13/09/2006
FEATURE BY CHRIS BALFE
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It is somewhat ironic that the man, and indeed the team, that has done most to calm the waters during the ongoing Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) saga, attempting to prevent the split that threatened Formula One, is now at the centre of a new dispute which threatens the sport, and which has seen him threatened with being hauled before the FIA, accused of bringing the sport into disrepute.
The decision to punish Fernando Alonso with a 5-spot grid penalty, after he was adjudged to have impeded Felipe Massa during Saturday's qualifying session has once again polarized the sport.
However, this time the divide isn't limited to discussion boards and forums, where we are used to seeing fans venting their spleens, this time the talk is in the national newspapers, and in the paddock, where insiders, even at the highest level, are making no secret of their anger.
On Monday, other than the news overload regarding Michael Schumacher's retirement and the result of the Italian Grand Prix, Formula One was in the headlines for other reasons, people were using the dreaded word; "fix".
It wasn't just the newspapers that used the 'F-word', across the world news broadcasters got in on the act, sensing a major story. Consequently, certain parties wasted no time in making it clear that comments attributed to them had been meant as a joke.
Most worrying however, is not the fact that people are talking of a 'fix', but the fact that the sport could even be perceived as being rigged.
Such scandals have rocked various sports in recent years, including football and boxing, but are we seriously contemplating the possibility that the 2006 World Championship is being manipulated?
At a time when Formula One is seeking to bring new fans into the sport, the merest hint of the outcome of the World Championship being rigged could be catastrophic. For not only would newcomers be put off, many hardened F1 fans could turn their back on the 'pinnacle of motorsport', for there are alternatives.
Last year, at a time when the old qualifying format was proving a turn-off, Renault's Pat Symonds argued that the powers that be should be out in the malls and town centres asking why people were out shopping on a Saturday afternoon rather than watching qualifying, traditionally one of the most exciting parts of a Grand Prix weekend. I argued that what F1 really needed to worry about was the fact that it was the die-hard fans who were choosing shopping over qualifying, and that they were the ones the sport should be focussing on.
A year later, and it might be time to get out on the streets again, this time ensuring that people understand that though the sport does have its problems, everything is squeaky clean, with not a hint of corruption. But first off all, Formula One has got to convince the diehards, and that includes those within the paddock.
Ignoring the Alonso saga, the big problem is that Formula One, unlike almost all other sports, certainly sports of such magnitude, is wholly owned. It used to be owned by Bernie and the banks, now it is owned by CVC Capital Partners, an investment company with a proven track record.
For all the stick that Bernie gets, some of it deserving, much of it not, he is, deep down, a race fan, and has been involved in the sport for many, many years. Yes, he has made a couple of billion along the way, but in doing so has turned Formula One into one of the world's great sporting spectacles.
CVC's managing director, Donald McKenzie, is known to be a keen Formula One enthusiast, however, make no mistake, CVC is not in F1 for altruistic reasons, it has a duty to its shareholders to make a considerable return on its $1.25bn investment, with some suggesting that it is looking for a dividend of around 20% over the next 5-10 years.
So how will this be achieved?
Bernie, gawd bless 'im, for all his business savvy, is not quite as sharp as they would have you believe. OK, he's considerably richer than almost anyone else in the UK, and has built F1 into an empire. But it could have been bigger, much bigger.
When it comes to things technical, Bernie is not the smartest, largely because he doesn't truly trust technology, hence the reason he was caught off guard by the World Wide Web. He has also massively underestimated the power of Formula One as a brand.
Earlier this year, Bernie launched a range of F1 branded good that most true fans can neither afford - £250 carbon fibre mouse mats - nor desire.
F1 needs to be out on the streets, the F1 logo needs to be as desirous as Nike, Adidas and Puma, and CVC will be well aware of this.
Even as you read this, CVC, aware of the need to maximise its investment, will be hiring the best brains in the business, looking for ways to get the F1 brand, if not the sport, out there, into the real world.
Forget about mouse mats, wallets and caps, CVC needs to see F1 'Happy Meals' in McDonalds, it needs to see Coca Cola as the official drink of F1, and kids wearing F1 leisure wear. It doesn't matter whether the punters sit down on a Sunday to watch the race, all they have to do is to want the logoed merchandise, be it clothing or Big Macs. F1 has to be cool, for cool is profitable.
No doubt, some of the deals we're going to see over the next few years will be naff, and it is to be hoped that F1 doesn't entirely follow the example of The Spice Girls, which when managed by Simon Fuller - now, funnily enough, maintaining a rather low profile with Honda - allowed its name on all manner of items including drinks, cosmetics, toys and clothing. There was even a Spice Girls movie.
The purists are in for a shock, but CVC has a duty to its investors to maximise its investment.
Though we have said that it doesn't matter if the Happy Meal munching, trainer wearing masses don't watch F1, only buy the merchandise, it will be important that the core product - the racing - is entertaining.
Once again, I remind you, CVC is in F1 for business and not for fun.
Therefore it is not in CVC's interests for there to be a repeat of 2002, when Michael Schumacher won the World Championship in mid-July, with six races remaining.
Formula One is up against a lot of stiff competition, not merely from football, baseball, and the rest, but from other motorsport series. Therefore the sport must become more entertaining, it has to rediscover the wow factor.
That said, the teams, and the manufacturers are not in F1 to entertain, they are in it to win, however, they all have a vested interest in the ultimate success of the sport.
Quite how it has come about, and the fact is that there are aspects to this year's championship which I, personally, find worrying, we have a title fight that appears as though it may go down to the wire. Furthermore, just to add a little spice, the protagonists are two drivers and teams between whom little love is lost - or so it would appear. The apparent 'bad blood' between Alonso and Schumacher, Renault and Ferrari, has all the makings - read hype - of a 'Rocky' movie, but is sure to attract the attention of the mainstream non-F1 media, and as CVC knows, all publicity is good publicity.
The fans are happy, CVC is happy, Bernie is happy. However, the sceptics remain unconvinced, and should there be even the merest hint of manipulation in the three remaining races, or indeed future seasons, the sport could be irreparably damaged.
We are well aware that many things in F1, as in 'real life', are resolved by men sitting around tables. However, the sport must act to ensure that the 'F-word' is never raised again. For the biggest threat to Formula One is not the fixing of a race result or a championship, but the perception that it might be fixed.
Chris Balfe
Editor
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