Vettel Says F1 "Too Complcated" For Average Fans

[cosworth151]

Sebastian Vettel says that F1 is too complicated for casual fans to follow. He also says the tickets are too pricy for many fans.


"I have to wonder how anyone can really follow it if they are not involved in Formula One seven days a week, as I am," Vettel said. "Most important is that the tickets are just too expensive. How can a normal family afford to go to the circuits anymore?"

I have to agree about the ticket prices. I've written on here before how Austin is much, much more expensive than the USGP at Indy was.

http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/sebastian-vettel-says-formula-one-too-complicated-fans-follow

[Jericoke]

World Cup only comes every four years, and traditionally has higher ratings than F1.  I don't see that as a problem.  Kind of funny that the race and the game were in Canada at the same time though 

I agree with the tickets being too expensive, but those are mistakes made and buried at the top of the sport.  Bernie convinced too many people that F1 was expensive, and they took out extravagant loans to make it expensive.  Until that's paid off, the money has to come from somewhere.

As for the sport being too complicated, I think part of the beauty of motorracing is the simplicity:  first car across wins. 

He's right that the casual fans don't care about fuel flow, or blocking penalties, or medium vs supersoft tires.  However, you don't need to know about that to watch what's going on.  It provides a depth to the sport for more serious fans.  We can agonise over tire strategies, or debate who caused what crash, but that's not required to enjoy the sport.

I'm okay with the sport being 'complicated', as long as it sticks to the general idea that the cars are fast, and first one across the line wins.

I'd be more okay with F1 unlimited... require a crashworthy car with four wheels and runs on regular gas, maybe a width/length restriction, otherwise, do whatever the hell you want 

[Scott]

I agree with Vettel, and in fact I think every circuit should build a Vettel section with amazing views, but cut price tickets, subsidized by Seb himself.  Wouldn't that be wonderful?  Then during his next contract negotiation he can encourage his employers to do the same thing.  Before long we'd have driver and team subsidized sponsored stands all over the circuits.  Win-win-win for everyone...oh crap, except Bernie (it'll never happen)   

He's right of course, but the answer isn't him pointing out the obvious. 

The answer is CVC and Bernie allowing the circuits to stay in business while offering reasonably priced tickets...or better yet, Bernie and CVC take over promotion of the races and then they have the power to do it themselves.

I'm not so sure your argument that CVC owes so much still stands Jeri...I thought somewhere a couple months ago someone here posted CVC's quarterly results and the debt was insignificant vs their profits at the moment.

Your argument on the how complicated the sport is nails it though...I completely agree, especially the last bit.   

[cosworth151]

I think part of the beauty of motor racing is the simplicity:  first car across wins.

To quote the character Sportin' Life from Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, It ain't necessarily so.

The stewards can tack on a time penalty. They can disqualify a car after the race is over. They can even change how they count the laps. I'm thinking about Cosworth's last win to date (Brazil 2003). They didn't get the trophy until the next race at San Marino.

There is much more to a race than who won. We're a really avid group of F1 fans here. Given that, how many of us can easily keep track of what driver has used how many of which part of the drive train? When will they use a VSC instead of a real S/C? Why is a certain driver starting in P17 when we saw him qualify in P2 the day before? I could go on and on. I can easily see how someone new to the sport would simply throw up their hands & change the channel to NASCAR.

[Jericoke]

I think part of the beauty of motor racing is the simplicity:  first car across wins.

To quote the character Sportin' Life from Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, It ain't necessarily so.

The stewards can tack on a time penalty. They can disqualify a car after the race is over. They can even change how they count the laps. I'm thinking about Cosworth's last win to date (Brazil 2003). They didn't get the trophy until the next race at San Marino.

There is much more to a race than who won. We're a really avid group of F1 fans here. Given that, how many of us can easily keep track of what driver has used how many of which part of the drive train? When will they use a VSC instead of a real S/C? Why is a certain driver starting in P17 when we saw him qualify in P2 the day before? I could go on and on. I can easily see how someone new to the sport would simply throw up their hands & change the channel to NASCAR.

NASCAR has a nifty little rule that whoever is awarded the win forever has the win.  If there are penalties applied after the fact, then fine, adjust the standings, but if you're on top of the podium when the hardware is handed out, you ARE the winner, period.

Again, to casual fans, that's all that matters.

I think that's why Bernie was so keen to implement his medals system.  He wants each race to count on its own, for a fan to tune in/show up and watch one event, and to have a winner.  Watching people finish 5th because risking a pass for fourth isn't worth the championship points isn't want the casual fan wants.