IT HAS BEEN five weeks since my last column on SportzPower and while the sport of Formula1 was on a mandatory break, the business of Formula1 wasn’t. And as always, I shall share my views on the recent developments via this column.
The sport resumed action after its mid-season break and an interesting session of the Olympics. If I were FOM, the best learning from the Olympics would be the integration of their broadcast channels on YouTube. A few clicks would allow any viewer in the world to tune into the sport of his choice and view the action either live, differed live or recorded.
Currently, it is only SKY Sports that offers this service and only for the UK subscribers. Imagine if this feature was offered to Formula1’s few hundred million viewers globally at a cost. Not only would it increase the consumption of the sport, but create a new revenue opportunity? Some food for thought!
Jenson Button was unstoppable as he clinched his first pole for Mclaren and first pole and victory in Spa this weekend. In fact, he is also the only driver this season to have clinched a pole to flag victory! However, it is not his victory, but the one-stopping Vettel’s second place that makes a significant difference to the Drivers’ Championship. Alonso, the current leader, couldn’t add to his tally of points after being taken out in a first corner accident. His championship lead was cut down from 40 to 24 points this weekend. The other highlight of the weekend was Raikkonen scoring his 6th podium of the season. He is now tied with Alonso for maximum visits to the podium this season. The big question also is, can Raikkonen score a win in his Lotus this season?
The Belgian GP would possibly be Karthikeyan’s worst GP of the season. He was 2 seconds off his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa’s pace in qualifying and a mechanical issue with his front-left tyre caused him to spin and retire from the race. Unfortunately for him, an unsafe release by Caterham saw him be nudged by Kovalainen while making his pit-stop. I am sure his fans expected more after he treated them to some high-speed donuts during the off-season break!
Karthikeyan’s fans in Kerala would have probably been disappointed with the last minute cancellation of his proposed demo run on the festive occasion of Onam. Reports indicated that legal issues led to the government and tourism department postponing the run. Demo car runs are a good way of promoting the sport and creating awareness for Formula1 in India. The sport offers very few ‘touch, feel and experience’ opportunities to its fans and such events do help bridge the gap. For Karthikeyan and Indian Formula1 fans, I do hope that the event does proceed at a later date this season.
Sahara Force India’s first ever podium finish was in Spa in 2009 and it seemed possible that they could well repeat the feat in 2012 as well. Hulkenberg drove a splendid race to finish his career-best 4th, after running as high as 2nd in the opening laps. Paul Di Resta suffered from a KERS failure minutes before the race which stunted his attack eventually leading him to finish 10th. Both Saubers were involved in the first corner melee and Maldonado retired after a jump start. This meant that Sahara Force India closed the gap between their mid-field rivals by scoring 13 points this weekend. They now lie 7th in the Constructors’ Championship table with 59 points, 6 ahead of Williams and 21 behind Sauber.
Off the track, it was Airtel that made a tactical move by tying up with Mercedes AMG for the 2012 Indian Grand Prix as a partner. If Airtel’s association as title-sponsor of the Indian Grand Prix was about brand visibility, their association with the Mercedes AMG team seems to be about consumer engagement. They will have the opportunity to offer exclusive team content and merchandise to their customers especially via their yet-to-be launched Airtel Money network. And if you are an Airtel subscriber, I suspect that you could end up with a chance to meet the 7 times World Champion, Michael Schumacher. Watch out for their promos!
The other deal that turned heads during the break was the Chevrolet – Manchester United sponsorship deal which is rumoured to be around $560 million for 7 years. I am not a big fan of football and I worry that a car manufacturer in Chevy didn’t find Formula1 a healthy investment ground for its half a billion dollars! The sport does need its manufacturers and I hope that the new regulations for 2014 do attract a few!
Cricket and Motorsport would be a lethal combination and it seems that India’s cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has invested in a two-wheeler team that will compete in the World Supersport Championship. The team is named as MSD R-N Racing Team India and is currently running a French and British rider. Two things that would interest me here would be MSD’s leadership skills and if he can take his team to victory by sitting on the pit-wall and of course if he will be out to promote Indian talent via his team. Also, would marketing the team be easier with him as the face of it? I would certainly agree so!
And the last summarized update for this column would be the Michael Schumacher World Tower deal brokered by Total Sports Asia with Homestead, a realty company. The licensing deal will see a Schumacher branded luxury tower come up next to the international airport in New Delhi. But is India really ready for such branded residences? Your guess is as good as mine!
