As he heads off to observe the game from the consolation of his couch, Ross Brawn is adamant that Liberty Media, has been a constructive pressure for F1.
The Briton is stepping down as F1’s managing director of motorsport, and although linked with quite a few positions throughout the sport insists that he’s retiring and can prohibit his future involvement to watching races from his couch.
As an engineer, technical director and workforce boss, Brawn constructed a a lot deserved repute as among the finest within the enterprise, however since being recruited by F1, very like Stefano Domenicali, has turn into very a lot the corporate man.
Introduced on board, like Domenicali, due to his huge expertise within the sport, in Brawn Liberty Media noticed the chance to make use of the Briton’s information to reshape it because it sought to radically overhaul F1 and appeal to a brand new viewers while not totally alienating the present fan-base.
Below Bernie Ecclestone it have to be admitted that the game was not realising its full potential, although many would argue that underneath Liberty it has gone the opposite manner.
Alongside initiatives reminiscent of Drive to Survive and a full-on method to social media, the game has sought to use all means potential to draw and retain its newly received over viewers while by no means lacking a chance to monetise.
“I feel Liberty have accomplished an amazing job,” says Brawn, in response to Motorsport.com. “I’d say this, however they employed me! And whereas I say that, they recognised that they needed to enhance the game. They did not simply are available in and say ‘how can we enhance the margins?’
“Their mind-set was: ‘There’s this nice sport, how can we take the game forwards? As a result of the rewards will come after we take the game forwards, not by squeezing extra juice out of the lemon.’ And Greg and Chase had that imaginative and prescient. And, fortunately, I had the chance to be concerned.
“Due to this fact I feel Liberty have taken an amazing method. Actually, when you take a look at the historical past of homeowners in Components 1, they’re the one ones that I’ve seen do it, and I have been right here fairly a very long time.
“If you happen to look again, I can not consider many homeowners that put that form of funding into the game. I will not inform you my funds, however it was a considerable funds to try this work we did. And that is a dedication, which is paying off now.”
Although F1 did properly to place collectively a schedule throughout the pandemic, it was Drive to Survive that basically boosted the game’s picture.
Amidst the lockdowns viewers found the Netflix present, which hadn’t been attracting a big viewers outdoors of the game’s core fan-base till then, and by the point the ‘all-clear’ was given an entire new military of followers had been received over.
This, mixed with a continuous aggressive social media coverage which noticed F1 administration, the groups and drivers all working collectively, steadily modified the look of the fan-base, not solely when it comes to numbers but additionally the demographics.
As extra sports activities get on board the Netflix practice and current their very own model of Drive to Survive, Brawn is assured that F1 can preserve its place.
“It is fairly good,” he says. “I imply, we won’t be complacent, however we have large curiosity in Components 1.
“What’s pleasing is there is a new demographic coming via with an amazing steadiness of range, notably gender range in that new demographic. And that is actually encouraging.
“We have to ensure we retain our form of core, long-term followers,” he provides, “we do not need to alienate them. And that is why I say I feel the integrity of the racing is essential.”
One of many most important complaints as soon as Brawn ditched his position as poacher for that of gamekeeper was his willingness to comply with the Liberty mantra of incorporating extra gimmicks into the game.
Each time a set of pure circumstances someway conspired turned a race on its head, Brawn was the primary to counsel that the idea be tailored in an effort to boost races.
An ideal instance is the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, when the race was red-flagged and subsequently re-started, by which period quite a few drivers had been out of place, not least Lewis Hamilton who had been compelled to the again of the (restart) grid after being penalised. Whereas the Briton staged an excellent come again to complete seventh, the race was received by Pierre Gasly within the AlphaTauri.
“Monza was a candidate for a reverse grid dash race after we had been contemplating testing the format this yr,” enthused Brawn the next day in his debrief for the official F1 web site. “Sadly, we couldn’t transfer ahead with it, however the idea remains to be one thing we and the FIA need to work via within the coming months and focus on with the groups for subsequent yr. We consider that yesterday’s race confirmed the thrill a mixed-up pack can ship and with subsequent yr’s automobiles remaining the identical as this yr – our followers might be handled to the same drama we noticed this weekend at Monza.”
Fortunately, the powers that be stay unconvinced by reverse grids, however one other of Brawn’s trigger celebres is the Dash.
“There’s at all times this debate about reverse grids,” he says. “Reverse grids can be fairly entertaining. I feel most of us would like to see what would occur.
“However there is a component of our followers who suppose that is getting too artificial, too WWF form of factor, and that it’s best to reward the very best guys and so forth. I get that as properly and I feel we have to be very cautious on that facet of issues.
“You will have a dash race now. And, for me, a dash race can solely add as a result of it is a competitors, it is a contest, finest man wins, smartest man wins, it is a meritocracy. It is simply a further demonstration of the drivers’ abilities throughout a race weekend. I feel the dash is nice.
“I can not see why anybody would actually have an issue with that. That ought to, if they have an open thoughts, enchantment to all our followers. I can see why a reverse grid might be divisive and will unsettle a few of our followers and that is one thing we have to bear in mind.
“I feel we’re in an amazing place,” he concludes. “We appear to have engaged properly with our current followers. We have this new group of followers that we have to proceed to interact with, and I feel we have taken the chance of giving our followers a a lot deeper perception into the game than that they had earlier than.
“I can see why personalities are interesting. And, as you realize, we have opened up social media, which has its downsides and we’re by no means gonna cease that, however I feel for followers who have interaction within the sport and feed their ardour, that is good.”
