Dennis: good TV key to F1's success

McLaren team boss Ron Dennis has said that the quality of TV presentation will be a key factor in whether or not the new-look Formula 1 is a success. Commentators will have to work harder due to the fact that cars will not be in their optimum lightweight configuration during the qualifying hour on Saturday afternoon leading to confusion over a team's true pace

Mar 7, 2003, 10:27 PM

The FIA's ban on refueling between qualifying and the race means that cars will qualify with varying fuel loads and there will be no means of knowing with certainty how much fuel anyone is running, even though strategies among front-running teams are unlikely to differ hugely. Some observers are of the opinion that single lap qualifying would have been more dramatic without the subsequent refueling ban.

"Single lap qualifying came from the team's think-tank but I don't think it's necessarily for us to judge the success of it," said Dennis. "Ultimately, spectators and TV viewers will judge whether it works. It could largely be dependent on the quality of the commentators and how well they have done their research.

"I hope they do it because I think the sport lacks in TV presentation. You can see something as slow as yachting's America's Cup and yet it can be exciting. It will be linked to the quality of commentary."