Aesthetics of racing

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The US of A

In a country with so many established sports (baseball, American football, basketball, ice hockey, NASCAR etc.), that already demand the attention and affection of the American people, Formula 1 always knew it had to play the long game to establish itself in the hearts and minds of American audiences.

The popularity and success of the race in Austin over the last 4 years has helped give the sport a home base from which it can hopefully (current financial issues permitting) continue to grow, while the added presence of a race in Canada and Mexico now means that there is a clear Formula 1 presence in central and north America from which the sport can truly begin to build. Furthermore the introduction of the USA-owned Haas F1 Team to the grid next season will also help make a big difference to its popularity in the American market, while the continued progress of the only American Formula 1 driver currently racing, Alexander Rossi, will also play a big part in this process.

Never before has it been easier to create and share such content with millions of people around the world, never has it been easier to tell a story to each other with such ease and clarity and at such regularity.

As we have seen with the growth in popularity of soccer in the US over the past two decades, it takes time for any ‘new’ sport to establish itself in America, but as the incredible response by American fans to its team’s success during the 2014 World Cup showed, they are willing and able to get behind a previously unfamiliar sport if they are given sufficient reason to. So the combination of a continued and ideally increased presence of Formula 1 in America, allied with a successful American team and driver(s) are, in my opinion, the key ingredients required to build on the progress made over the past few years since the sport’s return to the US.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, making clever use of the modern PR tools available today will also greatly help to increase Formula 1’s popularity in America. A good example for the sport to follow is one of America’s most popular sporting bodies – the NFL and its embrace of modern communication tools. With 12 million followers on Facebook, 11.3m on Twitter and 3.1 million on Instagram, the NFL has clearly been highly successful in leveraging its many assets to directly engage with its fan base on social media. Through a combination of 24-hour monitoring of its social media landscape and a clear, concise content schedule, the NFL has managed to more than double it’s online following in recent years. The NFL is talking to its fans, not at them, making them an essential part of the NFL community via a policy of direct engagement and transparency.

The good news is that Formula 1 – and motorsport in general – has all the right ingredients to mirror the NFL’s achievement in reaching out to US audiences.

2016

The 2016 calendar is shaping up to be one of the best yet, with a record 21 races currently scheduled to take place – there will be no shortage of action for fans to enjoy! In particular, we are excited to see our clients at Sochi Autodrom host their third race during the earlier May date (having previously staged their first two races in October), which should see Sochi bathed in sunny weather.

Furthermore, we are also delighted to see the German Grand Prix back on the calendar, Formula 1 just isn’t the same without it and we are excited to work with the Hockenheimring once again. Finally, June sees the inaugural Formula 1 race in Baku whom we are currently actively working with. This will be the third and fastest street race on the calendar. We have been to Baku several times this year already to observe preparations and I am sure this beautiful city will play host to one of the most exciting and aesthetic races next year. It will really surprise people.




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