Formula One Puts Fans First

After years of being ignored, Formula1 fans are now being treated as the real ‘asset’ of the sport. And it is after years of campaigning, writing and talking about this issue on my Formula1 blog and on the Inside Line F1 Podcast that the sport and its various stakeholders have finally taken heed. One could argue that these are early days with this change of heart towards the fans, but your guess is as good as mine if this sentiment is here to stay.

Formula1 action resumes after a three week break with the 2014 Spanish Grand Prix and the time was well utilised by the sport to review the success of the new regulations and explore what should be done next to make the sport more ‘fan’ friendly; this includes a reduction of costs too. But of course, we are ‘against mid-season rule changes‘. And in this break, Rishi and I took the time to launch a new feature on the Inside Line F1 Podcast, ‘Know Thy Racer‘.

While claiming that ‘Mercedes is the new Red Bull‘, ‘What’s The Pecking Order?‘ was the question we asked in the first four races of the season and it is the pecking order that is expected to change in the coming few races with the sport now entering the ‘European’ leg.

Here’s what is in store for you in the latest episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast:

• Are the FIA and teams serious about a cost cap? Well, it is inevitable for the sport and the biggest beneficiary would be the fans!
• Finally, and possibly for the first time in the history of the sport, fans are being treated as the ‘focal’ point
• Vettel wants a beast to tame and not some hybrid engine ahead of its time. We agree, well, sort of. But isn’t Renault one of the strongest proponents of the new engine regulations? (Read: Engine No-ise)
• Are Mercedes delaying upgrades to their customers to maintain competitive advantage?
• How important is sound to a particular sport? We try and explain. And yes, the engines could be sound different (read: louder) come the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix
• Maldonado paid $25 million to leave Williams and we tell you how the team profited $30 million from the deal
• Formula1 discard and Indy Car racer Juan Pablo Montoya has made some noises against the sport. We try and decode, but there is little (very little!) sense to his views
• Should Haas F1 base their factory in America? It would be very un-Formula1 like, but would we would be interested to see if the sport can be decentralised and if a team can operate outside of Europe
• Of course, Haas could well have the best of Ferrari, Mercedes and Mclaren
• Finally, we pay our condolences to Nigel Stepney
• Fancy eating a Subway when you watch Formula1 from the grandstands next? Well, this could be a possibility in the near future
• And yes, none of our pre-GP podcasts end without race predictions!

The Inside Line F1 Podcast is now available on various platforms and I would urge you to choose your platform to listen to the humour that we add to the otherwise serious and complex sport of Formula1. And while our podcast frequency is weekly, come ‘like‘ the Inside Line F1 Podcast page on Facebook for far frequent updates on the humour in the world of Formula1.

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The Inside Line Formula1 Podcast is produced and hosted by Rishi Kapoor and Kunal Shah. Follow us on Twitter and on our Soundcloud, Spreaker, MixCloud and YouTube channels.