Why F1’s quest for more isn't always better

Formula 1’s a serious business. If it’s laughs you’re looking for I can recommend avoiding official press conferences, media briefings and interviews in the pen, where serious interviewers come up with serious questions to ask drivers who would rather be having a massage.

While the Irish comedian Conor Moore can raise a laugh with his clever impersonations of drivers and team principals, F1 isn’t a popular topic with mainstream comedians. David Mitchell, star of TV comedies including The Mitchell & Webb Look, Upstart Crow and Would I Lie to You, positively hates it. So incensed was he by the boredom caused by watching the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix that he wrote a column about it in The Guardian. 

“Televised Formula 1 is the most eloquent answer to the question, ‘What sport could possibly be more of a turn-off than horse racing?’” he wrote, describing the pinnacle of world motorsport as ‘televised traffic’.

“The only F1 season I remember following was the one where Nigel Mansell became world champion purely as a result of having a better car than anyone else,” he bemoaned, comparing it to, “Monty Panesar [having] such an amazing cricket bat that, every time he tried to hit the ball, it went for six despite his limitations as a batsman.”

My response to that was the only time I’ve ever written to The Guardian.

Fast forward to April this year and F1 finally warranted another outing on national media.

This time on BBC Radio 4’s satirical news programme The Now Show presented by comedians Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis.

Their proposition is that, as sport becomes increasingly hijacked to feed media companies’ demands to provide 24/7 entertainment to customers, the main event becomes diluted.

“Twenty years ago coverage started 20 minutes before the race with a quick summary of qualifying and a look at the grid,” said Dennis.

Brundle has gained TV star status through his popular grid walk segment

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“Now it’s ‘Join us for race weekend! It all kicks off Wednesday with a full preview and interviews, then don’t miss practice for pre-practice at 5pm, then on Thursday pre-practice for qualifying practice followed by the practice session for first pre-qualifying. Friday it’s final qualifying pre-practice followed by first qualifying. Saturday, second qualifying, and then on Sunday join us for the grid walk where a baffled Martin Brundle is ordered by the director to talk to various influencers and rappers he’s never heard of and who have no idea why they’re there.’”

I found myself nodding.

The programme aired one week after Stefano Domenicali discussed revolutionising the race weekend format by reducing practice, moving qualifying, introducing more sprint races, and adapting Formula 1 to continue to attract more fans.

The quest is for more viewers and more spectators on more days across more races in more countries. The drive for growth is understandable – it’s Stefano Domenicali’s job after all

Constant change appears to have become an aim in itself, as though stability must be avoided. 
F1’s incessant tinkering with its rules, to the point where even the governing body seems to struggle to follow them, is already an issue. Meanwhile the Football Association has not felt the need to put more players on the pitch, adopt quarters instead of halves or introduce variable goalpost sizes. It feels odd that an already complex sport wants to add further layers to its events.

The quest is for ‘more’, of course. More viewers and more spectators on more days across more races in more countries. The drive for growth is understandable – it’s Stefano’s job after all.

However, he needs to ensure this doesn’t turn into a bubble because we all know what happens to them. And that’s not funny at all.

Domenicali has a tricky balancing act of blowing up the F1 bubble but without making it pop

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images