The Chinese Grand Prix, Failure of a Love Story?

According to observers, the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix was one of the most spectacular races in recent years. A single figure could summarize this race: the number of overtakes, 85, a record on dry ground since 1982, all track conditions combined. The Chinese public did not get it wrong by giving the drivers a real ovation at the end of the race, after a 2010 edition that had already not been lacking in overtakes—82—but this time on a wet track. And yet, the Grand Prix is still far from being a popular success. Built with a maximum capacity of 200,000 seats, which has since been reduced to 120,000, Shanghai still struggles to fill its stands. While the first edition attracted 260,000 curious Formula One fans, 8 years later, this number is expected to barely exceed 160,000 seats, with, according to the Shanghai Daily, 163,700 tickets sold. This low attendance could then be explained by the 500 to 600 dollars that spectators had to spend to buy a place, equivalent to a month’s salary in Beijing. The organizers responded by revising their prices, which seem to have resulted in a slight increase in attendance compared to 2010 without the circuit being able to sell out completely.

Last week, in his column for The Telegraph, David Coulthard acknowledged a failure and talked about a love story that never took flight.

I remember everyone was very enthusiastic in 2003 when we were preparing to come here. Teams were displaying Chinese messages on their cars, etc., but the country still hasn’t reciprocated to the sport. At least not from a commercial standpoint. It’s surprising when you think about it: China and Formula One should form a perfect marriage. Instead, we have a soulless track nearly an hour from the city where the main grandstand is largely deserted, and you need a bus to get from one end of the paddock to the other. Martin Brundle won’t walk up the grid because it’s physically impossible for him to get to the media center in time to commentate the race, explains the Scotsman before commenting on the lack of investment from Chinese companies in Formula One: You might think that Chinese companies would try to capitalize on the marketing potential of F1, but few seem interested: there is Aigo with McLaren, but that’s about it. The problem is that the Chinese economy is developing without needing to promote itself in Europe. In 2003, we needed China, but, clearly, China doesn’t need us, laments Coulthard.

Martin Whitmarsh, for his part, confides to GrandPrix.com that F1 is used to going to new destinations that don’t really understand Formula One, but we are not good at promoting our sport. […] We need to do more promotion in Shanghai. It’s the same story as in Istanbul. Take a tour around the circuit in the days leading up to the race and tell me how many advertising boards you have seen. For the FOTA President, it’s a point that needs to be worked on before returning to the North American market.

Two anecdotes alone could – wrongly – suggest a certain disinterest of the Chinese in their Grand Prix. Thus, when the 2010 World Champion arrived in Shanghai, the immigration officer did not recognize him and had to inquire about his identity with colleagues, eventually mistaking him for Fernando Alonso, much to Mark Webber’s amusement. But the confusion did not stop there, as a crowd of autograph hunters awaited the German driver, asking him to sign photos of the Spaniard. Felipe Massa, for his part, fell victim to the same mistake, this time from a journalist on Sunday evening.

However, it would be wrong to extrapolate generalities from these anecdotes. For instance, in 1982, when Arnoux refused to comply with Renault’s team orders to let Prost win the French Grand Prix, the ‘Professor’ was surprised to be mistaken for his teammate by a gas station attendant on the road to Saint-Chamond, who then said to him: “You were right, Mr. Arnoux. That Prost, what a little jerk!” At that time, no one could doubt the French passion for Formula One—at least back then.

Moreover, the Chinese fans were particularly attentive – just like the Japanese fans. For instance, some fans gave the drivers and team staff badges featuring their likenesses, disguised as pandas.

Anthony Davidson, commentator for BBC Radio 5, meanwhile, found one of his fans waiting for him at the airport with a box of donuts to celebrate his birthday since the Brit was born on April 18th.

After 8 years of existence, and with its future secured until 2017, the Chinese Grand Prix presents a mixed record. While it falls short of the initial ambitious expectations, F1 is gradually finding its audience, perhaps still fragile and awkward, but one must consider the cultural specificities that lead Asian people to express their passion differently than is customary in Europe. Previously, the Hungarian Grand Prix marked a historic step for Formula One in the Soviet sphere, and the presence of F1 in China also has a historical aspect, a clash of two cultures that will likely take time before they blend perfectly.