are the majority. Give it some time and we'll see the viewership drop as it is no longer "trendy," as the kids say.
Too each his own my wife only got into F1 because of drive to survive. I've been watching I would say since 95 with my dad. Now we watch the races together and it's pretty amazing. She told me today she can't wait for the first race.
Disagree. You can't judge the sport that way. I know women that likes a certain football player because they are hot. They are not into the sport. Still football is bigger than ever. Past F1 personalities also had random fans who followed only them. And If they had instagram back then, you would hear a similar story of the 16 year old. More exposure has never killed a business, that's why they pay millions for superbowl ads. Last time I went to a race I saw many young people (if they pay for expensive tickets they are likely real fans). Young people are still into sports, time hasn't stopped. It may look different now from when you first started watching, but its the same thing.
Dude, have you not seen the F1 grid walks? Talk about clueless people and celebrities. The way they treated Sir Jackie Stewart by not letting him get passed security was mind-boggling. Stewart, Alesi, Hakkinen and just about any F1 driver from any era should have "carte-blanche" at any race and should be able to go just about anywhere. No thank-you with this "young crowd." They'll just come and go and not stay true to the sport as with everything else in their lives. When Hamilton retires from F1, viewership will drop significantly which kinda tells you about F1 and Hamiltons followers. They only watch F1 because of their "idol" or "he's hot." They could careless about the history of the sport, the constant rules changes and so on and so forth.
Come on, dudes, there always have been fair weather fans. Audiences dropped in Germany and Spain when Schumacher Sr. or Alonso fell in disgrace, and the same will happen with Hamilton and Verstappen Jr. The "tacky" part of the show has been there since at least the 70s, following the sponsorship and TV money: or do you think that the pit girls are "true sport". As usual, most "new fans" will leave and only a smart part will appreciate what this is about, like we did time ago. That´s the way the wheel keeps turning.
Good point. I don't understand why some think everything is new. All sports has fair weather fans since I remember. Nothing new .
You can't put all young enthusiast in a box to say all are not true fans. There are some true fans. For you to hint that all young people are not fans and know nothing about F1 is not reality. Old people will be gone, and you have no new interest. Exposure to young people is essential.
You can’t compare F1, which is inherently European, to Football, which is a religion in many places in America. F1 in the United States is the trendy event du jour. Its “popularity” will wane once the American fans get bored and move on to the next big thing. I give it five years. Football will remain a cornerstone in American society, even though I couldn’t care less about it.
I can compare the two when using the same anology- some people only follow some figures for personal reasons/ NFL uses celebrities in comercials/ promotions etc. Same as F1 and many major sports in that regard. Yes football will always be bigger in the states, but that was'nt the discussion. I see no numbers that suggest F1 popularity in America produces LESS real fans. If anything, more exposure produces more real fans. If F1 didn't have races broadcast in the US, as a kid I would not have became an early fan.
I don't watch drive-to-survive and never have. I'm okay with the "outlets" that I get my info, drama, and rumors from and don't mind sharing it here on FChat. That's me.
It is terrible, and the host made dumb joke to the other female presenter, to the point she didn't want to answer. Maybe there's context behind it, but what I understood is: "A lot of chat about engines, but tell me more about F1 car's boot space" to which she seemed annoyed and didn't respond.
You’re not wrong that more exposure gets more attention. My point was that we shall see what the future holds regarding F1’s fanbase in the United States. I don’t think its momentum holds here, based on the sentiments I have seen, and time will tell the tale.
The ticket sales for the coming years will tell the story. Although liberty could sabotage it do to higher ticket prices, merchandise etc. But then again ticket sales fluctuate in every country.
