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Austria revived F1's feel-good factor

Anyone worried about declining interest in F1 should take some lessons from the revitalised - and fan-friendly - Austrian Grand Prix, says JONATHAN NOBLE

There's a hint of irony that the arrival of Formula 1's brave new world of fuel-efficient engines has come about at a time when the sport's chiefs are trying to rewind the clock and rekindle some magic from the past.

Efforts to bring back sparking cars, vapour trails and glowing brake discs have been met with intense cynicism from hardcore fans - a lot of whom view such tweaks as needless gimmicks pushed for by those who are struggling to put a finger on why F1 is suffering a decline in interest right now.

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Author Jonathan Noble

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.