The domination of the Mercedes GP Petronas F1 team at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Albert Park was impressive, but it’s not great news for the sport. The team dominated F1 last year, and it was hoped that the rival teams would close the gap. But, from what we saw in Melbourne, there’s no sign that this has happened. There might be an impression that Ferrari is better than last year, but the numbers are stark. Last year Fernando Alonso finished 34.5 seconds behind the winner, Nico Rosberg. This year Sebastian Vettel finished 35 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. The only difference was that there were no cars between them this year – Red Bull, Williams and McLaren all seemingly having lost ground. Formula 1 people never find races dull, but the reaction to the result in Australia was pretty tough. The Australian, the most sober of publications in the country, described the Grand Prix as having been as “boring as batshit,” largely because local hero Daniel Ricciardo did not have the machinery to compete. The point is a fair one. Formula 1 looks like it is going to have a problem of predictability this year. One cannot blame Mercedes for doing a great job, but it is a problem for the sport. If the same pattern of domination is seen at other circuits in the months ahead it’s going to be tough for the sport to keep up spectator interest, although it is fair to say that this has always been a problem and it doesn’t really affect the sport’s core fans – who find their entertainment in the fighting in the midfield. The sad truth, however, is that the sport needs the numbers to attract sponsors and TV companies, even if it is doing well financially because of pay-TV deals. This is a very short-term solution to the sport’s problems of popularity, and it might perhaps be wiser to keep the coverage free in order to maintain strong viewing numbers and fan allegiance. Unfortunately, financiers rarely look at the long term and take the money and run when the going gets tough. The racing down through the field in Albert Park was fine, although it featured only a small number of cars. It was the smallest F1 field at the start of a race since 1969 (barring strange political events, such as Indianapolis 2005). What can be done? The first point is that the FIA needs to be 100 percent certain that Mercedes is supplying the same engines to all of its teams. Williams was off the pace in the race, but there’s no reason to suggest that the chassis is THAT inferior to the factory team. The two teams use the same fuel as well, so such a big gap makes little sense, particularly when one sees the Williams cars fast through the speed traps. More important, however, is the fact that Formula 1 really needs to engage more with its fans. The Australian GP in Melbourne has always been very good at organising fan-friendly activities, but that is not true of all the races. It is absolutely the wrong time for the official website of the sport – formula1.com – to be switching its content to pay-per-view. The website is not sufficiently exciting to convince fans to spend money, and the process is going to be painful. Yes, there is live timing but that’s about it. If the site keeps 10 percent of its traffic, it’ll be lucky. It was good to see Sebastian Vettel joking with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton after the event, and it was good to see Arnold Schwarzenegger on the podium – even if he had no idea which driver was which and asked some fairly predictable questions. Spicing up the show is not just about having the cars running closely. It’s also about having great TV coverage, entertaining and informed commentary, and plenty of glitz & glamour. Joe Saward has been covering Formula 1 full-time for 27 years. He has not missed a race since 1988.
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