Is India really ready for F1?

While this seems like a very plausible explanation for the cancelling of the race, the losses that will be incurred by the organisers will be huge. The crowds that turned up for the second race in 2012 were far lesser as compared to the inaugural race. The numbers had come down to 65,000 from 95,000. This has prompted the organizers to heavily cut down on ticket prices to try and bring in more crowds.

Let us try and analyse the reasons why the interest of the audience and hence revenue generated through ticket sales has waned so drastically. Motorsport as a spectator sport in India is still a very niche offering in India. The first time news came up in mainstream media about a possible F1 race, the audience was made to believe that a F1 race was not just motorsport but something much more.

True as it is, it drew the high and mighty of Delhi-NCR and neighboring areas. The event was a four day extravaganza with Metallica set to inaugurate the festivities with a concert in Gurgaon on Oct 27^th, which would be followed by the practice sessions, qualifying and then the race on Sunday the Oct 30^th. Lady Gaga was scheduled to perform in the after party. The whole buzz around the event was so well crafted that it felt as if though you were socially irrelevant if you were not a part of it.

The result was that a lot of people actually turned up who were doing it just for the heck of the experience and had no actual interest in the sport. A more prudent approach on the part of the governing body of Motorsports in India would have been to steadily grow a fan base in India which would have meant a sustainable future for the event in India.

The marketing activity surrounding the F1 race has a lot to learn from the model that IPL follows. As far as the level of the sport goes, it is of the highest order. So, even though the mega event has been marred by scandals and other unfortunate events, the revenue generated from promotional events, sponsorship deals and telecast rights has still been very high. The number of brands that get endorsed at the time of IPL through the TV spots in contention have been wickedly contested. IPL has been the ‘Super Bowl’ of India.

The lukewarm response that the Champions League is getting after the IPL frenzy is over is a sign that slowly but steadily the “cricket is a sure formula for success” belief has to change. People are finding new avenues and new heroes to latch on to. The recently concluded Indian Badminton league and the interest it generated, at least in the youth, presented a heartening prospect. The sponsors, consequently, lined up and the number is expected to go only one way.

Racing in the United States has always been about NASCAR and Monster Trucks. So, after the fiasco in Indianapolis in 2005, where only Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi took to track with an issue with the Michelin tires, it made sense to can the race and get it off the F1 calendar. But the money making opportunity that a race is, the F1 calendar had one planned in Austin, Texas, again in 2012.

Although hosting it in NJ next year as planned before will not happen in most probability, to get an audience already receptive to racing back on the F1 bandwagon would still have been much easier than a generation not into racing at all. So as tickets sell on at Cafe Coffee Day outlets in Delhi, Formula One as a sport has a long way to go and a lot to learn before it can actually serve as a long term prospect in India. The mantra is to get them hooked to the sport first. The money will follow.