Why F1 stars have lost their mystique
The drivers have lost their gladiatorial image in recent years but they remain Formula 1's main draw. JONATHAN NOBLE thinks it's time to introduce a novel rule change
While Formula 1's teams have concentrated their efforts to spice up the show on making the cars look better, there's no escaping the fact that the focus of fans' interest is the drivers. However much we marvel about the cars and the amazing technology in the sport, it's what the men in the cockpits do that really stirs us all.
Over recent weeks, as F1 chiefs continue their self-analysis over why interest in the sport is declining, one issue that seems to be overlooked is that the men in the cockpits have lost a bit of the gladiatorial status of yesteryear.
Share Or Save This Story
Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.
More from Jonathan Noble
RB brands Ricciardo/Tsunoda Chinese GP crashes “unnecessary”
Wolff: Mercedes can't just keep living off F1 ‘bright spots’
Sargeant baffled about not being told of illegal F1 safety car overtake
Mercedes plans Miami F1 upgrades as Russell urges back to basics approach
F1’s new points system looks on course to get support it needs
Horner: Wolff should focus on his own F1 problems, not “unavailable” Verstappen
Exclusive: F1 to discuss new points structure
Why F1 2026 worst case fears could be key to new rules success
Latest news
Erik Jones sidelined with compression fracture after Talladega crash
Alpine confident for 'good news' in Habsburg injury recovery
Ferrari "made too many mistakes" for podium fight at F1 Chinese GP
What is a wildcard in MotoGP and why is it used?
Autosport Plus
Did F1's new sprint format work?
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Why Verstappen's China F1 win was a sideshow to the real battle
How the pursuit of marginal F1 gains caused Sauber's pitstop stumbles
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.