Formula One MD Ross Brawn: It’s About Time F1 Started Doing Digital Properly
F1’s sporting MD Ross Brawn outlines the sport’s digital vision, why it must cater for all fans and how tech will never stop the human element of racing
“We’re just finding our equilibrium at the moment,” he explained. “I’m not saying we know what the perfect model is but we’re engaging.”
The sports industry is one obsessed with youth but Brawn stressed that it also had a commitment to its existing, older fans.”
“Don’t forget the older audience,” he quipped. “We’re using the technology too. I get football scores on my iPhone. We need to serve that audience.”
The digital strategy will sit alongside other initiatives, such as F1 London Live, a free event in Trafalgar Square showcasing the cars and drivers before the British Grand Prix this weekend.
The Formula One Connectivity Innovation Prize, held with Tata, ie one way F1 seeks to engage with fans and improve the technology. Previous competitions have focused on data visualisation or applications and the second challenge of this year’s contest is looking to use IoT.
Applicants are invited to submit their ideas about how IoT can improve the sport and the winner will be awarded a cash prize, trips to the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the chance to work alongside F1’s technical teams.
Tata’s involvement predates Liberty Media’s ownership of F1, but both say the partnership has laid the foundations for future initiatives and resulted in some interesting proof of concepts.
Why now?
So why has it taken so long for Formula One to get its digital act together and why would this push succeed when previous ones have failed?
“I don’t think there was a push,” he said in response to a question from Silicon. “The management of Formula One then weren’t convinced by the opportunity.
“This event today is free, people are enjoying themselves and being educated. We’re not making money of it but the business will be stronger as a result.”
Going too far
Brawn said F1 had looked at other sports, citing cricket as an example, of how digital and data can enhance the viewing experience and was aware of some of the innovations in other areas of motorsport.
He categorically ruled out a Twitter poll that would see the most popular driver given a temporary boost, as has been the case in Formula E, and said that autonomous racing would never be better than Formula One.
“It’s important to retain the human element of racing,” he said. “I can see why autonomous bracing is appealing but it lacks the heroes.
“We’ve purposely restrained the technology because we want it to be a race between drivers. Formula One will always have a human side.”
