F1 Fans are being priced out of the sport!

I have to be honest and say that I actually don't think it's overpriced...if you choose yoru tickets carefully.

The most I've ever paid was AUD$400 for the Aussie GP - for 3 days grandstand ($US319)
Singapore $298 - 3 days grandstand (US$237)
Malaysia - I only went GA on raceday - flights from Singapore, GP tickets and 1 night accommodation near the circuit - cost me SGD$150 ($120)

A concert in Singapore cost me $150 - for not even 2 hours....so I think grandstand seats here (cheapest is $298) for 3 days is good value.


I was looking at Monza this year, and admit that was a little expensive, but when you consider it's for 3 days, I don't think it's overpriced at all

I have to be honest and say that I actually don't think it's overpriced...if you choose yoru tickets carefully.

The most I've ever paid was AUD$400 for the Aussie GP - for 3 days grandstand ($US319)
Singapore $298 - 3 days grandstand (US$237)
Malaysia - I only went GA on raceday - flights from Singapore, GP tickets and 1 night accommodation near the circuit - cost me SGD$150 ($120)

A concert in Singapore cost me $150 - for not even 2 hours....so I think grandstand seats here (cheapest is $298) for 3 days is good value.


I was looking at Monza this year, and admit that was a little expensive, but when you consider it's for 3 days, I don't think it's overpriced at all

For the average person it is. And it's not just the cost of entry, it's the plane tickets, the accomodation, transportation, food and drink. I personally have never been to a F1 race because I don't think it's worth it due to the fact that just to travel by plane from where I live would cost me a serious amount of cash let alone the rest of it. Say you can treat yourself once every now and then but a family person has at least triple the cost.

For the average person it is. And it's not just the cost of entry, it's the plane tickets, the accomodation, transportation, food and drink. I personally have never been to a F1 race because I don't think it's worth it due to the fact that just to travel by plane from where I live would cost me a serious amount of cash let alone the rest of it. Say you can treat yourself once every now and then but a family person has at least triple the cost.

You choose to have a family, yes?

No offense, but thats like complaining you are angry at fuel prices whilst driving a 7l V8 land barge, or in my case, a modified Japanese turbo.

I am going to my first ever F1 - Malaysia 2013.

Flights return 350 Aus (5am Fri, Return 11.50pm Sunday)

2 nights accom at the hotel next to track 130 Aus

Tickets 100-500 depending what we choose when they go on sale

Few hundred dollars for food/drinks

~1000 dollars isnt bad to spend 3 days in a foreign country and to see a F1 race. I dont not earn huge money either.

You choose to have a family, yes?

No offense, but thats like complaining you are angry at fuel prices whilst driving a 7l V8 land barge, or in my case, a modified Japanese turbo.

I am going to my first ever F1 - Malaysia 2013.

Flights return 350 Aus (5am Fri, Return 11.50pm Sunday)

2 nights accom at the hotel next to track 130 Aus

Tickets 100-500 depending what we choose when they go on sale

Few hundred dollars for food/drinks

~1000 dollars isnt bad to spend 3 days in a foreign country and to see a F1 race. I dont not earn huge money either.

Why not to see your home race on a lesser budget? (I presume you live there since currency you quote is in AUD).

For the average person it is. And it's not just the cost of entry, it's the plane tickets, the accomodation, transportation, food and drink. I personally have never been to a F1 race because I don't think it's worth it due to the fact that just to travel by plane from where I live would cost me a serious amount of cash let alone the rest of it. Say you can treat yourself once every now and then but a family person has at least triple the cost.

Well I used to live in NZ so would fly to Australia and Singapore for the race. Austrlia was ok - as I'm from there so stayed with family and flight cost about AUD$500. Singapore differnet matter - hotel about SGD$1800, flight SGD$1800... So I had that added cost. Now I live in Singapore, I can walk to the race. I just counted it as my annual holiday.

But in terms of ticket prices (it's not Bernie's fault that you have to fly so that has to be discounted when discussing the cost of F1) , I still don't think a GA or cheaper grandstand - for 3 days, is over priced...still way better value than going to a concert that lasts a couple of hours

Teejay

Good luck getting back to the airport in time after the race.... I went this year. Stayed at the hotel near the circuit (eek - yuck), even booked a taxi to pick me up after the race.. They couldn't meet me at designated point so I had to walk a while to meet them - then major traffic jam to the airport. Took us over 2 hours to drive 10kms


re: food and drink - budget $100 - it really is that cheap

re: track - I got the MYR50 (AUD$15) general admission sunday - 1 day ticket. Brilliant - saw heaps of the track. It rained, but I was undercover. I'm usually a grandstand girl, but as I was flying in day of the race, and then out next morning, I didn't care.

€200 for a muddy seat in the rain, versus €10 price for watching F1 at a bar with fellow fans, which is always very enjoyable. I think the bar wins.

Formula One is quite popular in Germany, and with 120,000 grandstand seats Hockenheim is the second largest sports arena in Germany, after Nurburgring. Despite that only 59,000 seats where actually sold, that for a world class sport such as Formula One. Pathetic. Have you ever seen a Champions League match with less than half full stands?

There hasn't been a single venue this season which has actually even came close to selling out it's tickets. Not Germany, not Britain, not Canada, and not Spain. Let alone countries like Bahrain and Abu Dhabi which Bernie oh so much wants to hold a race in, despite the fact that the stands are always as empty as a vacuum.

Don't worry, change will come. Maybe FOM will finally realize what they've done when there are 1000 people attending each race and their sponsors walk out on them.

I sometimes regret falling in love with this sport to begin with. It's corrupted, nothing but corrupted.

Edited by Kingshark, 17 August 2012 - 08:09.

Why not to see your home race on a lesser budget? (I presume you live there since currency you quote is in AUD).

Was in Melbourne only 2 months ago, need to go again in 2 months for a few days.

It was cheaper for me to fly return to KL than Mel!

Well I used to live in NZ so would fly to Australia and Singapore for the race. Austrlia was ok - as I'm from there so stayed with family and flight cost about AUD$500. Singapore differnet matter - hotel about SGD$1800, flight SGD$1800... So I had that added cost. Now I live in Singapore, I can walk to the race. I just counted it as my annual holiday.

But in terms of ticket prices (it's not Bernie's fault that you have to fly so that has to be discounted when discussing the cost of F1) , I still don't think a GA or cheaper grandstand - for 3 days, is over priced...still way better value than going to a concert that lasts a couple of hours

It can't be discounted because unless you have a grand prix in your country, those expenses count when you have to budget for holidays. 1000 euros for 3 days is way too much in my book. I spent less money staying in London for ten days.

For the nearest f1 race to me a general admission ticket for the weekend costs about the same as a night out at a non-fast food restaurant followed up with entertainment. That isn't expensive and, if you're willing to arrive early and stake a claim to your spot, the view is...ok. Even the mid range grandstand seating price is fairly acceptable, though I certainly wouldn't call it a great deal. But then there's travel costs, not to mention downtown city prices for lodgings, and a person has to eat...all of which I know have nothing to do with CVC, or Bernie or anyone else but are still relevant to my decision on how to spend my entertainment money.

While I didn't go the race this year, it wasn't because I was priced out of attending. I wouldn't considered buying any of the $300+ plus tickets but many folks would be fine with it. I might even be fine with it (well, not exactly fine with it, but more accepting) if the ticket was the only expense.

Pure and simple market forces at play here. Nothing more.
No one is fleecing anyone. If Circuits or Bernie charged fees / tickets more than what the market will bear , they will lose money themselves.

The hard fact is that there are people willing to pay £300 for a grandstand seat enough in numbers to fill up the stand. Why should circuits lower the price from that level even if Bernie was charging them a pittance.
We can debate whether the people in the stands are real fans of the sport or are bandwagoners. If latter - it would be a good thing if F1 loses popularity leaving only the real fans to attend races at 50 bucks a piece.

I never went myself, but most people who went to the Indy events all praised the affordability and the view and the general value of the experience.

Unfortunately, they seem to be going the more 'standard' route with Circuit of the Americas charging outrageous prices that your average person perhaps just interested in what all the hub-ub is about is gonna look at and laugh. And apparently some GA views are on a downhill slope(going away from the track)! lol

I bet the Austin race has one of the biggest crowds of the year. Out of the 20 races I bet it's in the top 5 at around 100,000.

I bet the Austin race has one of the biggest crowds of the year. Out of the 20 races I bet it's in the top 5 at around 100,000.

With a population topping 300 million and the most popular spectator sport in the country being Nascar I should bloody well hope it does. Otherwise what hope does any other track in the world have at filling its stands.

^^Interesting. How much does attending NASCAR cost on average?

Basketball.

Yes, this will begin with a post about basketball.

For 220 dollars Aus (and since we are at parity, 220 US) I can use this

www.nba.tv

Every single game on demand, every single game live, in full HD.

Why F1 does not have the same deal astounds me.

Every person wanting this experience will be able to watch the races the way they want. It is a new advertising stream etc etc.

Somemthing needs to change.

MotoGP has online broadcasting and it's great as well. Not to mention the footage from the archives.

With a population topping 300 million and the most popular spectator sport in the country being Nascar I should bloody well hope it does. Otherwise what hope does any other track in the world have at filling its stands.

Though it's motorsport, it's a completely different demographic. Most NASCAR fans aren't interested in F1 (though many are) and some are even vehemently opposed to anything non US.

^Interesting. How much does attending NASCAR cost on average?

Depends on the event. Some of the lesser attended events have limited seats at US$39 for race day, though most of the low cost seats are in the US$50-75 range. Weekend packages are anywhere from US$100 to US$300 plus for those tracks that have some sort of infield fan zone, like the Neon Garage in Vegas, add another US$100 for the weekend. RV spaces are anywhere from US$1000 to US$3000 and usually include 6 to 10 GA tickets.

The only issue with the "well lets just not buy tickets and watch on TV. Then they'll HAVE to put the prices down".
They wont put the prices down, they'll take it off the list and go somewhere else.

Although they have to have actual fans present, they do really prefer everyone to watch it on tv.

I guess it is how much you are willing and able to pay. I'm going to Spa this year. We could have saved money on the ferry costs but we booked it too late.

Entrance for GA for all 3 days €105
Campsite (including shuttle bus) €265 per pitch
Ferry £118 (could have gotten it for £60).

There are 2 of us going in our car. So ferry and campsite split between us.

We are setting off early on Wednesday morning and will get there early Wednesday afternoon, return Monday. Bring mostly our own food and beer. Go to the pub at night and the beer is only €1 per bottle.

Its a holiday for nearly a week and we have a lot of fun. I don't find that sort of price totally unreasonable.

The alternative, if you want a live F1 fix and cant afford a race, I can recommend winter testing. It is a lot better than you'd expect and a lot cheaper.

Kind of the opposite of Silverstone there - cheap entry tickets + pricey camping. Silverstone is the opposite!

Yes, I think cost cutting should apply for the fans as well.

My first race was in Silverstone where I sat at Stowe, for me as an Indian it was pretty expensive much much more than the average city-person's monthly salary here . The Indian Grand Prix here might be cheap for foreigners but to amass a crowd of home spectators for the event , which is the main objective ; will be doubtful in the years to come. A cricket match here costs around 10 USD for a decent seat , the least expensive one's being around 5 USD and the most expensive one's start at 100 to 200 USD .

Prices for a race START at 100-200 USD . So , yes even though they've come bought down the prices as compared to the European races it still is pretty steep. Weekend passes would not necessarily attract the general public , last year on Friday and Saturday there was hardly any attendance at the BIC , despite most people buying the Weekend pass and having a Home team and two home drivers.

I think there is good evidence for FOM to take notice since races like Turkey and now Korea have been scrapped due to low -attendance figures .

Overall , I think if more and more non-European countries keep losing their races , the image of Formula One globally will suffer and we probably will see F1 back to being a solely "European" event just like NASCAR is an American event.

Market forces ...

The F1 circus just needs:
1. Circuits to pay hosting fees to have the races
2. TV companies to pay to cover the races
3. Advertisers
4. Sponsors

As long as they are all in place, there's not a problem.

Ciruits do need fans to buy tickets to help cover their costs. Their other source of income is funding from central/local government etc. The price of tickets is directly related to the hosting cost less any funding that the receive. If the numbers don't add up, then the circuit cannot continue. However, as long as there are other circuits available, then there is not a problem for F1.

It's a similar situation for TV and advertisers/sponsors - to them fans are important, but as long as there are others willing to step when others leave, then it's not a problem.

In short, F1 does not directly need any fans. As long as their are circuits, TV companies and sponsors that think they can benefit from being involved in F1 - and are willing to pay the costs - F1 will continue as is. It's only when it becomes clear that the level of fees is putting off too many circuits and TV companies that they will be reviewed downwards. And even then, that does not mean that the fans will benefit.

With a population topping 300 million and the most popular spectator sport in the country being Nascar I should bloody well hope it does. Otherwise what hope does any other track in the world have at filling its stands.

The US GP in recent times has been a financial disaster. The debacle at Indy a few years back was before a small crowd, probably luckily so.
The organisers got burnt on all accounts, and in turn the race has not happened again for several years.
One would hope that it will pull a bigger crowd but from reading that thread the lack of parking & etc may scare the punters off somewhat, and they would probably sooner watch Nascar.

Interesting that most of the problems being raised here are nothing to do with F1 but the circuits themselves and ironically in most cases the fact that they are so busy on race days. Yes F3 tickets are cheaper but that is the same with all events. Go to a minor league football game and you will pay a lot less and get much closer to the action than prem league games.

As for the web stream - unlikely to happen since it would greatly reduce the commercial value of tv packages and might well be in violation of the current Concorde agreement.

^^Interesting. How much does attending NASCAR cost on average?

I've been to Daytona- and race tickets for Saturday and Sunday were about $190 (2 day ticket)- that does depend on where you sit though- prime seats in front of the pits are more expensive. Tickets for Thursday and Friday were about $40 each day

and say what you will about the whole Sky UK issue, but it has totally been a factor in people turning off F1, and actually decreased ticket sales.

.

erm - just how do you arrive at that conclusion. The British GP ticket sales were as strong as ever. Do you really think the number of Brits (who are the only ones affected by the BBC/Sky situation) going to GP's outside the UK has a large impact on numbers - and of those do you really believe that many didnt traved to say, Monaco because they cant watch all the other races live. Total made up rubbish - whatever you think of the actual topic of this thread.

Any oligarchy... a system managed by very few elites (who control the "means of production") becomes more and more decadent and corrupt. The question then becomes how long can the sheep majority be kept docile.

CAPITALISM SUCKS!!!!!!!!!

Eeek. Come on now people. Too expensive? Don't go. If the numbers then stop adding up things will change, but for the time being stop moaning. I can't afford to go to every race, fine, I won't go. I don't moan about it. I just don't go. If Bernie wants me at every race then he'll change things. If the numbers stop adding up, then he'll change things.

So either get a better job, make savings somewhere else or stop attending and watching.

Interesting that most of the problems being raised here are nothing to do with F1 but the circuits themselves and ironically in most cases the fact that they are so busy on race days. Yes F3 tickets are cheaper but that is the same with all events. Go to a minor league football game and you will pay a lot less and get much closer to the action than prem league games.

As for the web stream - unlikely to happen since it would greatly reduce the commercial value of tv packages and might well be in violation of the current Concorde agreement.

Of course it's related to F1. If Bernie wasn't charging the track such a ridiculous fee they wouldn't make the tickets so expensive and the experience so poor.

It's the same with music really. Live gigs for the big players are silly money. £150 for a crappy Madonna concert at the back of a football stadium, versus £10 for three local acts in the local pub, one of which will usually be brilliant. And better beer.

So true. Went to see Roger Waters. Paid $115 for the ticket, decent seat but far from the best. Great show and all but two weeks later I went to see Pink Floyd tribute band for just $10. That was probably the best $10 I have ever spent.

Basketball.

Yes, this will begin with a post about basketball.

For 220 dollars Aus (and since we are at parity, 220 US) I can use this

www.nba.tv

Every single game on demand, every single game live, in full HD.

Why F1 does not have the same deal astounds me.

Every person wanting this experience will be able to watch the races the way they want. It is a new advertising stream etc etc.

Somemthing needs to change.

Totally agree.

Since F1 went pay tv (in NZ) I said "not worth it". I see the odd race at a friends/pub but I'm really a home body. Is it worth $500-1k or whatever to get a pay TV sub? Nope.

If I really want to see a race, I can get it "on demand" from the usual channels. But even that is a hassle, and who would bother compared to paying $10 per race or whatever, via a web-sub as per nba model?

Yes, you can say I'm only one person and who cares? OK.
Fact is, the real losers in my case are the sponsors, who don't get to assault me with adverts for two hours every couple of weekends.
If I was one of them, I'd be p1ssed off at F1 not maximizing my TV/Web exposure.

Of course it's related to F1. If Bernie wasn't charging the track such a ridiculous fee they wouldn't make the tickets so expensive and the experience so poor.

So you think if Bernie had charged Silverstone less they would make the GA experience better? It is always going to be busy, there will always be a push to get the good viewpoints. If the tickets were cheaper it would be even more manic.

The only difference between seeing F1 at Silverstone and seeing MotoGP and SBK (aside from the weather) was that there were simply far fewer fans for the bikes so it was easier to get good seats/viewpoints. I'm sure if these series were as popular as F1 then they would have the same experience problems and the circuits could charge the higher prices.

As a fan I would like to see is a change in TV approach. Pristine and without advertising to beggin with. Mass market could make it really inexpensive if there is a desire, and we are already paying a lot for the internet, and TV anyway. Laptop with event timing complemented with 52" TV and knowledgeable, neutral comentators could be lucrative setting for many people around the globe IMO. I am now bored at race tracks (unfortunately). Being bound to some bad and expensive seat is no fun at all.

I would watch (even if I have to record it):

1a. Qualifying - 1/2 hr commentary on developments, assessment of FP sessions, various clips, etc.
1b. Qualifying - 1 hr in real time with commentary on the event
1c. Qualifying - 1/2 hr summary of qualifying session that has past, stewards decisions, etc.

2a. Race - 1 hr pre-race, all about F1
2b. Race in real time
2c. Race summary

3. At least 1 hr per week of additional updates on F1 (rebroadcasted in different time zones at some convenient hour).

F1 around the clock would make no sense for me. We have BB for that, but right now we do not get enough real news. What we are exposed to is a lot of editorials.

Edited by Sakae, 20 August 2012 - 09:38.

CAPITALISM SUCKS!!!!!!!!!

Eeek. Come on now people. Too expensive? Don't go. If the numbers then stop adding up things will change, but for the time being stop moaning. I can't afford to go to every race, fine, I won't go. I don't moan about it. I just don't go. If Bernie wants me at every race then he'll change things. If the numbers stop adding up, then he'll change things.

So either get a better job, make savings somewhere else or stop attending and watching.

That is one way to look at it
and perhaps that's exactly how Bernie and Co are working at the moment. They are simply trying to max out the market. After all the races are a sellout.

The bigger question however - Are they succeeding ? Is F1 really maximizing its own revenue potential by following these ticket price levels and sub tv phenomenon.? Is F1 missing a trick?

I think that they can do more by way of ad / Ticket / subs revenue if they could make the sport more accessible in these ways :

1> Increase capacity at circuits (or choose only high capacity circuits)
2> Price the tickets on a bidding format similar to airlines where in it creeps up as the seats fill up. Thus maximizing the revenue potential.
3> Open the broadcast to pay-per-view on a reasonable price and stop relying solely on Sky / Subs TV licences
4> Tackle US / China / India market with much more aggression than now , with multiple tracks and FOM promoting the events rather than the hashjobs done by the circuits.
5> Increase races to 25 in a year. Races should be on every alternate weekend. Summer breaks simply lose the casual followers.

Edited by sailor, 20 August 2012 - 09:54.

The hard fact is that there are people willing to pay £300 for a grandstand seat enough in numbers to fill up the stand. Why should circuits lower the price from that level even if Bernie was charging them a pittance.

This is not true of many circuits. See the Rencken article for details of the half-capacity German GP. At Hungary, the organisers were inducing people to buy the Gold grandstand tickets by including concert tickets and theme park entry.

The problem is that halving the price of seats won't double attendances because there are so many other costs involved.

This is not true of many circuits. See the Rencken article for details of the half-capacity German GP. At Hungary, the organisers were inducing people to buy the Gold grandstand tickets by including concert tickets and theme park entry.

The problem is that halving the price of seats won't double attendances because there are so many other costs involved.

I was referring to British GP which is always a sellout close to the race.
And yes - halving the ticket price wont double the numbers but I m not sure they are conducting a proper demand curve analysis.

I ve been a F1 fan since god knows when and I have never ever paid a single penny and never will to enjoy it apart of course paying my TV licence and internet connection charges.I have no desire whatsoever to attend a race meeting in person when I can watch it live on the internet! So you can count me out of that fanbase being priced out!

I didn't go to the British G.P this year for the 1st time in ten years. Main reason was cost. I've never had a grandstand seat, I've always had general admission. This year it was £159 for the cheapest weekend ticket. That just gets you in.

Montreal is ridiculous. There is no respect for the bulk of F1's audience - I watched the race by watching half of a turn around a tree while getting elbowed. If you can't erect some stands for $200 a head you're just being a rip off.

Indianapolis was great. Great views, roam the stands during FP and qualifying:

You really felt you got your money's worth.

.. and I could afford an actual seat???? Amazing. Why isn't F1 at Indy again...?

F1 has been pricing itself out of contention for most for years.

Lets face it, Bernie doesn't really give a flying F. You can only squeeze so much out of F1 before it starts to go in a negative direction. I haven't watched a Grand Prix at a circuit for many years as, for me, it is holiday money. The elitism that exists in F1 circles precludes most fans of seeing the sport they love on a regular basis. Eventually they lose interest altogether. I have Sky, and love it, but Sky has definitely had an effect.

In my opinion F1 needs to take a step back and make it more accessible to the masses. Empty seats look awful. Diminishing TV viewers will only mean one thing...

Stop paying for overpriced stuff, lets the teams, FIA, FOM sort the mess. End of story.

Bernie Ecclestone is a horrible little man, who will squeeze and squeeze and squeeze to fill his, and his investors pockets, regardless of what anybody thinks and does. The deal for which he sold the rights of F1 effectively to himself for about a quarter of what they were worth really was criminal. And what gets me the most about it is that everyone, like Brundle on the TV that apparantly nobody now watches, calls him 'Bernie' and are all chummy with him. They should all hate him, he is killing the sport they love, its like they don't realise. He either gives very generous christmas presents or has them all over a barrell.

I never went myself, but most people who went to the Indy events all praised the affordability and the view and the general value of the experience.

Unfortunately, they seem to be going the more 'standard' route with Circuit of the Americas charging outrageous prices that your average person perhaps just interested in what all the hub-ub is about is gonna look at and laugh. And apparently some GA views are on a downhill slope(going away from the track)! lol

I went to Indy 5 times and I'm going to the Austin race this year.

The difference in prices is unbelievable. At Indy, the most expensive ticket was $150 (I kid you not!) plus $25 for practice/quali two-day ticket.

For Austin, Turn 12, which is the best out of general public (other tickets are premium which cost $1000+) costs $499 for the whole weekend.

Clearly, prices have gone way up, especially since they have much more overhead costs for the Austin race (New track plus more expensive fees)

I don't consider it priced out. Almost anyone with a middle class income in North America can afford to attend a GP with some planning.
I'm assuming it's the a similar situation for much of the EU and Australia. I can see many of the Asian races and the one in Brazil are more exclusive, AFAIK, F1 doesn't really adjust pricing according income levels of the host nation.

It's definitely not the cheapest thing to do. Although putting things in perspective, travelling and staying in hotels to watch Ferraris and McLarens race each other probably falls under the more luxurious events in life, and the costs reciprocate that.

I don't consider it priced out. Almost anyone with a middle class income in North America can afford to attend a GP with some planning.
I'm assuming it's the a similar situation for much of the EU and Australia. I can see many of the Asian races and the one in Brazil are more exclusive, AFAIK, F1 doesn't really adjust pricing according income levels of the host nation.

It's definitely not the cheapest thing to do. Although putting things in perspective, travelling and staying in hotels to watch Ferraris and McLarens race each other probably falls under the more luxurious events in life, and the costs reciprocate that.

The question is though, should the tickets for a three-day event (even excluding other costs) really cost almost the same as a week long cheap holiday abroad? You expect to pay more than you would to watch banger racing at your local track, but the current prices are rising far out of proportion.

The question is though, should the tickets for a three-day event (even excluding other costs) really cost almost the same as a week long cheap holiday abroad? You expect to pay more than you would to watch banger racing at your local track, but the current prices are rising far out of proportion.

Well for contrast a weekend pass to the V Festival is £155 and a weekend GA pass for Silverstone is £165 so not much in it. Particularly since the views at music festivals usually make GA at Silverstone seem great.

The question is though, should the tickets for a three-day event (even excluding other costs) really cost almost the same as a week long cheap holiday abroad? You expect to pay more than you would to watch banger racing at your local track, but the current prices are rising far out of proportion.

Well for Malaysia for example - the whole trip, including tickets, airfares from Singapore and accommoation for 1 night - cost me less than a 2 hour concert of 2 Australian singers that were big in the 80's

Singapore - cheapest 3 day GA tickets would also cost me less than that 2 hour concert...

Edited by Raelene, 21 August 2012 - 08:55.

Bernie Ecclestone is a horrible little man, who will squeeze and squeeze and squeeze to fill his, and his investors pockets, regardless of what anybody thinks and does. The deal for which he sold the rights of F1 effectively to himself for about a quarter of what they were worth really was criminal. And what gets me the most about it is that everyone, like Brundle on the TV that apparantly nobody now watches, calls him 'Bernie' and are all chummy with him. They should all hate him, he is killing the sport they love, its like they don't realise. He either gives very generous christmas presents or has them all over a barrell.

i love Bernie - without him, we wouldn't have F1 available as much as we do - ie. TV and many more circuits outside of Europe.

Yes, I imagine there's a lot of people, myself included, that simply would not have started following F1 if it wasn't for Bernie.

Totally agree.

Since F1 went pay tv (in NZ) I said "not worth it". I see the odd race at a friends/pub but I'm really a home body. Is it worth $500-1k or whatever to get a pay TV sub? Nope.

If I really want to see a race, I can get it "on demand" from the usual channels. But even that is a hassle, and who would bother compared to paying $10 per race or whatever, via a web-sub as per nba model?

Yes, you can say I'm only one person and who cares? OK.
Fact is, the real losers in my case are the sponsors, who don't get to assault me with adverts for two hours every couple of weekends.
If I was one of them, I'd be p1ssed off at F1 not maximizing my TV/Web exposure.

You're not the only one. I was a rabid F1 fan up until this year, when we lost half the races to Sky (UK). Even though I'm finding ways to watch most of the races, the experience isn't the same and I'm nowhere near as emotionally involved in the sport. And that's despite some fabulous opportunities from McLaren's team member programme and attending my first live race - all of which were planned at or before the start of the season. I love the BBC coverage but the excitement's gone for me because I've lost continuity. I'm wondering if I'll bother with F1 at all next year.

I was wondering if it's because there's no 'family' vibe from F1?

I mean, take this summer's European Soccer Championships and the London Olympics. They turn up, have a huge competition and everyone gets invited in to witness it as it unfolds and the competition stays there until it's all done and dusted winners announced, medals awarded etc. There's a spirit of inclusiveness and fan participation - granted 99% of it is manufactured by the sponsors but still, it's there.

By contrast, an F1 race is like the stop on a famous rock group's world tour. They come to town, set up and do their thing and are gone. All things considered, and calendar-placings permitting, only a handful of races are ever going to be in with a chance of being the championship decider. The rest of the races are pretty much stand alone events in a competition that takes 8 months to produce a winner. While there's a family vibe in the Paddock, it seems to stay there and not transmit itself much further than that. The sponsor-related inclusiveness seems to stay within the Paddock boundaries as well and consists mostly of those who are invited by said sponsors or else have paid a small fortune to be briefly part of it.

I'm rambling a bit I know but I think it's part of the problem in that, IMHO, a fan attending a race is treated like someone being allowed to watch others having a party and being charged for the privilege.