The latest auto news, reviews, prices, product and vehicle releases. Oct
28th
Stay connected Subscribe to our RSS feed
The Guardian reports Tuesday that Formula 1 is facing serious crisis with two teams in administration and at least three others losing millions of dollars.
As just nine F1 teams are traveling to Austin, Texas Mario Andretti, the official ambassador for the race in Austin, and Bobby Epstein, the co-founder of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), say that F1 needs to “loosen up a bit” and “make the sport about personalities”.
Andretti and Epstein both claim that Bernie Ecclestone - the commercial right owner of F1 - does not understand how to sell his sport to Americans who want a closer relationship between drivers and fans as well as greater use of social media.
“Formula 1 should loosen up a bit. I think they've gone slightly overboard with the technical side of the engine,” Andretti told the Guardian.
“I would love to see a team invite a third car for a special event. For the US Grand Prix, say, Mercedes could invite a third car, having groomed some well-known American driver in testing, to take part as a guest competitor. Can you imagine what that would do for the promotion of the event? Every newspaper in the country would write about it,” the 1978 F1 World Champion added.
“F1 has got to make the sport about personalities. That's what NASCAR does very well. F1 can learn a lot from NASCAR, from Hollywood. People connect with people. They don't connect with metal. I would encourage the teams to make a priority the accessibility that the fans have to the drivers,” Epstein declared.
“Look at Lewis Hamilton. F1 should get him out there as much as they can, because he's a great driver and a very good ambassador. The more Mercedes let him step out and be himself, the better. He's an incredibly marketable guy. F1 could look at the model of [US] PGA golfers, who have got really close to their fans,” the American added.
As just nine F1 teams are traveling to Austin, Texas Mario Andretti, the official ambassador for the race in Austin, and Bobby Epstein, the co-founder of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), say that F1 needs to “loosen up a bit” and “make the sport about personalities”.
Andretti and Epstein both claim that Bernie Ecclestone - the commercial right owner of F1 - does not understand how to sell his sport to Americans who want a closer relationship between drivers and fans as well as greater use of social media.
“Formula 1 should loosen up a bit. I think they've gone slightly overboard with the technical side of the engine,” Andretti told the Guardian.
“I would love to see a team invite a third car for a special event. For the US Grand Prix, say, Mercedes could invite a third car, having groomed some well-known American driver in testing, to take part as a guest competitor. Can you imagine what that would do for the promotion of the event? Every newspaper in the country would write about it,” the 1978 F1 World Champion added.
 |
| Lewis Hamilton, winner of the inaugural US Grand Prix at Austin, in 2012, with McLaren. (Photo: WRi2) |
“F1 has got to make the sport about personalities. That's what NASCAR does very well. F1 can learn a lot from NASCAR, from Hollywood. People connect with people. They don't connect with metal. I would encourage the teams to make a priority the accessibility that the fans have to the drivers,” Epstein declared.
“Look at Lewis Hamilton. F1 should get him out there as much as they can, because he's a great driver and a very good ambassador. The more Mercedes let him step out and be himself, the better. He's an incredibly marketable guy. F1 could look at the model of [US] PGA golfers, who have got really close to their fans,” the American added.