Joe Saward does not see the sport being sold soon - https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/some-basic-truths/
I dont know that F-1 is Sh&* but it's not saleable at the prices being charged. that is the problem. If there is any case of income in equality= F-1 is the poster child. if you go to an F-1 race and are lucky to get into the paddock - its like a completly different world. its racing with Four Seasons Service. everyone is decked out in the latest fashions, sitting under umbrellas doing "deals" looking like they are just off the beach.... wearing $30K watches like they are timex's, diamonds etc... I mean its amazing to see it, but its not how 95% of the fans of F-1 live... its un like any other racing sport. even LMS... arrogance and entitlement is HUGE in F-1 and to me that is the turn off. its like after paying $300 for your weekend ticket you as a fan are treated like crap. "just come in sit down and be quiet, while the rich people play... dont get in the way. That is Bernie's fault. they not only have lost touch with fans, they dont even care. They really dont care. they may say they do, but they dont. that is the massive problem, they actually feel like they are Owed this ... they deserve to be there... no concept that its the fans who buy all the crap the sponsors sell that pay for F-1.
Bernie's biggest mistake has been selling to CVC. ''The rich'' being there doesn't bother me, in fact I quite like it. Just sucks that others have to pay upwards of 300 for simple tickets.
No he's not. "Fans don't want to see a procession. As a promoter I can only promote what you give me and if that isn't up to standard, people aren't going to buy." The days of F1 being a procession are a couple of years behind us. At least nog in the big midfield. There've been more overtaking than in most years when for instance Schumi reigned and it sometimes literally was a procession. Problem is the new engine technology; part Mercedes dominance, part others not delivering (Renault,McLaren/Honda), part Ferrari/Merc as engine suppliers to others, meaning they can keep the "competition" at a comfortable distance with Class B engines. F1 is too regulated.
He seems to be saying one thing to The Independent and something else to Autosport (From: Silverstone says British GP safe to 2026 - British Grand Prix 2015 - Formula 1 - Eurosport Australia ) : ......... Allen also downplayed comments in which he had described F1 as "a **** product" and "a procession" that made tickets hard to sell. "The product has been developed from a technical perspective rather than a customer-experience point of view, so the cars are ever more technical and advanced," he said today. "That said, when there is a disparity between the front two Mercedes cars and everybody else, as it was in the early part of the season when the comments were made, then the product needs to improve. "What has happened since is that Ferrari and Williams have improved, and what we are seeing is ever closer racing. "Notwithstanding that, Mr Ecclestone and the FIA are looking at rule changes to produce ever-more exciting racing. "The comments at the time were apt, but action has been taken, and we're now going to have a better product and a more exciting racing format for 2017."
Yes regulation is the problem. The ban on testing takes all the sport out of the sport. Watching an entire season of one year's design is like being a spectator at a final exam. NOT a spectator sport! This is a technological sport and to have the technology all locked down is ridiculous. FIA made some nod towards that with the tokens but seriously, we all know it's not enough. Ferrari has learned that they have more power and the chassis is more suited to cornering tracks. That is one race worth of knowledge in my book.
F1 is becoming too technical, that's the problem IMO. Its future is threatened by increased complexity that becomes ruinous and turns the public away. Instead of being the competition to determine the best driver(s), it has become a showcase for engineers to display their technology. Drivers are mere jockeys. Who cares? The army of computer boffins in the pits, the electronic drivers aids, the constant coaching of drivers on the track don' add anything to the sport, and don't interest the spectators. Why do you need so many computer screens to go racing? The action is supposed to be on the track! So, why they do it? Why does the FIA write rules for teams to spend plenty of money in technology that interest no one, and frankly bore the pants of the followers? Why do you need complex power units, with hybrid systems to deliver the same power a good 4-litre atmo engine could give at a fraction of the price? It just doesn't make sense.
