tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/grand-prix-2134/articlesGrand Prix – The Conversation2024-02-14T13:23:27Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2217062024-02-14T13:23:27Z2024-02-14T13:23:27ZRevving up tourism: Formula One and other big events look set to drive growth in the hospitality industry<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570748/original/file-20240122-21-hh4b9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=95%2C59%2C7871%2C5160&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sergio Perez of Oracle Red Bull Racing, right, and Charles Leclerc of the Scuderia Ferrari team compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 19, 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sergio-perez-of-oracle-red-bull-racing-f1-team-and-charles-news-photo/1790416613">Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In late 2023, I embarked on my first Formula One race experience, attending the first-ever <a href="https://www.f1lasvegasgp.com">Las Vegas Grand Prix</a>. I had never been to an F1 race; my interest was sparked during the pandemic, largely through the Netflix series “<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80204890">Formula 1: Drive to Survive</a>.”</p>
<p>But I wasn’t just attending as a fan. As <a href="http://hhp.ufl.edu/about/faculty-staff/rachel_fu/">the inaugural chair</a> of the University of Florida’s <a href="https://hhp.ufl.edu/about/departments/them/">department of tourism, hospitality and event management</a>, I saw this as an opportunity. Big events and festivals represent <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJEFM-10-2019-080/full/pdf?title=event-and-festival-research-a-review-and-research-directions">a growing share</a> of the tourism market – as an educator, I want to prepare future leaders to manage them. </p>
<p>And what better place to learn how to do that than in the stands of the Las Vegas Grand Prix? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smiling professor is illuminated by bright lights in a nighttime photo taken at a Formula 1 event in Nevada." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574695/original/file-20240209-30-b8vl6u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katherine Fu</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The future of tourism is in events and experiences</h2>
<p>Tourism is fun, but it’s also big business: In the <a href="https://www.ustravel.org/research/industry-impact">U.S.</a> alone, it’s a US$2.6 trillion industry employing 15 million people. And with travelers increasingly planning their trips around events rather than places, both <a href="https://www.ifea.com">industry leaders</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.07.017">academics are paying attention</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/2015/07/25/from-lollapalooza-to-nfl-draft-high-profile-events-paying-off-for-chicago/">Event tourism is also key</a> to many cities’ economic development strategies – think Chicago and its annual Lollapalooza music festival, which has been hosted in Grant Park since 2005. In 2023, Lollapalooza generated <a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/lollapalooza-boosts-chicago-economy-422-million-2023-impact-study-says">an estimated $422 million</a> for the local economy and drew <a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/tourism/lollapalooza-2023-attendance-pays-hotels-restaurants">record-breaking crowds</a> to the city’s hotels.</p>
<p>That’s why when Formula One announced it would be <a href="https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/35612895/las-vegas-approves-plan-hold-f1-race-2032">making a 10-year commitment</a> to host races in Las Vegas, the region’s tourism agency was <a href="https://press.lvcva.com/news-releases/formula-1-will-race-in-las-vegas-from-2023/s/766a27f9-57f8-48a2-a369-74ffeaf98e0f">eager to spread the news</a>. The 2023 grand prix eventually generated <a href="https://theathletic.com/5081391/2023/11/22/las-vegas-grand-prix-attendance-viewership-numbers/#">$100 million in tax revenue</a>, the head of that agency later announced.</p>
<h2>Why Formula One?</h2>
<p>Formula One offers a prime example of the economic importance of event tourism. In 2022, Formula One generated <a href="https://www.libertymedia.com/news/detail/485/liberty-media-corporation-reports-fourth-quarter-and-year">about $2.6 billion</a> in total revenues, according to the latest full-year data from its parent company. That’s up 20% from 2021 and <a href="https://www.libertymedia.com/investors/news-events/press-releases/detail/42/liberty-media-corporation-reports-fourth-quarter-and-year">27% from 2019</a>, the last pre-COVID year. A record 5.7 million fans attended Formula One races in 2022, up 36% from 2019. </p>
<p>This surge in interest can be attributed to expanded broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals and a growing global fan base. And, of course, the in-person events make a lot of money – the cheapest tickets to the Las Vegas Grand Prix were $500. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two brightly colored race cars are seen speeding down a track in a blur." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570745/original/file-20240122-25-xaj1jo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Turn 1 at the first Las Vegas Grand Prix.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rachel Fu</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That’s why I think of Formula One as more than just a pastime: It’s emblematic of a major shift in the tourism industry that offers substantial job opportunities. And it takes more than drivers and pit crews to make Formula One run – it takes a diverse range of professionals in fields such as event management, marketing, engineering and beyond. </p>
<p>This rapid industry growth indicates an opportune moment for universities to adapt their hospitality and business curricula and prepare students for careers in this profitable field.</p>
<h2>How hospitality and business programs should prepare students</h2>
<p>To align with the evolving landscape of mega-events like Formula One races, hospitality schools should, I believe, integrate specialized training in event management, luxury hospitality and international business. Courses focusing on large-scale event planning, VIP client management and cross-cultural communication are essential. </p>
<p>Another area for curriculum enhancement is sustainability and innovation in hospitality. Formula One, like many other companies, has increased its emphasis on <a href="https://theathletic.com/4950077/2023/10/11/f1-sustainability-climate-change/">environmental responsibility</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/26/climate-emergency-accelerates-f1-efforts-to-clean-up-image">in recent years</a>. While some critics <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/may/21/after-the-flood-storms-lie-ahead-for-formula-one-in-race-to-hit-carbon-zero">have been skeptical</a> of this push, I think it makes sense. After all, the event tourism industry both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100393">contributes to climate change and is threatened by it</a>. So, programs may consider incorporating courses in sustainable event management, eco-friendly hospitality practices and innovations in sustainable event and tourism. </p>
<p>Additionally, business programs may consider emphasizing strategic marketing, brand management and digital media strategies for F1 and for the larger event-tourism space. As both continue to evolve, understanding how to leverage digital platforms, engage global audiences and create compelling brand narratives becomes increasingly important. </p>
<p>Beyond hospitality and business, other disciplines such as material sciences, engineering and data analytics can also integrate F1 into their curricula. Given the <a href="https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-fans-becoming-younger-and-more-diverse-say-global-survey-results-/6696732/">younger generation’s growing interest</a> in motor sports, embedding F1 case studies and projects in these programs can enhance student engagement and provide practical applications of theoretical concepts. </p>
<h2>Racing into the future: Formula One today and tomorrow</h2>
<p>F1 has boosted its outreach to younger audiences in recent years and has also acted to strengthen its presence in the U.S., a market with major potential for the sport. The 2023 Las Vegas race was a <a href="https://www.ktnv.com/news/vegas-grand-prix/las-vegas-grand-prix-ceo-boasts-attendance-of-315k-claims-race-will-have-1-2b-economic-impact">strategic move</a> in this direction. These decisions, along with the continued growth of the sport’s fan base and sponsorship deals, underscore F1’s economic significance and future potential.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2024.html">Looking ahead in 2024</a>, Formula One seems ripe for further expansion. New races, continued advancements in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/sports/autoracing/formula-1-broadcast-technology.html">broadcasting technology</a> and <a href="https://formulapedia.com/the-evolution-of-f1-sponsorship-deals-a-historic-overview/">evolving sponsorship models</a> are expected to drive revenue growth. And Season 6 of “Drive to Survive” will be released on <a href="https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.drive-to-survive-season-6-release-date-announced-by-netflix.6ZS1GdHlVRpNc9dxA9kZ8F.html">Feb. 23</a>, 2024. We already know that was effective marketing – after all, it inspired me to check out the Las Vegas Grand Prix.</p>
<p>I’m more sure than ever that big events like this will play a major role in the future of tourism – a message I’ll be imparting to my students. And in my free time, I’m planning to enhance my quality of life in 2024 by synchronizing my vacations with the F1 calendar. After all, nothing says “relaxing getaway” quite like the roar of engines and excitement of the racetrack.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221706/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel J.C. Fu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With big events drawing a growing share of of tourism dollars, F1 offers a potential glimpse of the travel industry’s future.Rachel J.C. Fu, Chair & Professor of Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management | Director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute | Affiliate Professor of Dept. of Information Systems and Operations Management, University of FloridaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1334722020-03-15T18:32:25Z2020-03-15T18:32:25ZCancelled matches and growing turmoil: the impact of Covid-19 on the sports industry<p>In recent weeks, sports organisations around the world have been forced to confront the reality that the coronavirus Covid-19 is likely to have a significant impact on the industry – not just in the short term, but also the long term. </p>
<p>As the virus has spread, an increasing number of matches and events have either been staged behind closed doors, postponed or, increasingly, cancelled outright. Among the most recent developments was the suspension of the entire NBA basketball season in the United States after Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/11/us/nba-season-suspended-spt-trnd/index.html">tested positive for the virus</a>. For the foreseeable future, such decisions may well be the “new normal” for the sporting world.</p>
<p>The process started in Asia, the epicentre of the epidemic. Chinese football’s Super League, which was supposed to start at the end of February, <a href="https://www.livesportasia.com/football/china/chinese-super-league-set-to-return-in-april-lsa2337">won’t begin until at least April</a>. UEFA Champions League matches have become ghost games, staged in stadiums bereft of people and atmosphere. The virus has even risen to top management – Evangelos Marinakis, owner of Greek team Olympiakos, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51814887">tested positive</a>, giving rise to responses from across European football.</p>
<p>In tennis, the Indian Wells tournament in the United States <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/sports/coronavirus-indian-wells-canceled.html">has been cancelled</a>, and more tournements could follow. When members of F1 team crews at the Australian Grand Prix tested positive for Covid-19, the <a href="https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-fia-and-agpc-announce-cancellation-of-the-2020-australian-grand.KKpXZDcd77WbO6T0MGoO7.html">race was cancelled</a>, and the Bahrain and Vietnam F1 races <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-autosport/1254724/Bahrain-Grand-Prix-Cancelled-F1-React-Coronavirus-Crisis-Australian-Grand-Prix-Farce-News">won’t take place anytime soon</a>. The Tokyo Marathon took place as scheduled on March 1, but <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/51695612">amateur runners did not participate and there were few spectators</a>. </p>
<h2>Reason for caution – with heavy consequences</h2>
<p>There are obvious reasons for the caution, as the Covid-19 virus can easily be transmitted between large numbers of people congregated in close proximity to one another – yet that is the very heart of the experience of mass sporting events. </p>
<p>The suspension of the NBA season is just the first of what are no doubt many more significant decisions – more leagues, matches and races will affected. Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, believes that rather than playing matches behind close doors, authorities should <a href="https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/pep-guardiola-man-city-arsenal-press-conference-63719441">postpone or cancel them</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You have to ask is it worse to play football without the spectators. We do our job for the people and if the people cannot come to watch us, there is no sense.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But postponements would take us deeper into a year that is already crowded, with the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the UEFA European Championships. Scheduling and venue congestion will become an issue, as will the impact upon the start of next season’s competitions. Cancellation would be ground zero for many, as there would be all manner of ramifications: In essence, competitions would have to designed and implemented from scratch in a matter of days and weeks in order to draw this season’s competitions to a close.</p>
<p>Options for ending seasons early are <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c36e2f6c-646e-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5">already being considered</a>, ranging from special play-off games to the use of current points scores or league positions as the basis for identifying winners and losers, and those who are or aren’t promoted.</p>
<p>Sporting officials and leaders are in a difficult position. Faced with a global pandemic and major public health issue, they have to take action. At the same time, broadcasters and commercial partners will be watching carefully to ensure they still get what they paid for. Individual players as well as teams will also strive to ensure they do not suffer the adverse consequences of decisions over which they have little control.</p>
<h2>Olympic-sized headaches</h2>
<p>The biggest challenges arguably lay ahead, with the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games looming, as well as European football. The respective governing bodies – the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) – initially appeared intent on going ahead with their events. UEFA implored governments across Europe to help protect its showcase national team competition, but is <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51859548">now discussing postponement</a> of the tournament to 2021. For now the IOC has indicated that it doesn’t want to postpone the games. </p>
<p>The initial determination to forge onward is unsurprising given that both are “mega-events” – the scale, complexity and stakes are immense. For such events to be postponed or cancelled would be a logistical, legal and economic minefield. Even trying to comprehend of the consequences is mind-boggling. To cite just one example, Tokyo has spent 26 billion US dollars on its preparations and will certainly want to get the anticipated return on investment.</p>
<p>In the case of UEFA, this summer’s competition is a 60th anniversary event unusually being staged across twelve different venues. Trying to replicate this model at a later date would be very difficult, hence postponement was always going to be one of the lines of last resort.</p>
<h2>Uncharted territory</h2>
<p>In short, sport is encountering challenges that are unique and have never before been encountered. There have been natural disasters that have led to venues being changed – for example, in 1989 the Loma Prieta earthquake disrupted the World Series between the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants. Yet earlier events were geographically specific, less far reaching and therefore more easily dealt with. One has to look back as far as World War II for anything remotely comparable to the currently situation. However, sport back then was entirely different – now it’s a global industry with a complex network of interrelated economic and political interests.</p>
<p>The protection of public health is of paramount importance, and should be, but sports authorities are also acutely aware of the significant costs that are likely to be incurred by any major disruption to this year’s sporting calendar. Indeed, some of the tensest sport battles this year are likely to be staged not in Tokyo or London, but in courtrooms across the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133472/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon Chadwick ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>As the new coronavirus has spread around the world, sporting matches and events have been staged behind closed doors, postponed and increasingly cancelled outright.Simon Chadwick, Professor of Eurasian Sport | Director of Eurasian Sport, EM Lyon Business SchoolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1174432019-06-24T15:30:25Z2019-06-24T15:30:25ZFormula 1: there can be no equality in sport while women’s bodies are used for promotions<p>The Dutch politician Roy van Aalst has spoken out against the removal of grid girls from Formula 1 motor racing, arguing that it is a way of <a href="https://www.rt.com/sport/461888-f1-grid-girls-dutch-politician/">patronising women</a>. He boasted that the right-wing nationalist political party to which he belongs, Party for Freedom (PVV), will ensure that the grid girls are reinstated at the <a href="https://grandpx.news/politician-wants-grid-girls-on-dutch-gp-grid/">Zandvoort grand prix in 2020</a>. </p>
<p>“Only a huge idiot can see a beautiful woman as a problem,” he said. “The rest of the people love it. It is part of motorsport and the PVV wants us to ensure that next year this beautiful tradition will be restored to its former glory.”</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/05/f1-grid-kids-replace-grid-girls-new-season">replacement of grid girls with grid kids</a> in 2018 marked a shift in Formula 1 to a more family-friendly atmosphere. But van Aalst’s comments echo the backlash against this transition – which included some grid girls arguing that they were being denied the right to work by “feminists”. <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenjadepope/status/958751588419620864?lang=en">Grid girl Lauren-Jade Pope</a> took to Twitter to object:</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"958751588419620864"}"></div></p>
<p>Remarkably, the “feminists” so often mentioned in the debate were actually the Formula 1 bosses themselves. They made the decision to stop using grid girls because they no longer resonated with their brand values – with Sean Bratches, the managing director of commercial operations at Formula 1, stating that the inclusion of grid girls was “<a href="https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-to-stop-using-grid-girls.5HPVgIzLHOcIiGaAS8eOWE.html">at odds with modern day societal norms</a>”.</p>
<h2>Employment opportunity?</h2>
<p>One of the main criticisms of the scrapping of grid girls was that women would be out of work. Such criticism drew attention to the earnings that would be lost by the women as well as the idea that the decision was denying them their “right to choose” to use their bodies for aesthetic purposes and financial gain. The role of the grid girls was to carry out promotional tasks, most of which included bearing the names of sponsors to the public and cheering on the all-male racing drivers.</p>
<p>Prominent figures, including World Champion Lewis Hamilton, have called for the return of the grid girls. Hamilton’s rationale that “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/44233222">women are the most beautiful thing in the world</a>”, alongside Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel stating he “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/44233222">likes women” because “they look beautiful</a>”, serve to emphasise the deep-rooted sexism still entrenched in the motor sporting world. There is still a long way to go to eliminate these outdated views, particularly in sports such as motor racing which are traditionally categorised as male.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280915/original/file-20190624-97766-izppes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How The Sun reported the story.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Sun</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Testimonials from former grid girls have indicated that <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5340641/Former-grid-girls-say-Formula-One-ban.html">their earnings were around £300 per day</a>, bearing in mind the work was intermittent. Household names such as Kelly Brook, Melinda Messenger and Jodie Marsh all began their “careers” as grid girls, later crossing over to glamour modelling in lads’ mags and the like.</p>
<p>During the backlash to the decision in 2018, grid girl testimonies sought to label feminists <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5474368/f1-grid-girls-latest-stopped-snowflake-feminists-bernie-ecclestone/">as bigoted</a>, with headlines <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2018/02/06/grid-girl-hits-back-at-feminists-who-are-forcing-other-women-out-of-work-7289792/">“hitting back”</a> at “middle-class feminists who are forcing other women out of work”.</p>
<h2>No equality, no empowerment</h2>
<p>Unequal representation in Formula 1 promotional modelling was itself enough to refute arguments of unfair treatment regarding employment being lost. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14680777.2019.1574859">The lack of promotional models from BME groups</a> alongside the complete omission of men from this role highlighted a clear lack of equal opportunity (if you can call sexual objectification that). Promotional modelling also carries a rigid time limit, with “careers” in this field usually having to end by women’s mid-to-late 20s.</p>
<p>The message sent, particularly to young girls, was that motor racing is a male sport and – if you’re keen to be involved in it – you should aspire to be beautiful, sexualise yourself, and be prepared to drape yourself over cars and male racing drivers like an accessory.</p>
<p>This is a stark departure from the message being sent today, where excited grid kids – male and female – now walk on the grid with ambitions of becoming racing drivers themselves. Formula 1 must hold onto this message and not revert back to one that degrades, demoralises and dehumanises its female supporters.</p>
<p>That said, although Formula 1 has made progress, promotional modelling is still a feature across other sporting events, including walk-on girls (darts and cycling), ring girls (wrestling and boxing) and cheerleaders (football and basketball). Although darts walk-on girls were also axed in 2018, they made a recent <a href="https://dartsnews.com/walk-on-girls-return-for-german-darts-grand-prix-seen-as-a-one-off/">“one off” return at the German Darts Grand Prix</a>, supposedly due to prior sponsorship agreements.</p>
<p>There are also the “<a href="https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/football-opinion/crystal-palace-cheerleaders-21st-century/">Crystals</a>”, the all-female cheerleaders of Crystal Palace FC, who appear wearing bikinis in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6N2vwe9Swk">promotional video for the club</a>. Not so inspiring for any budding female footballers.</p>
<h2>Full speed ahead</h2>
<p>Formula 1’s move away from grid girls has indeed made it a more inclusive sport and it is time for other industries to follow its lead. Until women are given equal opportunities in sport, they will continue to be underpaid, undervalued and underrated.</p>
<p>Roy van Aalst’s assumption that only “huge idiots” can find beautiful women a problem emphasises the crude ignorance inherent in the many debates over the sexualisation of popular culture. Of course “beautiful women” are not a problem – nor are beautiful men, or beautiful people in general. But when you display only one sex as “beautiful” – although I think “sexualised’” would be a more fitting word for the grid girls – you serve to diminish half of society. </p>
<p>They are to be gazed upon and are never themselves given the authority to be the “gazers”. This is how you alienate women from aspiring to be sporting champions and instead relegate them to the sidelines, encouraging them to only ever be the cheerleaders.</p>
<p>If upholding the stance that favours gender equality makes me a “huge idiot”, then I am confidently and proudly one. I’m sure my daughter will thank me for it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/117443/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Tippett works for the University of Hertfordshire.</span></em></p>It’s not about beauty, it’s about empowering women in sport.Anna Tippett, Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1135222019-03-15T15:47:57Z2019-03-15T15:47:57ZFormula One motor firms are becoming textbook cases in how to successfully branch into other sectors<p>The new Formula One season has kicked off with the <a href="https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2019/Australia.html">Australian Grand Prix</a>. Like every year, there are changes afoot: new drivers, tweaks in vehicle aerodynamics, revised rules and regulations. But behind the scenes, another transformation is taking place. In both the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/23048643">UK Motorsport Valley</a> and the <a href="https://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/home/discover/itineraries/motors/the-motor-valley/">Italian Motor Valley</a> – the two regions where the main players are clustered – companies have been reinventing themselves for the digital era and selling their tech know-how to other sectors. </p>
<p>Formula One race cars are the most technologically advanced cars in existence. Every car is equipped with 120 sensors which generate over a million <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/telemetry">pieces of information</a> every second. This torrent of data, flowing from cars to pits, allows teams to adapt their racing strategy in real time, and is key to winning races. </p>
<p>The focus on processing data has turned the likes of the UK’s McLaren into a specialist in the field. McLaren was quick to make data central to the whole company, alongside the engineering expertise involved in building race cars. It set up <a href="https://www.mclaren.com/appliedtechnologies/">McLaren Applied Technologies</a> around <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/10838339/How-McLaren-is-applying-F1-know-how-to-toothpaste-and-medicine.html">a decade ago</a> to sell its knowledge to other sectors, having already been successfully selling equipment to other motorsport players – McLaren has supplied electronic control units to every Formula One team since 1993, for instance. </p>
<h2>New tracks for growth</h2>
<p>McLaren Applied Technologies is in healthcare, for example, where it has <a href="https://www.mclaren.com/appliedtechnologies/case-study/wearable-technology/">developed sensors</a> for implanting in patients who have suffered strokes, are recovering from surgery, or risk developing diabetes. These sensors collect health data for doctors to craft more personal, tailored treatments. The information is processed by wearable devices using algorithms, negating the need to upload it to a server first – which drains batteries. </p>
<p>McLaren originally developed these processing algorithms for units on board race cars, since under motorsport rules, sensor data can’t be sent back from the garage to the car during a race. Using similar transferable ideas, Applied Technologies is also involved in everything from train wifi facilities to optimising air-traffic control to performance enhancement for elite athletes. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263909/original/file-20190314-28492-14dgb1n.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">McLaren health sensors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.mclaren.com/appliedtechnologies/lab/setting-the-challenge-for-innovative-wearable-technology/">McLaren</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Italy-based <a href="https://www.dallara.it/wps/portal/it/!ut/p/z1/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfIjo8zijS18XQ29vQ28_EONzAw8w3xM_L0NLYyMQ431wwkpiAJKG-AAjgZA_VGElHjpR6Xn5CdBXOOYl2Rska4fVZSallqUWqRXWgQUzigpKSi2UjVQNSgvL9dLz89Pz0nVS87PVTXApiUjv7hEPwJVpX5BboSBblRSZbmjoiIA5ZrDUA!!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/">Dallara Automobili</a> is another motorsport company branching into new areas. Though not a household name, Dallara has almost a monopoly in supplying motorsport chassis to clients including Ferrari, Haas, Maserati, Bugatti, Honda, Lancia and Renault. </p>
<p>Like McLaren, Dallara’s move beyond motorsport coincided with an internal digital transformation. Much of this has been linked to the virtual process Dallara developed for testing chassis. Where the company used to endlessly test prototypes on race tracks and wind tunnels, now it models a car’s surroundings using supercomputers that accurately simulate weather and track conditions. Where testing used to take three years, it now takes closer to nine months. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/business/global/09iht-dallara09.html">Andrea Pontremoli</a>, the chief executive who arrived from IBM in 2007, has sought to turn the Italian manufacturer into a “knowledge company”, building a fluid project-based organisational structure to make the most of the technical expertise. A substantial number of new hires are mathematicians and data scientists. </p>
<p>Dallara now offers consulting services in aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics based on its supercomputer-powered simulations to manufacturers of everything from cars to military jets. It has also leveraged its engineering expertise in carbon fibre to create lighter factory robots for the likes of Coca-Cola, while other clients have included the Honolulu metro system. </p>
<h2>How to transform</h2>
<p>For both companies, there are signs these moves are paying off. McLaren says Applied Technologies has <a href="https://www.mclaren.com/appliedtechnologies/news/anthony-murray-appointed-ceo-mclaren-applied-technologies/">doubled</a> in size in the past five years, and believes it will be a “major engine of future growth”. The division will have turned over around £60m <a href="https://investors.mclaren.com/investors/result-centre/year/2018">in 2018</a>, and <a href="https://www.mclaren.com/group/news/articles/anthony-murray-appointed-ceo-mclaren-applied-technologies/">recently hired</a> former Qualcomm senior executive Anthony Murray as its chief executive. </p>
<p>Dallara has tripled its number of staff in recent years and is seeing strong demand from the market for its new digital products and services, Pontremoli told Benoît Leleux in an interview. Both companies have gained insights in their specialist areas by co-developing new technology with their clients. Pontremoli says Dallara’s unofficial policy is to choose customers that will allow the company to acquire new knowledge, as opposed to customers that will net high profits. </p>
<p>It is easier said than done to move in this kind of new direction, however. The vast majority of companies who try to undergo digital transformations struggle. Take Ford Motors, which set up a <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160311005431/en/Ford-Smart-Mobility-LLC-Established-Develop-Invest">Smart Mobility segment</a> nearly three years ago to focus on how the internet, is revolutionising the car industry. It oversees the Ford SYNC app, which allows drivers to remotely access information about their cars, as well as experimenting with smart parking and driverless cars. </p>
<p>But Smart Mobility has <a href="https://www.raconteur.net/digital-transformation/digital-transformation-failure">failed</a> to change the company, arguably because it moved too slowly and was not central enough to Ford’s core business – unlike in the case of McLaren and Dallara, who have both seen digital transformation as a fundamental organisational shift. Ford’s share price has <a href="https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/quote/F/">fallen</a> almost 50% in five years. </p>
<p><strong>Ford share price, 2014-19</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263920/original/file-20190314-28492-hiwoe6.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/chart/F#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">Yahoo Finance</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>General Electric, another American juggernaut, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ges-big-bet-on-digital-has-floundered-future-now-hinges-on-second-attempt-100402">has spent</a> billions of dollars <a href="https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/news/ge-spins-software-division-ge-digital/">failing</a> to become a leader in the industrial Internet of Things. It identified the opportunity to use sensors on machines to gather data early, but badly underestimated the cost of developing solutions in this area. Its industrial internet platform, Predix, faced delays and technological issues and struggled to compete. </p>
<p>When it comes to getting such shifts right, we need to be wary of saying you can simply write a recipe based on what has worked elsewhere. Clearly, however, there are likely to be rewards from spotting opportunities early, and recognising that the culture may need to change right across the organisation. Firms commonly make the mistake of believing that product innovation is all that’s needed to become a digital player, but those who succeed also change the way they bring their offerings to market, form new types of partnerships and join different sectors. </p>
<p>Both Dallara and McLaren have benefited from understanding what clients need even though they are in other sectors, which is partly about having a clear understanding of your core competencies. Equally, you need old-fashioned business skills like hiring the right people and correctly foreseeing things like demand and costs. What these motorsport companies demonstrate is that the new digital world can be an opportunity for transformation, and a means of developing entirely new business streams at the same time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113522/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How the likes of McLaren and Dallara are teaching the business world how to pull off a digital transformation.Benoit F Leleux, Stephan Schmidheiny Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Anouk Lavoie, Research Associate, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Tawfik Jelassi, Professor of Strategy and Technology Management, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/809052017-07-12T15:18:56Z2017-07-12T15:18:56ZWill F1 bosses step in to save the British Grand Prix?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177855/original/file-20170712-14421-1r4ptlo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C92%2C2749%2C1815&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/formula-one-grand-prix-great-britain-303597215?src=etyYPWT-2nBOG0U9kbUapQ-1-0">BAKOUNINE/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Silverstone is playing hard to get. The venerable racing circuit <a href="http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/10944415/silverstone-confirm-break-from-f1-contract-from-2019-what-does-that-mean-for-british-gp-future">signalled its withdrawal</a> from the Formula One season from 2020, citing escalating costs. It is a fascinating moment for the sport. So much of F1’s appeal is wrapped up in the sentimentality of history, but its push for a modern, glittering future risks leaving that behind.</p>
<p>So will F1’s new owners, <a href="https://theconversation.com/reasons-to-be-cheerful-as-liberty-media-era-dawns-in-formula-one-72406">Liberty Media</a>, take the bait and seek to help? The only legitimate way for everyone to save face in this scenario would be for Liberty to buy Silverstone itself and shut down any accusations that they are letting the circuit back in the game on the cheap.</p>
<p>Or might there be a new role here, perhaps, for a certain billionaire with a shock of white hair who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jan/23/bernie-ecclestone-no-longer-f1-chief-executive">only recently relinquished his grip</a> on the world’s premier motor racing competition?</p>
<h2>Street fighters</h2>
<p>The Silverstone circuit is enshrined in motor sport history. It hosted the first ever World Championship Formula One race in 1950. But now its owner, <a href="http://www.brdc.co.uk/">the British Racing Drivers Club</a> (BRDC) has reached a financial tipping point. It feels <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/Formula1/british-grand-prix-at-silverstone-faces-extinction-as-owners-activate-break-clause-with-f1-a7835571.html">unable to sustain continued losses</a> from hosting the British Grand Prix, which were £2.8m in 2015 and £4.8m in 2016. It has therefore exercised a break clause in its contract with F1/Liberty Media.</p>
<p>There has been talk about the race relocating elsewhere, but there is no other facility that could host the 350,000 spectators that annually visit the former airfield in Northamptonshire, northern England. </p>
<p>A mystery street circuit in London was <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/f1-chief-chase-carey-on-why-he-wants-less-shooting-from-the-hip-as-he-bids-to-drive-the-sport-a3585146.html">suggested as an alternative</a> by Liberty’s F1 CEO Chase Carey but no details have been aired in public. In any case it seems unlikely that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who is working with the <a href="http://www.c40.org/press_releases/press-release-mayors-of-paris-and-london-announce-car-scoring-system-to-slash-air-pollution-on-city-street">C40 Cities organisation</a> to identify real-world car emissions and their impact on air quality, would find that this fits with his agenda.</p>
<p>Politicians are sensitive to their electorate. Wherever such a circuit might be in London the local residents almost certainly would follow the lead of the <a href="http://savebatterseapark.com/issues-at-a-glance/">“Save Battersea Park” campaigners</a> who saw off the much more politically acceptable <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-electric-car-racing-could-one-day-challenge-the-spectacle-of-formula-one-76192">electric motor racing series Formula E</a> after just two seasons. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/177854/original/file-20170712-14421-1o8h7pu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">No more green lights for Formula E in Battersea Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sheeprus/19334691668/in/photolist-vsxmdU-wkdCAM-wk6hm1-vsu7WQ-vEQq7p-wk6Ey9-wkdEcH-wkdGxe-vEGcdL-wkdeH2-wCchNn-vEFUBj-vEQQLK-wCctn8-uoZ6L2-uN6BFd-wzorZE-vEQSMi-wkdfcP-wB1shG-wk78uU-vEGnZA-wk63dw-vEGvtd-vEGqrQ-wBHH5D-vr3LW8-vsFAXZ-vJubE9-uNcT4W-JShTwu-uNf7ka-JmKP39-vJyNP5-vJtKwo-uNeHJP-vsuud9-KfmEzy-vK6WCx-JmSJ6v-vJtXcC-vKsLm4-wk76gL-vki84m-wCcr7g-wB1Se9-wBHCsH-wBHBnM-vEQJ5t-vEQFRk">Sheep</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Well-known motor racing circuits such as <a href="http://www.brandshatch.co.uk/">Brands Hatch</a> and <a href="http://www.donington-park.co.uk/">Donington</a> cannot cope physically with the demands of modern grand prix racing and the huge crowds involved – Brands Hatch’s record crowd is only a <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motorcycling-fogarty-pulls-in-record-crowd-1109838.html">little more than 100,000</a>. Silverstone itself seems the only realistic solution for the British Grand Prix. If no deal is done the worst case scenario would be that the this iconic event, which was first run at Brooklands in 1926, could be lost. </p>
<p>Silverstone could be sold or leased to the right bidder. Jaguar Land Rover, which was recently keen on just such a purchase, <a href="https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/jaguar-land-rover-not-going-buy-silverstone">failed to pull it off</a>. One of their aims had been to establish a company heritage centre at the track. The BRDC has plans for <a href="http://www.silverstone.co.uk/news/silverstone-heritage-experience-secures-funding/">its own heritage experience</a> to open there in 2019 as well as for a hotel complex.</p>
<p>So, what sort of organisation might take on such an asset? Is it too far fetched to think that F1’s new owners might fit the bill perfectly? Liberty Media is well versed in the entertainment business and you only have to look at another of its sporting assets, Suntrust Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team to see the <a href="http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/ballpark/">company’s existing experience</a> in establishing a major entertainment complex.</p>
<h2>Old hand, new role?</h2>
<p>Liberty is hoping to emphasise F1’s potential as an entertainment spectacle, and to bring in more and younger fans from around the world, but it still has a keen eye on the decades of glamour and stories which have defined the sport’s appeal. The company has stated its wish for the British Grand Prix to continue as one of motor sport’s historic blue-riband events, and has already <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/f1-chief-chase-carey-on-why-he-wants-less-shooting-from-the-hip-as-he-bids-to-drive-the-sport-a3585146.html">offered to run the race for the BRDC</a>. But what about buying the whole entertainment complex and developing it? Zak Brown, executive director of the McLaren Technology Group, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-motor-f1-britain-silverstone-ecclesto-idUSKBN19V0OU">thinks they should</a>.</p>
<p>The added bonus is that this would sidestep any accusations of favouritism from other race promoters if, in an alternative scenario, the BRDC were granted a reduced fee for the race.</p>
<p>The final twist could be that Bernie Ecclestone, who is just getting used to semi-retirement from a lifetime of running F1, is not without influence, knowledge and funds. Could he come up on the rails and buy Silverstone and could the BRDC work with him? He admits to having made <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-motor-f1-britain-silverstone-ecclesto-idUSKBN19V0OU">just such an offer in the past</a>, but denies he is interested right now. Is this a classic piece of posturing?</p>
<p>At the British grand prix this weekend, the action will be focused on a historic circuit as iconic names such as Ferrari, Mercedes and Williams fight it out. The huge crowds both at Silverstone and watching on global television will find it hard to believe that the race might be lost after 2019. Think that’s impossible? Well things do change in this sport. The French Grand Prix <a href="http://www.eurosport.com/formula-1/french-grand-prix-returns-as-part-of-austria-silverstone-triple-header_sto6223818/story.shtml">reappears on the F1 calendar</a> again next year after an absence of ten years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80905/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bruce Grant-Braham is a Council Member of the British Automobile Racing Club.</span></em></p>Formula One owners Liberty Media, and perhaps even old-hand Bernie Ecclestone, might hold key to saving a crucial part of the sport’s history.Bruce Grant-Braham, Senior Lecturer, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/243942014-03-14T04:36:00Z2014-03-14T04:36:00ZNose jobs and turbo boosts: Formula 1 car redesign in 2014<p>The big race of the annual Australian <a href="http://www.grandprix.com.au/">Formula 1 Grand Prix</a> is coming up this Sunday at Albert Park, Melbourne – and it marks the beginning of a new era as a new set of rules and regulations are adopted this season. </p>
<p>The new rules will have a massive impact on the main aspects of an F1 race: the way cars sound, drive and look.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=141&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43911/original/yhjf7qyj-1394765900.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=177&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nice nose job: cars at (left) Melbourne Grand Prix 2013 and (right) at the pre-season test in Spain this year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Diego Azube/Roman Rios</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Safety and fuel efficiency</h2>
<p>This year, teams are only allowed to use 140L of fuel per race and the engine rev limit has been set at 15,000rpm (revolution per minute), as opposed to the 18,000rpm previously allowed. </p>
<p>Also, F1 is switching to 1.6L V6 engines (rather than V8 or V10). However, engine turbo has been allowed again (last used in 1988) which can spin up to 100,000rpm – and, of course, generates an amazing noise. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43925/original/2w95kr6y-1394769126.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes to the 2014 Formula One cars have focused on safety and fuel-efficiency.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Conversation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Car engines are now more reliant on hybrid technology, and F1 will look to reduce wasted energy. </p>
<p>The concept of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (<a href="http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/8763.html">KERS</a>) was introduced in 2009. It worked by harnessing waste energy (mostly heat) created under braking and transforming it into electricity, which could provide additional power for up to 6.67 seconds per lap. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=662&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=662&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=662&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/43921/original/szgvc2ft-1394768008.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=832&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">McLaren’s redesign includes the new ‘anteater’ nose.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Mazen Mahdi</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Starting this year, teams will be using Energy Recovery Systems (<a href="http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/8763.html">ERS</a>) which combine twice the power with a performance effect around ten times greater by harvesting waste heat energy from the rear brakes and the turbocharger to charge a battery pack that powers motors.</p>
<p>Teams are also only allowed to use five engines throughout the season before incurring a penalty (as opposed to eight engines last year) which makes reliability a high priority for F1 engineers. </p>
<p>The minimum weight of the car has increased from 642kg to 691kg (without fuel), the maximum fuel that a car can carry for a race is limited to 100kg (compared with around 150-160kg last year) and the fuel flow rate to the engine is restricted to 100kg/hr. There were no such limitations last year adding to the importance of the F1 teams’ strategic planning for each race in 2014.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hFHmYFlbFn8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Red Bull F1 team explaining the new rules for 2014.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A new look</h2>
<p>The nose height has been dramatically reduced (from 550mm to 185mm) for safety purposes – mainly to prevent cars launching upwards in case they rear-end a racing car in front (see below for video of Mark Webber crashing in Valencia in 2010).</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6GQ0MBMhDjo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The lower nose is designed to prevent cars from launching upwards.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The lower nose design and narrower front wing results in a 20% reduction in downforce. The narrower front wing was put in place for safety purposes to reduce punctures caused by <a href="http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/f_w_endplate.html">end plates</a> damaging competitor’s tyres (which typically happens at the start of the race when all cars barrel into the first corner).</p>
<p>Teams can try to regain lost downforce by redesigning rear suspension elements. This is one of many challenges each team will face and it will be interesting how each team reacts.</p>
<h2>Why F1 racing matters to all of us</h2>
<p>The new rules imposed on F1 teams this year are to be considered as part of the larger shift in the automotive industry. As increasingly tight government regulations around car emissions are introduced <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_emission_standards">in Europe</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy">the US</a>, Formula 1 is once again placing itself to be a vehicle for innovation that could trickle down to commercial cars.</p>
<p>Some of the technological advances that we take for granted today were inherited from car racing – such as innovations in suspensions, disc brakes, automatic transmissions, engine efficiency, materials selection and design and safety.</p>
<p>After four years of Red Bull-dominated Formula 1, the 2014 rules have already brought a new direction to the sport. Let’s hope the teams capitalise on these changes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/24394/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hamza Bendemra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The big race of the annual Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix is coming up this Sunday at Albert Park, Melbourne – and it marks the beginning of a new era as a new set of rules and regulations are adopted…Hamza Bendemra, Doctoral Candidate, Engineering, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/49322012-01-15T18:54:59Z2012-01-15T18:54:59ZAustralian Open: why the tennis works but the Grand Prix struggles<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/6942/original/5nbrxvv9-1326593634.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Serena Williams practices ahead of this week's Australian Open.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Mast Irham</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The first real global contest for professional tennis each year is the Australian Open: the preceding international games in Brisbane, Hobart and Sydney are comparative warm up bouts. </p>
<p>Through the months of November, December and January Melbourne rings with the words “the Open” and as the Christmas decorations are pulled down the international sports news media spring up.</p>
<p>The news machine and social-media reach frenzy with announcements of the gladiatorial capacities of sporting warriors soon to face each other in the arenas of Melbourne Park. </p>
<p>They talk of athletic prowess, of the rivalry between star players, of the likely impact of a new coach, and of the hunger for the championship never won. They also tell of personal pains, mysteries, of niggling knee strains, of the possible effects of asthma, and of the need to withdraw for unknown reasons.</p>
<p>But not every event causes such hype among fans and media about the sport, its warriors and Melbourne.</p>
<h2>Tennis in pole position</h2>
<p>Take for example Melbourne’s Formula 1 Grand Prix, which has its own warriors, brings with it the same paraphernalia of gladiatorial ambition and upset and offers the same capacity to trouble or confirm the heroes of sport.</p>
<p>Yet far from the big love-in of the Australian Open, the Grand Prix’s four days in March is often noticeable for its writhing, vitriol and argumentative news footage. But why?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6943/original/mw56z29h-1326593878.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Grand Prix has glitz and glamour but struggles to form a genuine connection with Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Gero Breloer</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Australia Open has grown with the city. It has a home in the city. There are few people in the world that will remember the first game in 1905 (or its grass court roots). But the event remains grounded, physically and emotionally. The modern grounds are part of the Melbourne and Olympic Park development, a testament to Melbourne’s crowning glories – as host of the Olympics of 1956 and the Commonwealth Games of 2006, respectively. </p>
<p>Between these major great events, in 1985, the Victorian government decided to build a national home for tennis. Built in 1987 the Rod Laver Arena – the battle ground of many Australian Open finalists, was at its centre. It remains the centre of the Australian Open.</p>
<p>Following negotiations between the Formula 1 Grand Prix supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, and the then Victoria Premier, Jeff Kennett, the Grand Prix arrived in Melbourne in 1996. This followed ten years of residing in Adelaide. Like the Australian Open its presence in Melbourne parkland helps determine much of its attraction. </p>
<p>Albert Park has a history in which sport is certainly significant. However its impact on the natural and community resources have received far more vociferous complaints from the public than anything related to the Australian Open. It is these complaints and increasing comments on cost, noise and displacement that have been picked up by news media. </p>
<h2>Where does Formula One fit into the narrative?</h2>
<p>So why, in a city in which sport events are so key to its identity, has F1 Grand Prix been so difficult to adjust to? </p>
<p>Melbourne has a brand and it is a strong one. The brand is the result of a story that people understand. It has resonance. Sport is a core theme in that story. As part of that theme of the city story, the Australian Open resonates well. It is my belief, and there is much research to support me, that the liveability and attractiveness of any city rests within the story it tells. </p>
<p>The Australian Open and many of Melbourne’s other great sport events have a beginning (see above), a middle (often a physical legacy, such as a stadium) and an end (the event we experience each year). The Formula 1 Grand Prix story isn’t (yet) such a well constructed tale.</p>
<p>The F1 Grand Prix didn’t start here (some say it was forcibly removed from its Adelaide home). There isn’t a physical legacy to see (it is temporary, as are most of the structures it requires) and the end is still unsure. To be grounded it needs all the elements of a story. </p>
<h2>The final lap?</h2>
<p>The future of the F1 may be as short lived as the 2015 agreement that has been made by Bernie Ecclestone and the Victorian government. It could be shorter. Or a better story construction may be found and the event be better managed for arrival in the minds, memories and imaginations of the audience and residents. It could be a more resilient part of the Melbourne story. It could be a strong Melbourne brand element. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=929&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=929&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=929&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1168&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1168&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/6944/original/c2n6qd3s-1326598725.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1168&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Four time Australian Open champion Roger Federer takes questions from the media ahead of this year’s event.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/How Hwee Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Until then, all eyes will be on the skirmishes of the Australian Open – a true marketing success. Inside the grounds, the gastric, retail and entertainment experience offered to the public complements the tennis. It offers the right tipple for a mixture of taste preferences. </p>
<p>They match the main dish experience, the competitive sport itself. It’s a favourite, and it speaks of the exertion, the bravado and the passion that the populace understands. It’s like being back at home, right. My home, right. </p>
<p>It’s Melbourne.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/4932/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Robertson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The first real global contest for professional tennis each year is the Australian Open: the preceding international games in Brisbane, Hobart and Sydney are comparative warm up bouts. Through the months…Martin Robertson, Lecturer in Event Management, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.