When it comes to cutting-edge technological development in sports, motorsports are second to none. When we think about the technical innovations of motorsports, most of us would think of the technical innovations inside the car. While this technology is certainly impressive, it would all amount to nothing if motorsports had no fans watching.
Over the years, motorsports series have innovated numerous ways to keep fans engaged, with the biggest example of this being F1’s development of the world TV feed in the 1970s. This innovation made F1 more accessible as TV stations could now purchase the live feed from F1, rather than sending their costly equipment and crew to each race event. This broadcast innovation is now the standard for many sporting series around the world, including events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics.
Today, many motorsports series are continuing to innovate the fan experience, and below we will look into what’s changing in motorsports tech takeover.
Social Media Dynamics and Fan Engagement
F1 and Formula E in particular have experienced unprecedented demand and growth over the last few years. For many new fans, it would seem impossible that not even 10 years ago, motorsports, while still large, were considered a more niche interest. While many popular sports series are experiencing a decline in audience, motorsports have learnt and understood audience behaviour in the digital age better than most.
When Formula E started in 2014, they were determined to succeed and were willing to be bold by trying something new. Electric racing was already new and innovative at the time, but they also knew that innovation was required off the track, coming in the form of Fanboost.
Fanboost allowed fans to vote for their favourite drivers in an online poll, with the winning driver receiving an extra power boost to assist them in the race. Allowing fans to influence the outcome of a sporting event was controversial, as it had never been done before. While phased out in 2022, it established Formula E as a technical leader, with fans believing it to be twice as innovative as F1.
This system also established Formula E, its teams, and drivers as leaders in fan-driven innovation in a digital race that complemented the on-track competition. Fanboost has left a lasting impression on Formula E, laying the foundation for ongoing content innovation and helping attract younger, digital-native fans. All of this resulted in a 35% increase in TV audience for the last season, and over 1 billion social media impressions.
Where Was F1 In This?
F1 is always thought of as the pinnacle of motorsport, but is that more marketing than actual fact? While F1 still has a larger audience and faster cars, this approach from Formula E left Formula 1 scrambling for many years. In 2014, Formula 1 was still under the control of supremo Bernie Ecclestone, with basically zero social media presence. After being sold to Liberty Media, a lot of catching up was required to ensure that their product was as innovative, if not more so. This has resulted in many initiatives being introduced, such as F1 TV, Netflix’s Drive To Survive, and driver of the day voting.
As an established series, Formula 1 finds it much harder to take risks like those taken by Formula E. Many critics of Formula E’s Fanboost system were traditional motorsport fans and industry professionals, highlighting the resistance to change in established racing communities. While Formula 1 is now doing so much in the digital space, we have yet to see them make a move as bold as Formula E, which is something that could see them fall behind in the future.
Relationship of Data Analytics and Motorsport
Motorsports in general are very data-driven, engineering-heavy sports. This makes them much more receptive to technological advancements and experimental technology. While in the past this has mainly been focused on the development of vehicular technology, they now provide a fantastic platform for data analytics and AI tech.
The increase in digital media consumption and a reduction in traditional media is a very valuable shift for motorsport sponsors. No longer do they have to wonder about the effectiveness of their campaigns or wait to see results, as digital consumption gives real-time feedback. This level of analytics is like gold for a company as it gives them an exact snapshot of who is engaging and how they engage throughout an event or an entire season.
How Can This Data Be Used?
In years gone by, the amount of data now available would have taken time to analyse, let alone to action strategies based on the data. Now, through the use of AI, not only do we get real-time analytics, but also real-time solutions and actionable strategies for companies and brands. This allows sponsors to be as agile as the cars they are sponsoring, allowing them to adjust their activations in real time based on specific analytics.
The speed and quality of AI research also allow companies to engage directly with individuals through events by sending targeted activations based on any particular fan’s interests. Fans can be segmented by their interests and be delivered personalised offers, merchandise deals, or even race event highlights tailored to them.
We have already seen F1 dipping their toe in the water through their partnership with T-Mobile in the US. At the Las Vegas GP, fans have access to exclusive camera angles and race replays made possible by the capabilities of the 5G cellular network. This extra content is made available through the Las Vegas F1 app, which only T-Mobile customers can access, giving event attendees a bigger reason to consider switching their mobile service to T-Mobile.
Final Thoughts
Motorsports are a massive team event from series organisers to sponsors, drivers, and racing teams. Motorsport is also amongst the most technological sports in the world, and because of this, the adoption and use of technology by those involved is greater too. This, coupled with the highly engaged fanbase, gives sponsors the ideal place to come and engage directly with potential customers/clients in a way that is of interest to each person. This means that not only does motorsport allow the space for sponsors to both implement and test all kinds of customer-focused technology, but also understand and even assist with its development. This kind of integration is hard to come by in sports, and as motorsports’ popularity continues to rise, sponsorship is only set to become more valuable and lucrative.
