14 replies to this topic

[TimRTC]

Hi folks, since most of us have now been up for a long time since watching the F1 FP sessions, just a discussion point raised by this Autosport article: http://plus.autospor...s-gamers-short/

 

For those without access, it argues that the Codemasters F1 computer games fall short because they don't offer players a chance to compete in GP2 or GP3 races in a career mode, which games like SBK and MotoGP do for their equivalent series.

 

This got me thinking, outside of the dedicated motorsports fan community, how many people actually know or care about the F1 feeder series? A quick straw poll of people whom I know watch F1 suggested that none of them knew any of the drivers and although they were aware that people like Max Chilton and Jules Bianchi had come to F1 from a junior series, they didn't know which one.

 

I only get the BBC F1 coverage, so I can't comment on how Sky F1 or other national broadcasters discuss the feeder championships, but outside of the FP sessions (which are really only for dedicated motorsports fans anyway) there is precious little mention of GP2 or GP3 on the BBC, particularly when compared to the BBC MotoGP coverage which routinely has interviews and discussion with or about riders from Moto2 and Moto3 on the main broadcast and when a new rider is discussed, their history in the feeder series, or in parallel series like SBK is routinely discussed.

 

Obviously there are rights issues, the BBC cannot just show clips from the GP2 races off hand for example, but surely FOM could do something to help promote the future drivers of F1. A ten minute highlights package of the weekend's junior races to be shown on the world feed before the main F1 race would be a great way to show the series and its drivers to a world audience and hopefully help the drivers get the much needed sponsorship.

 

I think it would also help if the GP2 and GP3 series could get the World Championship moniker, like Moto2 and Moto3 do. They already run in two continents (does the Middle East count separate to Asia for the FIA?), the addition of a stand-alone race perhaps in support of the WTCC in Morocco would certainly get a World status without the additional costs of transport to Canada or South America.

 

What do people think?

[ensign14]

I like the idea, it's just whether they would get an audience.  It's almost farcical that one can have a monthly magazine devoted to a dozen teams and twice that drivers, when there are 40-50 in the tier just below which get ignored. 

 

A smart broadcaster could acquaint people with the lower formulae chaps, but it becomes chicken and egg.  They do that in retrospect once they've made it.  I suppose because otherwise so much would be wasted; doing in-depths on, say, Robin Frijns or Bjorn Wirdheim would not be of interest until they were in F1, and they would have probably missed on less obvious candidates like Max Chilton.

[SpartanChas]

Yeah, the casual fan would generally have no idea what they are and no clue about up and coming drivers. Even when we have weekends, which we've had several this year, where British drivers win most of the races, there's no media coverage whatsoever compared to say tennis, where just getting into the early stages of Wimbledon as a young player it's on the news.

Drivers like James Calado and Sam Bird, right on the cusp of F1; nobody's heard of them.

Edited by SpartanChas, 11 October 2013 - 14:31.

[Fastcake]

It's a bit different with bikes, as there have always been the lower series linked with the main one. In F1 it's been rather more haphazard, with a few series following some of the races, but not integrated like MotoGP/1/2 and the previous incarnations have been.

 

Interesting idea though.

[nosecone]

It's a bit different with bikes, as there have always been the lower series linked with the main one. In F1 it's been rather more haphazard, with a few series following some of the races, but not integrated like MotoGP/1/2 and the previous incarnations have been.

 

Interesting idea though.

 

It is an interesting idea indeed.

 

You could argue that F1 races are 90min and MotoGp is just 45 min long, but this isn't a big problem. MotoGP coverage lasts 3h at least and in that 3h you could easily present the 90min long F1 race + a 45 min long GP2 race (if not you can cut the laps)

[Araqiel]

I think with a bit more exposure around the drivers and teams, GP2 and GP3 could get a big following. The racing is exciting, it'd give all those people who complain about the car being more important than the driver in F1 something else to chew on, and I'd dearly love to see GP2 and GP3 cars in the F1 games in future. It'd also be a big selling point for teams in those series to get more sponsors if it meant having their names on cars in a top-selling game, which no doubt reaches at least as many people worldwide as the average GP2 feature race.

[Buttoneer]

Can they?  It seems to me that every race or qualifying show can include a ten minute segment covering incidents and results from support races but is this something Bernie might have something to say about?  Would he be worried that people could be seduced by the level technical playing field and close racing of the feeder series and just veto it from his F1 licenced products?

 

In my view, having the feeder series in the F1 shows (and games) must surely enhance the overall products and make it much more race focussed and a lot less what-did-driver-x-have-for-lunch-today..

[Tonka]

One simple reason why GP2 & 3 won't get onto mainstream broadcasting - costs.

 

Bernie would want more and the broadcaster would require more staff to cover the event.  All for how much interest?

 

One of the Sky 'extra' channels covered GP3 a couple of seasons ago.  I got up extra early** one Sunday morning to watch one of the races. What a crash festival it was.  The driving standard was dreadful, with collisions on every corner and silly accidents on the restarts.  I didn't bother again.

 

** I think the race started at 9am, which is before sparrow fart on a Sunday.

[Miggeex]

Aren't they separate businesses.GP2, GP3 FIA's sports and F1 Bernie's sport when talking about ownerships.

 

And I don't know if Bernie likes the image of GP2 and GP3. He has worked his ass off to make F1 seem so clean, "glamour" and top-class as possible. What I've heard of, it's REALLY accurate how things must be done in the paddock so it would look perfect in pictures and broadcasts.

 

-The trucks must be lined up perfectly with measured distances to each other and they must shine. 

-Finnish commentator/journalist was once at Monaco outside leaning to a wall while he was writing an article with his laptop. Some guy grabbed his shoulder and said: "Get an office, boy." That guy was Bernie. 

 

It's just ridiculous how strict it is. The "etiquette" at the paddock.

 

That's why he probably wouldn't like the sports to be more connected.   

 

I don't know about other countries but at least in Finland the gp2 and gp3 races are broadcasted live on the same channel as F1. 

Edited by Miggeex, 11 October 2013 - 16:33.

[redreni]

The OP refers to rights issues, but it doesn‘t do any of the teams, sponsors or drivers in GP3 or GP2 any favours whatever having FOM running around making sure nobody knows about the categories. The rights to those categories aren‘t worth anything, really, because the coverage will only attract a specialist audience. ITV had GP2 coverage on ITV4 and would show clips from this during their F1 pre-show, especially in 2006 when there was a British driver winning. According to some sources the BBC‘s contract, when they took over the rights from ITV, included the right to cover GP2 but the BBC in its infinite wisdom thought people would prefer to watch F1 practice.

The rights situation now is pretty bad because Sky are bound to be precious about the GP2 and GP3 rights despite their inherent worthlesness because it‘s one of the few tangible benefits their subscribers get over and above relying on the BBC coverage, apart from the obvious. It is questionable whether it is good for F1 to be behind a paywall. For GP2 and GP3 it‘s a disaster.

[Fastcake]

Aren't they separate businesses.GP2, GP3 FIA's sports and F1 Bernie's sport when talking about ownerships.

 

And I don't know if Bernie likes the image of GP2 and GP3. He has worked his ass off to make F1 seem so clean, "glamour" and top-class as possible. What I've heard of, it's REALLY accurate how things must be done in the paddock so it would look perfect in pictures and broadcasts.

 

-The trucks must be lined up perfectly with measured distances to each other and they must shine. 

-Finnish commentator/journalist was once at Monaco outside leaning to a wall while he was writing an article with his laptop. Some guy grabbed his shoulder and said: "Get an office, boy." That guy was Bernie. 

 

It's just ridiculous how strict it is. The "etiquette" at the paddock.

 

That's why he probably wouldn't like the sports to be more connected.   

 

I don't know about other countries but at least in Finland the gp2 and gp3 races are broadcasted live on the same channel as F1. 

 

GP2 and 3 are both owned by Bernie, unlike previous feeder series like F3000, so there would be no barrier for Bernie should he wish to package them with F1.

 

You'll also find that all support series, even things like Porsche Supercup or historic races, have to meet Bernie's rules in the paddock if they want to be on the schedule. There's been a fair few stories, similar to the ones you talk about, about Bernie in the paddock over the years.

[Kyo]

I would love to compete in GP2/3 in a career mode. It is a win-win situation. Part of the buyers are racing addicts and having GP2/3 would certainly increase the game value for them and costs are probably very low since is basically building 2 new cars. It would be helpful increasing the brand awareness of GP2/3 resulting in more viewers and sponsorship money.

 

Making every broadcaster showing 10min of the best moments of the GP2 race plus 3min talking about 1 team and it's drivers every week before F1 would be great too, and would immensely increase GP2 value for sponsors.

[TomNokoe]

Every GP2 practice/quali/race and I think just GP3 quali&race is shown on SSF1. That's pretty good standalone coverage. Although there is little publicity behind it in direct relation to F1. I think the claim Codemasters are selling fans short is a little far fetched. Maybe they should have a bank mini game where you choose your sponsor as well?

[Morbus]

There are two reasons why I watch F1: the driving standards (of most of the drivers) and the fast and technological cars. Those are the exact reasons why I DON'T watch Nascar, for example.

 

GP2 and other categories are not fast and interesting from a technological point of view, and the drivers are almost all crap. Absolute rubbish.

 

I play racing games online (and, by the way, codemasters' games are terrible, including the F1 one) and almost every race I race has better drivers (etiquette and standards wise) than GP2, GP3, F3, the lot. And that is surprising to me.

[pingu666]

There are two reasons why I watch F1: the driving standards (of most of the drivers) and the fast and technological cars. Those are the exact reasons why I DON'T watch Nascar, for example.

 

GP2 and other categories are not fast and interesting from a technological point of view, and the drivers are almost all crap. Absolute rubbish.

 

I play racing games online (and, by the way, codemasters' games are terrible, including the F1 one) and almost every race I race has better drivers (etiquette and standards wise) than GP2, GP3, F3, the lot. And that is surprising to me.

 

the irony is nascar has one of the best etiquettes and driving standards of any series, or atleast the top 3.

 

tbh the codemasters f1 game id like would be gp3 > gp2 > f1 2009-2014 or whatever with the correct car models for each year career mode

 

but i got game stock car 2013, and the f1 cars (well all cars) are really really good, out of the box.