Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Mallett
F1 is a sport. It should pander to fans or enthusiasts. The race was run on a purpose built circuit in a country where money is the be-all and end-all. The circuit itself may as well be a fully enclosed tunnel since there's no viewpoints remotely accessible to the "fans". If motorsport is not for the fans it stops being a sport and is simply a business. Since I can be almost certain the only "spectators" in Jeddah were friends of the organisers and random B listers, this is just another nail in the coffin.
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I think the fans you are referring to there are a 3rd group.
You have Netflix viewers (looking for the drama), race viewers (looking for the contest) and spectators (wanting to experience in person).
IMO, if you target the 3rd group, then it would be an even bigger nail. The commercial scale of F1 means that it needs broadcast rights for revenue generation. The ability to focus on the spectators first left on a ship that sailed in 1968.
What irks me a little bit is the seemingly elitist view that race viewers are more important than DTS viewers. F1 is more than just a sport, and interest comes from more than just the sporting contest.
I also think that F1 can deliver a sporting contest and a dramatic narrative, without one having to detract from the other.