Why there's hope for F1's 'boring' drivers

One of the most famous racing drivers of the 21st century was not only fictional, but also faceless: Top Gear's superstar, 'The Stig'.

While not having to pay for a star name inevitably played a part in that decision, the bosses behind the programme also felt that it made sense to have an anonymous 'pro' because racing drivers become "a procession of dullards" when they speak.

In his highly-amusing book charting 13 years working on Top Gear, script editor Richard Porter said that Jeremy Clarkson's take on racing drivers was that "no one's interested in what they have to say, we only want to see them set lap times", while Porter added that "you can develop a massive affection for a driver upon seeing their talent within the car, and then lose a great deal of it when you hear them talk".

To some that will feel like a swipe at Formula 1 and motorsport in general. And while polished, professional racing drivers probably aren't a perfect fit for a TV show that often became more about hijinks and explosions than cars during its time, there is a large degree of truth to the claim that racing drivers are boring.

It would be easy to point the finger at the dreaded media training for F1's ills on the personality front. But while certain aspects of such training don't necessarily help create engaging characters for the public to get behind, there are other factors at play.

One area where F1 is better than a lot of sports is how available its stars are made to the media on a regular basis. Over a grand prix weekend, every driver will speak somewhere - even if it's just to a few TV crews - on every day from Thursday to Sunday.

Compare that to major international footballers, who may only come face to face with reporters on the rare occasion they are put forward for an official press conference before a big game, or if they choose to stop in the media 'mix zone' on their way out of the stadium after a match. Plenty of footballers are excruciatingly boring when they open their mouths, but because they are heard from less often, there can be more interest in what they say.

F1 fans, and those of us in the media, are in fact very lucky that drivers speak publicly so often, but that brings its own problems contributing to often boring responses when the cameras or voice recorders are switched on. Drivers get asked so much of the same stuff all the time, it's no wonder they default to meaningless PR-friendly answers so often.

What we outlined before about a driver having to speak every day over a grand prix weekend is the bare minimum. Several teams will put forward their drivers for separate sessions with TV and print/online media each day, plus the occasional one-to-one interview and likely public speaking duties in front of key sponsors or VIP guests. It would be enough to drag any of us down, especially when there is a far more important part of the job to devote time to over a race weekend.

A recent example came at the Singapore Grand Prix, where the drivers caught up in the first corner accident were whisked into the TV pen during the race to be interviewed about it. Kimi Raikkonen, hardly one of F1's best talkers (although when asked an engaging question he can give a lengthy answer), spent eight minutes and 40 seconds in the pen, and in that time he was asked 22 questions.

Nine of those were a version of "tell us what happened", and 10 were along the lines of "Who is to blame?". It's little surprise that Raikkonen didn't really give any of the TV crews much gold to work with, and because every interviewer got only a couple of questions, it was tough for anyone to push him further on the subject or ask him about anything else.

In those situations, everyone could potentially benefit if F1 had an experienced TV reporter conducting the basic interviews for its world feed for all broadcasters to pick up, and then if their reporters in the paddock had additional questions for Raikkonen they could make better use of his time. Those TV crews pay huge fees for the privilege of covering F1, so it's understandable they want to get their own mic time with the big names.

But if all a TV channel wanted was "What happened, and who is at fault?" and that has already been provided, then Raikkonen could have less of his time being wasted answering those same questions over and over again.

It doesn't help that drivers are often conditioned to be wary of the media. The age of the internet has made this more of a problem - once upon a time if someone wanted to be outspoken, there was a decent chance that those comments would only be seen by the TV audience at the time, or the readership of the magazine or newspaper in question, then be forgotten.

"I feel like so many drivers - whether the word is boring or ungrateful - they don't seem to be that happy to be here..."
Daniel Ricciardo

Now, it can be spun, misinterpreted or badly translated in minutes and spread all over the world - giving those in the paddock almost no control. It's little wonder that media training has grown over the years to claw back some of that control.

Drivers receive this sort of training from very early in their careers now, although in the lower ranks the main thing they seem to learn is how to say a lot without really saying anything. That's not much better than the alternative at that level, which can involve dealing with awkward, shy, mumbling teenagers who are only interested in driving the car.

But in F1, there is more to it than teaching someone how to talk. Autosport has got hold of an F1 media training document, and with some of the language enclosed, it's no wonder so many drivers come across like they have nothing to say.

In the document, there are instructions such as "do not give more than is asked", warning drivers away from digressing from the specific topic in a question because it could lead to "more time on the issue, and more discomfort". If that's the message from your paymasters, you're probably not going to be very interested in making sure you're an engaging interview subject.

Not all media training is bad, though, and there are even things that those on the other side of the fence can learn. The document makes a very valid point that time is precious in F1, so when asked a long question with multiple subjects included, it instructs drivers to "pick one - you don't have the time, and nor do they". Naturally, it follows up by recommending "the one that will not cause grief" as the favourable choice in such a scenario. Little wonder, then, that sometimes the longest questions from the media generate the shortest answers.

It should come as no surprise that talking about hypothetical scenarios is frowned upon, which is understandable, if a bit of a shame. Who doesn't like a 'what if?' scenario? Unfortunately, answering this type of question "can lead you into places you would rather avoid" - hence we so often hear "we will see" in response to interesting or fun questions. Raikkonen is particularly adept at batting those ones off.

Drivers are encouraged to stay informed on the goings on in F1, which is positive, and it's clear that in the modern day some are better - or more willing - than others to take that on board. There are drivers on the current grid that will steer clear of anything that they feel is none of their business, while some are happy to think for themselves and pass comment on anything.

Lewis Hamilton's development off track is a good example of this. His whirlwind early years at McLaren made him wary of the media and how he was portrayed in public, but over time that attitude has changed. Hamilton has matured, and the rise of social media has allowed him to retain more control over his public image.

With that, and a less demanding schedule from Mercedes in terms of media commitments, Hamilton has become more comfortable in his own skin and more confident to take on the mantle of being a senior, respected paddock voice when the mood takes him. The Mercedes view is also that by making Hamilton talk less, he is more likely to say something of value when he does speak, although the team has not been as extreme as some in the paddock in terms of how it restricts access to its big names.

Another driver who is certainly comfortable to be himself in public is Daniel Ricciardo, who has developed into a fan favourite all over the world (listen to the crowd reactions to individual drivers whenever he is on the podium after a race) through letting his fun-loving personality out of the car shine through, while in the car he is part of one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

"I've said for a long time, I feel like so many drivers - whether the word is boring or ungrateful - they don't seem to be that happy to be here," Ricciardo said when asked about the subject earlier this year.

"So I'm like, go do another job. This is our dream job, so even on bad days, sometimes it's hard, but you've still got to try and be happy and have fun. It's nice for the fans to see more personality. Some drivers are starting to understand that more.

"For me is just comes naturally, because I really do love it and it's cool. Maybe some drivers are trying consciously to be more cool!"

Perhaps the gradual improvement Ricciardo has noticed is a result of social media allowing drivers to show more of their real personality, and the fact they can easily see how it is received by the public. Perhaps it's because new stars are coming through who are more comfortable being themselves in and around an online environment. It could even be that teams are gradually realising that most things that could be considered controversial become little more than a storm in a teacup that can pass very quickly.

It used to be joked that 'today's newspaper is tomorrow's fish & chip paper'. If anything, that process has been sped up by the internet, where new stories can crop up at any time and render something else old news.

Perhaps the more experience teams and drivers get of much-feared controversy not actually causing any lasting damage, the more relaxed (and therefore interesting) people in the paddock will be prepared to be as F1 embarks on an exciting new era focused on increasing its popularity.