A survey conducted by F1 drivers said that almost half of all F1 fans "no longer watch races live" on TV, according to Kevin Eason of the LONDON TIMES. The Grand Prix Drivers' Association, the union that represents F1 drivers, "carried out a study of more than 217,000 fans -- most in Britain -- to discover how to rescue a sport sliding from popularity and confused about its future." The results are a pointer for F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, who has "long been unconvinced by new technologies, and particularly social media." But the fan survey found 45% now watch grands prix online with a further 30% "recording on satellite boxes to watch later." The results do "show a waning belief in the sport, which used to describe itself as the pinnacle of motor racing." Almost 90% "want the sport to be more competitive," while 77% "believe that business interests play too important a role." Kimi Räikkönen is the "most popular driver on the grid," followed by Fernando Alonso and Britain's Jenson Button. Only a third of fans are "worried about fuel-saving technology, another blow for the hierarchy that has driven the green agenda." But 73% "want their noisy engines back" (LONDON TIMES, 7/1). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported F1 fans "want change but without gimmicks or knee-jerk reactions to a sport many now describe as expensive and boring." GDPA Chair Alex Wurz said, "The fans are clear: they don’t want a radical overhaul of grand prix racing that takes it away from its historic roots. ... They want competitive sport, not just a show, and they think that F1’s business has become too important, jeopardizing our sport." Wurz said that they "did not believe a revolution was required" -- as Ferrari Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene has suggested. Nor did they "want 'an artificial show with gimmicks introduced to simply make it more entertaining'" (REUTERS, 7/1).
