ING / F1 Racing Survey Results
A couple of days ago, Scott W gave us a quick summary of the ING/F1 Racing Global Fan Survey results. The stats were printed in this months issue of the magazine, and as things have been a bit hectic at Sidepodcast Towers recently, I hadn’t had a chance to do any more than look at the pictures.
However, some of the things Scott pointed out are worthy of attention. It’s hardly a surprise that Hamilton picks up the highest percentage in the favourite driver category, closely followed by Raikkonen and Alonso. I am surprised at the margin, though, as many polls I’ve seen recently have put Fernando at the top of most popular driver, and he has only 12% to Lewis’ 27%.
Scott also pointed out that poor Trulli is the least favourite driver with only 0.1%, but I don’t want to dwell on it too much, as the Trulliometer is a very fragile thing.
The top five are made up of drivers who won a race this year, hit the headlines a lot, and were in the public eye more than they’ve ever been before. The sixth most popular driver is Jenson Button, and if I were him, I would be really happy with that. He’s had a rubbish year, been screwed over by his team, and suffered a lack of attention as a British driver. As 6th highest, he beats 17 other drivers, including the ever-popular Vettel, and I think that can only be good for Button’s career.
The Future of F1 category has almost 50% of participants wanting more races on the calendar, whilst 90% want F1 to continue at classic venues (read: Canada). Sadly, both of these aren’t happening with circuits falling off the calendar at a frightening pace. Reverse grids are an unpopular idea with only 17%, and banning refuelling is also pretty low down – 18%. On that last point, the majority of respondents then, will not be impressed with the 2010 season.
The BBC should take note of the “What you want to see more of on TV” category, as it has some serious hints for their coverage. Interviews with drivers and engineers are immensely popular, whilst random celebrities don’t get the thumbs up. Please no cringeworthy gridwalks, BBC. Most of the options around the 50% mark are about getting more information, such as increased team radio, access to telemetry and more on board cameras.
Overtaking is the most important thing in F1 for most participants, with the best drivers and good commentary falling behind. Sponsorship, road-relevance and glamour are not really top priorities.
Finally, there seems to be mass confusion over next year’s rule changes. Only 41% think slicks will make the racing more interesting, 64% won’t judge KERS until they’ve seen the evidence out on track, although 16% believe it will increase excitement.
Unfortunately, that’s all the statistics we have at the moment. Just five sets of results were printed in the magazine, and I can’t seem to find anymore anywhere else. I know I answered more than five questions, but perhaps the other results will be forthcoming soon.
There has been some criticism of the survey on the web already, with some worries that it’s a very narrow selection of people – F1 Racing readers mostly. However, I would say that I saw that survey advertised everywhere I went for at least a week, you could hardly miss it. You have to take all survey results with a pinch of salt, as you do with any analyses that come out from it.
Nevertheless, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the results of the survey, whether it was worth taking, and if you think anything will come of it.
You shouldn’t let him...
Both, and add happy to the mix as well.
December 29th, 2008 at 16:14 #1 - me said:
except of course for this survey, which is really important:
http://www.sidepodcast.com/2008/12/29/pick-a-header-any-header/
December 29th, 2008 at 16:17 #2 - Bassano Clapper said:
Maybe they only printed/released the results that the FIA liked and approved of
December 29th, 2008 at 16:19 #3 - me said:
the margin of popularity of lewis is surprising. he’s a chap who splits opinion normally.
ahh, if only certain people in power actually listened to the masses, eh?
December 29th, 2008 at 17:01 #4 - Stuart C said:
Mostly of the knee-jerk ‘dial-a-cynic’ variety!
As you say, the line that most of the respondents were F1R readers is inaccurate because the survey was heavily trailed all over the web. Another equally wrongheaded criticism that’s popular with forum-dwellers is that Lewis’s popularity can be accounted for by all the respondents being British. Wrong again.
Still, the breadth of the sampling is a valid point. It would be nice to get the views of the none-core F1 audience… any ideas as to how to hook these people in, since they tend not to hang out on F1 websites?
Let’s hope so – the bit in the mag was just the edited highlights.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:05 #5 - Christine said:
That is a good question. The only thing I can think of is to poll people at races.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:06 #6 - me said:
you’d have to take a very long term approach to do that, but it would give you access to plenty fans in plenty of countries.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:09 #7 - Alenyaa said:
Not surprisingly, my opinions on the different matters are what the results of the survey say. Most F1 fans want the same, so I don’t think it really matters whether most of the respondents are F1 Racing readers.
It may have determined the margin with which Lewis became most popular driver though, as I suspect most respondents are from the UK.
No refueling means all cars are carrying around the same weight, and that won’t do overtaking any good. Plus it takes away the edge from racing, if you ask me.
Drivers cannot go all out with heavy cars, and by the time the cars are light drivers will want to go easy on their car as they find themselves in the closing stages of the race. Just not a good idea.
KERS… I dunno. If given the proper time to be develloped, yes, it will make an impact on the sport. Unfortunately the concept has been rushed into the sport by the FIA, currently resulting in ineffective and even hazardous systems.
It will take at least a season or two before KERS can be made to work right, I’m afraid.
They have done a cracker job in bringing back slicks though. Unfortunately they also appeared to be worried about becoming somewhat popular with the fans, and therefor introduced those dreadful rear wings, which are just a no-go on the current F1 cars.
They were fine on early 90’s cars, but not on modern day ones.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:14 #8 - R.G (They call him 'Massa, Alonso, Davidson') said:
Wouldn’t still the majority of people who go to races at least be that intrested the go on websites?
December 29th, 2008 at 17:15 #9 - me said:
true. maybe the bbc need to hook up a ‘red button’ survey for all the armchair fans?
December 29th, 2008 at 17:18 #10 - Christine said:
I know quite a few people that barely know what Google is but enjoy going to sporting events.
I don’t think all those thousands of people can be hardcore fans, or we’d be swamped with site traffic!
December 29th, 2008 at 17:36 #11 - Scott Woodwiss (R.I.P Great Grandad Berry) said:
What about when people buy their tickets, they get an link to a survey or a questionnaire:
a) When they get the confirmation e-mail about their ticket order
b) When the tickets arrive in the post
and c) When they get to the venue and either collect and/or produce their tickets.
So basically they’ll get a maximum of 3 chances to complete this survey. That way they can’t make the excuse that they’d never heard about or been told about it.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:38 #12 - me said:
also good. just occurred to me, my bbc idea is flawed because it would limit respondents to the uk.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:42 #13 - Scott Woodwiss (R.I.P Great Grandad Berry) said:
i.e those who don’t have Sky. Although, by 2012 it’ll be inexcuseable not to have it because of the digital switchover. So right now, yes your idea is flawed but beyond 2012 it would work
I think.
December 29th, 2008 at 17:43 #14 - littlepurplegoth said:
And could the various ‘lewis’ fan groups on facebook eliciting responses have had anything to do with that result?
December 29th, 2008 at 17:43 #15 - Jackie said:
I think it would be good if we could find out what the consensus was in the UK and compare that with the worldwide picture.
Does anyone know if they survey results can be sorted by country?
December 29th, 2008 at 18:08 #16 - Steven Roy said:
I filled in the survey after someone posted the link on another site. I only found out F1 Racing was involved after I had finished it. Yes I know it was obvious from the name but I read the small print and always miss the headline.
December 29th, 2008 at 18:13 #17 - Steven Roy said:
But now drivers don’t overtake because they want to wait to the next pit stop and you have strategists who deliberately put their driver on empty pieces of track. If your driver is fifth and wants to be first is it better to have a strategist put him on an empty piece of track where he can run flat out and make up time or have rules that make him compete on the track for each place. To me the only way anyone should ever gain a place on a track is by taking it from the driver in front not by one driver’s team of staticians calculating a better stategy than another driver’s team of statiticians.
December 29th, 2008 at 19:53 #18 - Jordan Allen (Oh, no! Not a transfer to Uplands!) said:
We have the enigines where are supposed to be of similiar performance levels, all designed around a common spec. Now I can see that engine “B” will be disadvantaged by 80 W over engine “A” but it TAKES 744 Watts of power to make a unit of Horsepower, so you not giving anything way to the other teams. Technology-wise, everyone’s engine is the same, I can also see everyone’s car being as close as possible to the minimium weight allowed by the FIA to race.
So everyone has similiarily weighted cars run by engines of similair performance running similiar speeds at each point of the race. how does one catch up, let alone pass the other guy? No one has a Power Advantage anymore.
Nor do certain sections of tracks allow overtaking anyway. Two cars are not going to go side by side at Champions’ Wall in Montreal, if they try to, both cars are going to crash on the walls as they lose all traction on the marbles there.
Please tell me how you even attmept to pass at Monaco….The guy coming out of Ste. Devote on the first lap has the race won as long as he goes slow enough not to run out of gas and stays in the middle of the track. That’s even more boring than the entire season when either Prost or Senna in the Mclaren won every stinking race.
The only way I see passing can be done in a very short time period is that the braking system has to become at least 5 times better. ( Go from 330 km/h to 80 km/h in just 10 meters for example), but that has nothing to do with refueling, only awesome brakesa and a set of stanadrd all-season radials….
December 29th, 2008 at 19:55 #19 - Andy Taylor said:
The way things are there will be no cars anywhere near the wall of Champions
December 29th, 2008 at 19:56 #20 - Bassano Clapper said:
Marmot racing
December 29th, 2008 at 20:03 #21 - littlepurplegoth said:
Well, then post 2012 this household will be TV free… I don’t have ’sky’ have no intentions whatsoever in ever having ’sky’ or spending money that ends up with ‘that man’….
Other ‘digital’ platforms are available you know
December 29th, 2008 at 20:19 #22 - Steven Roy said:
Formula Ford is famous for great racing and at its peak anything up to 90% of the grid were driving exactly the same car. Similarity increases the amount of overtaking because you get less field spread.
Track design is an issue and so long as a dinosaur like monaco has a race you won’t get overtaking on anything faster or bigger than karts.
December 29th, 2008 at 20:25 #23 - Bassano Clapper said:
As long as there’s a huge reliance on Aero grip rather than mechanical, then cars will always have trouble getting close in ‘dirty air’ – hence the Trulli Train
Isn’t that the main reason for getting rid of all the flip-ups and dumbo flugels
December 29th, 2008 at 20:34 #24 - Alenyaa said:
I think it is fair to argue that a ban on refueling takes away an element of uncertainty for the viewer. Which is also why I hate the fact they bring these predictions up on our screens after every pit stop. Not knowing for sure how much fuel a car has/took on board just adds to the overal excitement of the race.
And let’s not forget fuel stops or just pit stops in general also provide some serious sweetness (Valencia, Singapore, …)
December 29th, 2008 at 20:38 #25 - Steven Roy said:
Absolutely true which is why next year should have been a massive improvement but already we have Tony Purnell back-pedaling on what we can expect and of course we have the nuisance of KERS, adjustable aero and push to pass to screw up any gain in mechanical grip and reduction in aero grip.
December 29th, 2008 at 20:41 #26 - me said:
priceless moments.
December 29th, 2008 at 20:44 #27 - Alenyaa said:
Ah yes, good point indeed. I simply think the concept was rushed into the sport too quickly.
December 29th, 2008 at 20:46 #28 - Bassano Clapper said:
How many penalties are we going to see for ‘adjusting front wing more than once in a lap’?
December 29th, 2008 at 22:17 #29 - Flibster said:
Who knows. I have a lot of issues with that adjustable front wing idea… apart from it being bloody stupid.
December 29th, 2008 at 22:18 #30 - Bassano Clapper said:
How are they going to monitor it?
December 30th, 2008 at 00:01 #31 - Flibster said:
I’d assume it’ll be logged in the ECU