17 replies to this topic

[Colbul1]

https://www.autospor...-2025/10677086/

 

I'm not sure if this is the start of the end for the venerable publication.  We already have a perfectly good monthly with Motor Sport Magazine and I doubt Autosport will be going all glossy.  Also, I expect my subscription price to go down as I will be receiving a decrease in printed content.  I'll see how it looks and then decide if it is time to cancel my subscription.

[Bloggsworth]

Shrinkflation, the price will stay the same, those who have subscriptions will get no refund were the price to go down;  then Autosport and this site will disappear not too long after. Call me a cynic...

[JHSingo]

Long-time reader, and I think this is the right move. They do have a good point that a print magazine publishing race reports of major events, when these days most people are able to access that online immediately afterwards, is pretty outdated and superfluous. Greater focus on content and quality journalism that isn't so easily accessible online sounds like a great idea.   

I dare say Autosport will be able to find a gap in the market, being for a slightly younger demographic and having a greater focus on contemporary motorsport than in Motor Sport Magazine. 

 

Definitely interested to see the changes, and I'll continue to support the print magazine - still much prefer having a paper copy to read rather than something on a screen. So I'm glad to hear they're keeping going - and hope they'll continue previewing big events like Le Mans, Indy etc - even if it might be a bit more challenging to do if they're having to prepare the previews more in advance of the events than they have before. 

Edited by JHSingo, Today, 11:51.

[ensign14]

Not surprised, the instant internet is death to weeklies. Music press has had it a lot worse.  There is still an argument for a monthly to give more considered reflection.  But there will be no need for Autosport AND MotorSport.

 

Announcement reminds me of one of those "Great news for readers!!!!" splashes in Scorcher, that it was being "merged" with Tiger and mayyyyybe 2 of your favourites will last for about a month before it's over.

[Risil]

There's GP Racing magazine among the monthlies too, right?

[JHSingo]

There's GP Racing magazine among the monthlies too, right?

 

I'm surprised they haven't gone back to the old F1 Racing name, given 'the official F1 magazine' only lasted a short time before it stopped being published. 

[Vitesse2]

I'm surprised they haven't gone back to the old F1 Racing name, given 'the official F1 magazine' only lasted a short time before it stopped being published. 

'F1' is now trademarked. (Am I allowed to say that without paying?)

[PJayBe]

Sad news for this reader.  My "old" Thursday highlight was picking up Motoring News & Autosport and catching up on what we rarely saw on television.  Now we have more on the box, but have to pay for a lot of it, so it's back to reading Autosport again for the full gen.  Is Motoring News still in circulation??

[messy]

It’s a shame, although maybe needed to happen given the circumstances - print media clearly in a very different place now to what it was twenty years ago. To be honest I thought the writing was on the wall a few years ago when so many of the high profile staff went to The Race, and although I think some areas have really suffered in terms of quality (particularly the podcast output), I think the magazine remains strong. I still look forward every year to the F1 review then the Top 50 issues, and I hope to keep reading them for a long time yet. I’m not a massive fan of Motorsport Magazine or GP Racing. A bit style over substance sometimes. Autosport is my sweet spot, although I don’t buy it every week.

Edited by messy, Today, 13:56.

[Sterzo]

It is indeed sad news, but Autosport has done incredibly well to weather the storm until now, is currently very high quality, and is at least is going to continue rather than disappear.

 

It would be great if they could maintain the current length of race reports, while ensuring I still have somewhere to read about who finished fifth in Formula Vee at Croft. Ideally I'd like the monthly mag to be four weeklies bound together. Just saying...

Edited by Sterzo, Today, 13:58.

[Alan Lewis]

Picked up this week's print version at Newcastle Central Station this morning on the way into the office and it also has the announcement (page 15).

Not a surprising development, any weekly is doing well just to survive in recent years.

Doesn't work out too bad for me though. In the New Year I'm stopping full time work and doing two days per week consultancy from home for the few years left until I retire, so I won't be going through Central weekly anymore. But I will be there once or twice a month for the ex-BA IT staff beer nights...

[Richard Jenkins]

Long-time reader, and I think this is the right move. They do have a good point that a print magazine publishing race reports of major events, when these days most people are able to access that online immediately afterwards, is pretty outdated and superfluous. Greater focus on content and quality journalism that isn't so easily accessible online sounds like a great idea.

I dare say Autosport will be able to find a gap in the market, being for a slightly younger demographic and having a greater focus on contemporary motorsport than in Motor Sport Magazine.

Definitely interested to see the changes, and I'll continue to support the print magazine - still much prefer having a paper copy to read rather than something on a screen. So I'm glad to hear they're keeping going - and hope they'll continue previewing big events like Le Mans, Indy etc - even if it might be a bit more challenging to do if they're having to prepare the previews more in advance of the events than they have before.

Agree 100 per cent with this.

It won't be Autsoport as we know it, but I can see a revised magazine with features, writing and especially a focus on club racing that has a real future.

Let's hope so, Kevin's done a Sterling job trying to keep it going.

[bsc]

It won't be Autsoport as we know it, but I can see a revised magazine with features, writing and especially a focus on club racing that has a real future.

Let's hope so, Kevin's done a Sterling job trying to keep it going.

 

The idea of a club racing 'newsletter', as mooted, seems like a positive step to keep that side of the coverage. Wholeheartedly agree regarding the contribution of Kevin Turner. 

 

Sad news for this reader.  My "old" Thursday highlight was picking up Motoring News & Autosport and catching up on what we rarely saw on television.  Now we have more on the box, but have to pay for a lot of it, so it's back to reading Autosport again for the full gen.  Is Motoring News still in circulation??

 

MN still exists. My secondary school days (which weren't really that long ago, he say's optimistically) were punctuated by weekly illicit trips into town to buy copies of Autosport and MN as it was the only way of finding out who'd won the preceding weekend's races including things like the BTCC, DTM and Formula 3000. I don't think, at the time, I'd have imagined 30 or so years later watching free online live coverage of the Formula Ford Festival.

 

I'm surprised they haven't gone back to the old F1 Racing name, given 'the official F1 magazine' only lasted a short time before it stopped being published. 

 

I think the F1 Racing magazine title and the 'Official F1 magazine' were of the shelves alongside one another. The change to GP Racing came after the demise of the 'official' title owing to increased licence fees. 

[JHSingo]

Sad news for this reader.  My "old" Thursday highlight was picking up Motoring News & Autosport and catching up on what we rarely saw on television.  Now we have more on the box, but have to pay for a lot of it, so it's back to reading Autosport again for the full gen.  Is Motoring News still in circulation??

 

Yeah, it'll be a shame to lose that weekly aspect of it. In my teens, I used to buy it pretty much every week, so Thursdays would always be for heading to the local newsagents on my school lunch break or finding anywhere that sold it in rural places when on holiday with my parents.   

But to be honest, this sounds like a necessary revamp/modernisation of it, and if it means it will help it survive longer than it would have done otherwise, I'm all for it. ​ I was horrified a few years ago when they tried to kill it off for good by putting the price up to £10.99 for a few weeks, and some of my favourite issues have been when they've included more historical features etc while F1 is on its summer/winter break. 

 

[KWSN - DSM]

Latest redesign of online front page not very good, it may be we are headed towards the end - Hopefully this forum will continue living on somewhere within the conglomerate's infrastructure.

[john aston]

I suspect I might even subscribe again .I gave up about 20 years ago - after 30 years buying it every week - as it was becoming far too F1 centric, and some of the journalism was becoming tiresome. 

 

If - IF - it can cover F1 and WEC  in a mature and insightful style that would be great . But I'd want also to cover motor sport (not just racing ) far better , especially the UK national scene . For years I had to endure dull reports about the Brazilian pick up championship and the like - at the expense of coverage of stuff that I think is  important for people like me - and perhaps the TNF 'us'- national racing, speed events , drag racing and so on. At present Autosport will tell me who won a MotoGP race (in which I have zero interest) but not who did well at Prescott or Cadwell. 

 

The style of reportage must change too - even the results of the humblest club race are available on line in real time from TSL But reports and impressions like Simon Arron did ? Yes please ...

 

And the final issue is this-  how it is  going to  fish the same pool as Motor Sport? Best mag wins or peaceful co-existence ?   

[sabrejet]

Autosport used to cover a lot of decent stuff like hill climbing, sprints and club meetings but that gradually seemed to vanish. Ditto for IMSA and Indy coverage. At that point I gave up buying it: there are already too many F1 magazines so I don't see it has a market for motor sport enthusiasts anymore. Going monthly makes that even less of a realistic proposition.

 

What we could really do with is a more up-market mag with more technical detail and less celebrity-culture waffle.

 

And a total ban on anything that starts, "The greatest 100..."

[ajcrean]

Very sad news but I have to admit it's been many years since I ravenously devoured the weekly print edition as the obsessive focus on F1 occasionally got on my nerves.

It still annoys that a WEC or Indy race gets three of four pages (IMSA doesn't even get that) but F1 reports ramble on for over twenty!  Yes; I get that it's the most popular form of motorsport in this part of the world but one of the great things about the Autosport of old was that it covered - and informed the reader - on everything!  I was introduced to it back in the late eighties and learnt so much from it!

I'll keep my subscription for now but am not hopeful.  At least I've still got Motor Sport Magazine...

Edited by ajcrean, Today, 17:16.