Liberty Tampering Again!!

[Calman]

If I hear "engaging the fans" one more time from the Liberty camp, I think I will put my head through a wall.

So, here is LM's latest idea .. and it's a CRACKER!!! (said, dripping in sarcasm).   I've said it since before they took control of F1 and I am still saying it .... I fear for F1's future under the new ownership - they are business heads, not petrol heads!!!! (apart from their obvious need to keep Ross Brawn around).

https://www.pitpass.com/61682/Liberty-pondering-NFL-Draft-for-off-season

All the best,
Cal

[Dare]

Gee why not have the drivers have tag team wrestling
in the off season...it would help drivers that don't get along
bond.

[lkjohnson1950]

In the NFL, though the actual process is Byzantine, basically the worst team picks first. So that would mean right at this moment Williams could pick Hammy or Seb. How do you think they would feel about going from Ferrari to Williams? Are they thinking drivers only or could you steal a team manager or an aero specialist? What about existing contracts? This is not only stupid, it's completely unworkable.

[guest3164]

Gee why not have the drivers have tag team wrestling
in the off season...it would help drivers that don't get along
bond.

So you'd have Verstappen and Vettel in Team VV lining up for a tag battle against Magnussen and Hulkenberg in Team H&M.  Throw in a few metal, fold up chairs and you have yourself a Wrestling contest. 

[Calman]

Gee why not have the drivers have tag team wrestling
in the off season...it would help drivers that don't get along
bond.

So you'd have Verstappen and Vettel in Team VV lining up for a tag battle against Magnussen and Hulkenberg in Team H&M.  Throw in a few metal, fold up chairs and you have yourself a Wrestling contest.

... and to run with the flavour of being politically correct, would this wrestling contest involve ring girls or ring kids??  (with a Hamburger at half time of course)

All the best,
Cal

[guest3164]

... and to run with the flavour of being politically correct, would this wrestling contest involve ring girls or ring kids??  (with a Hamburger at half time of course)

All the best,
Cal

Ring Kids of course, but with a half time vegan patty and non-alcoholic, low fat beer. 

[Scott]

There is no way the teams will want to spend any time during the off season doing marketing events to help Liberty make more money.  They have too much to do and when not, they can give team members time off to recharge.

However...

I have said more than once, I would love to see documentaries or a series or two of behind the scenes.  A perfect example I can even lay out for you - the motor homes.  Show intro begins with a truck pulling in during time lapse through to the complete build.  Then find a charismatic presenter, someone like Coulthard, who actually spent a lot of time in some of the most cutting edge motorhomes in F1, doing a complete tour, even the drivers quiet rooms etc.  Throw in a media event underway with a peek at the catering and bar service.  Interview the truckies and crew who maintains the centre during the race weekend and then end the show with the tear down and pack up and trucks driving away. 

All that could be filmed during the European season during spare time of the camera crews.  Coulthard will be out of a job soon anyhow, so he would probably like that sort of thing.  They could dedicate a show or two to the fly away races and show the purpose built units the teams have to set up in. 

Another show could be a behind the scenes with each team - meet the characters who do the work - from the pit crew to the data/race engineers to the various support role team members.  Could do a special on the Pirelli guys.  This footage could all be taken on non-European GP weekends when the camera crews have down time. 

The end of each show could have a 5min update on off season news and rumours.  I'm sure you could fill at least an hour for each type of show.

Can't speak for the average or GPW fans, but that sort of thing would fascinate me and I would sit through it all, and it would make the off season when I'm contemplating giving up on F1 after the latest season fiascos, that much easier to get through.

IMHO...

[guest3164]

I agree Scott, I would love to watch more documentaries about the workings away from the track of a Formula One team.  Be it the Motorhomes, the factories, packing for races... Everything like that.  I didn't think I liked Guy Martin but I loved the documentary he did about training to be part of a pitstop.  Even my mum watched that and she finds F1 largely quite boring.  I would be fascinated to see Williams catering department for example who have a famous UK chef (Michael Caines) working for them.  That would be a good show even if it was a 30 minute segment.  There are lots of missed opportunities. 

[lkjohnson1950]

Yeah, I'm in for that as well. How about following an engine change, or a corner rebuild after a shunt. If you show it after the season it shouldn't reveal too many trade secrets.

[cosworth151]

Liberty is so all-fired hung up on "destination" venues, why not more down town city shows. Bernie did them. Block off a street, have a top driver or two do a few burn outs, give it a big media build up. It could do a lot to bring F1 to new audiences without screwing up the sport any more than they already have.

Like this one in London:

[Ian]

Went to a previous one in London, cracking day, you could almost touch the cars and the sound was superb. Juan Pablo got one heck of a cheer, the marshals had to pull him back from the barrier, when he lit up his rears pulling away you realised why the streetcleaners had been so fussy, if there had been a stone under his rears it could have killed someone.

[Scott]

I would probably go to one if there was ever one or going to be one anywhere near where I live.  But putting up some more content like what I was talking about would do a much better job filling the holes in the season during times when I might wander off and find a different sport to watch.  A one off F1 show during one day wouldn’t do much about that.

[guest3164]

Went to a previous one in London, cracking day, you could almost touch the cars and the sound was superb. Juan Pablo got one heck of a cheer, the marshals had to pull him back from the barrier, when he lit up his rears pulling away you realised why the streetcleaners had been so fussy, if there had been a stone under his rears it could have killed someone.

Amazing day that was, I got there several hours before the event was due to begin and tried to get to meet Montoya in Hamleys but didn't realise I had to shell out on a car I already owned for the privilege!  It was a great atmosphere with the team shops popped up around the area, some freebies handed out and of course, having F1 cars drive so close to you.  I got there very early and was right by the barrier. 

[Calman]

There is no way the teams will want to spend any time during the off season doing marketing events to help Liberty make more money.  They have too much to do and when not, they can give team members time off to recharge.

I agree 100% Scott, as most would.   The problem comes back to the fact that Liberty Media know diddly squat about the working of the F1 world, so keep putting their hand in the biscuit tin and pulling out the foil wrapped goodies!!! .. the sad thing is, I don't think they will ever show a genuine interest in the technical side of the sport, just where the next $$$'s opportunity will come from ... and of course, "are we engaging fans in the US?".

Bernie had his problems, but at the end of the day, he knew F1 like the back of his hand.  I wonder how long Ross will remain as the 3rd musketeer???

All the best,
Cal

[Scott]

I'm not in the "Bernie was bad, but Liberty is worse" camp yet.  To me Bernie in the last 20 years was the absolute worst thing about F1, period.  He simply looted the sport. 

Liberty is still like a new kid in a playground, running around trying out everything.  Doesn't mean they will wreck the place, but they will look under all the rocks and figure out where all the goodies are.  I'm willing to be patient and I hope they learn quickly from mistakes and correct them.  Bernie sure didn't.  They also know there is an internet.  Bernie didn't have a clue.