10 Things F1 Can Learn From Other Motorsports

F1 has always opted for a more exclusive strategy in terms of social media, online and behind the scenes. But in such an online age, it has some catching up to do and taking elements from what other series are doing could help boost F1’s fanbase and image massively.

Formula E burst onto the scene in 2014 with a different, all-electric single-seater and big ambitions. It’s been a positive start with some fun racing but one big plus is its use of social media and online platforms to push it forward. One example is Snapchat, providing fans with lots of juicy behind the scenes clips, photos and interviews.

Another is YouTube. There are live streams, while full races are uploaded plus a wide range of highlight clips, special features, footage and extended race highlights. F1 has only recently started utilising its YouTube channel with similar content but the ability to watch full races, or more realistically a decent highlights video, would open up new doors, as would following Formula E’s use of video on Twitter and Facebook.

2. A landmark event

F1 has many prestigious, old and famous races with lots of history. They are often hugely popular and draw big crowds. So why not capitalise that and turn one race into the series’ equivalent of the Daytona 500 in Nascar, Le Mans in the WEC or the Indy 500 in IndyCar?

We’re talking cash prizes for the drivers depending on their finishing position, more track time, a huge festival feel and lots of off-track events, driver signing sessions and a proper party atmosphere. Some races already have a taste of that in F1 but boosting things even further and creating a milestone event on the calendar would be beneficial for the fans, drivers, teams and many more.

A few examples could be the Belgian Grand Prix at the historic, much-loved Spa-Francorchamps, or the Monaco Grand Prix, which already draws celebrity appearances and is arguably the trickiest track on the calendar.

3. Lower ticket prices

It’s no secret that high race fees lead to circuits hiking up ticket prices and while this varies depending on the event, some European rounds and fly-away prices are extortionate. Things are being done to bring the prices down but this isn’t enough and it is causing some fans to turn away from attending races live. Weekend passes for the FIA World Endurance Championship at Silverstone are just £40, while attending the British Grand Prix at the same venue (in the cheapest General Admission spot) is more than three times that price.

One of the things I love to see in the IndyCar series is the media tours and appearances the drivers complete to help promote the sport. It’s rare to see an F1 driver on a primetime talk show or morning news programme in the UK, unless it is Lewis Hamilton of course. Over in IndyCar, they make more of an effort putting their drivers in front of the camera - especially before the Indy 500 where all 33 drivers took part in a media tour across the US.

Obviously we don’t want drivers constantly rushing around the world making TV appearances. They have lives too, but more of this would be a boost to F1 and help the series find more fans, particularly if people don’t have as much access to it due to pay TV or its attempts to be more ‘exclusive. Plus it would help us to see more of the driver’s personalities and let us know more about them, rather than just hearing how their races went in the media pen afterwards.

5. Racing in other series

We saw this last year with Nico Hulkenberg driving for Porsche and winning Le Mans at his first attempt. Teams and F1 in general do not seem keen on drivers going off and trying out new series or cars, especially when it involves racing. So seeing Hulkenberg go out and achieve what he did was really special.

Giving drivers the chance to race in other series on their weekends off and try new racing cars would be great to see and all add to pushing F1 forward and drawing new audiences. Other championships like WEC, Formula E and IndyCar (to name but a few) all see their drivers racing different things throughout the year. Many F1 racers have expressed the urge to try different championships after F1, but why not go off and do a Nascar race or try out an IndyCar street event when they have the time off?

6. New rules aren’t everything

Some championships retain stable regulations for years and years, and it provides us with great racing. F1 always seems to be wanting to change things drastically in a bid to solve problems, many of which aren’t even there.

The whole qualifying debacle is one example and they are trying to bring in huge changes for 2017 too. But F1 is starting to get good again, gaps are closing up, competition is increasing. This is all because the rules haven’t changed massively since 2014. Evolution, rather than revolution, could help F1 over the coming years. But of course, it’s a bit late for that now.

7. LED panels

Series like IndyCar and the WEC have introduced LED panels to show off race numbers and other information. F1 tried something similar before but nothing has really been heard of it since. It would be a great addition for the fans at the track and watching on TV - the race number could be displayed, or the position number, or perhaps whether or not DRS is in use. The technology is there; it’s F1’s decision to try it out or not.

8. The race number

We’ve seen in MotoGP and other series that drivers and teams have really capitalised on turning the race numbers into a big brand. Valentino Rossi’s number 46, Marc Marquez’s number 93. They become known for these numbers and now each driver in F1 has their own. But wouldn’t it be cool to see this really pushed on social media, merchandise and other outlets?

Currently F1 drivers are shown off to fans before races by a trailer being towed by a lorry. The “drivers’ parade” gives supporters a chance to see their favourite drivers for a few seconds before vanishing off into the distance. But in IndyCar and Formula E, bringing the drivers closer to fans is a big deal - the former probably being the best example. At the big Indy 500 the drivers are all introduced individually and get the chance to stand in front of the fans, take in the cheers and wave to the crowds. There’s a lot more atmosphere, fanfare and hype around it all.

10. Push to pass return

Previously F1 had the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), which gave drivers a short boost of power to use for around six seconds per lap. Since the new power unit introductions in 2014 this has been incorporated into the overall Energy Recovery System, taking away this strategic element.

Formula E has FanBoost (the voting element isn’t great but the power boost is), IndyCar has push-to-pass to help boost overtaking and the Japanese Super Formula has an Overtake System (OTS). Bringing KERS back – or something similar – would add another strategic element to overtaking.

Do you agree or disagree? What other thoughts do you have? Let us know in the comments!