In F1, “The show is king, the sport is losing itself,” regrets Bernie Ecclestone
The interest in F1 in Germany is dropping dramatically. According to Bernie Ecclestone, the reason is simple: fans want to see sports, not an American-style show.
While the number of F1 continues to grow worldwide, in Germany, it’s quite the opposite. Sky Deutschland, which holds the exclusive broadcasting rights for the top automotive category in Germany, not only struggles to generate viewers, but also fails to find a free TV partner.
Indeed, his contract states that the Munich pay channel must broadcast four races of the championship for free. However, no free channel in the country wants to offer these four races. Sky has even been forced to cut its offer in half, with the price of the race now being 500,000 euros. Without success.
The Hollywood Formula
The former president of F1, Bernie Ecclestone, interrogated by F1-Insider, gives his response to such a situation.
What was a hit in the United States was not as well received in Europe. And vice versa. Germany is missing a star driver, but that’s not the only reason. I believe that Germans, in particular, don’t let themselves be fooled. Formula 1 is increasingly designed for the American market, it is becoming more and more of a “Hollywood formula”. Entertainment is king, sport is being lost in it.
Dehumanized pilots
According to him, Liberty Media is turning the drivers into robots, which removes the heroic aspect they had back in the day.
(T) Today, the drivers are sitting there and still reciting the same slogans. The team leaders too. Every press conference is interchangeable. The media prefers to talk about flexible front flaps or strange underbody parts, but hardly ever about the ins and outs of the main protagonists. How do you expect heroes to be born like this?
“The drivers appear to be well groomed, they speak as if they have just come out of a detox center for young millionaires,” he continues. “Critiques are not well-received by the F1 managers, the automotive authority FIA, and the teams. In the past, drivers were like hired guns, ready to fight it out every weekend at noon. No one knew who could draw their Colt the fastest. The expression ‘asphalt cowboys’ perfectly summed up this fascinating allure for fans.”
