Sensational F1 Continues

Formula One is never far away from the headlines these days: so it seems appropriate to share Ipsos ASI's thoughts and data at this difficult time for the sport.

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Sensational F1!

Brawn GP and Jenson Button sensationally dominated the first seven Grand Prix of 2009, winning six. McLaren had a disastrous start the season with an uncompetitive car and some poor management decision-making at the first Grand Prix in Australia. Red Bull appeared to have the fastest car but repeatedly failed to make it count when it mattered. Oh, and there were a few off circuit disputes about the future of the sport and Renault's admission that three of their former employees conspired to influence the outcome a race.

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What is the impact of this?

Interest in the sport reached an all-time high in October / November 2008 as Lewis Hamilton became the sport's youngest World Champion and as Honda sensationally pulled out the sport. At the time, this level of interest compared favourably with the nation's obsession - football. Whilst interest in the sport fell back during the close season, the "Brawn GP factor" kicked in and interest quickly rose - peaking during the British Grand Prix in late June. With the current on-and off-the-track headlines, I see no reason why interest should not reach similar levels in future months.

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Ipsos ASI's interest in Formula One measure asks people how they follow the sport (watching on TV, reading in the news / online, listening on the radio etc.). As a result, it is very sensitive to how people interact with the sport, which is important for the sponsors of Formula One and how they plan their activation.

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