Master Storytellers, the Football Craze, and an Odd Signing?!
Hi there! Welcome to Track Limits, a weekly F1 newsletter where we break down the major headlines and dive into the questions, trends, and topics that spark our collective curiosity. Nothing is off-topic and a little fun is always part of the mix!
Good afternoon!! If anyone had doubts about Silverstone being one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar, Sunday made it clear why many call it the home of British motorsport and Formula One.
Unlike most races in recent years, the British Grand Prix flew by in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it the multi-car battles, the bad strategy decisions, the weird rain discussions, and the endless tire management analysis were over! As the remaining Silver Arrow crossed the finish line, the seven-time World Champion was in tears, the crowd roared, and fans - like you and me! - cheered in delight from their living rooms!!
These moments, where history, drama and grit collide, are what make the sport truly special. They're why many of us tune in race after race - even for the boring ones! - hoping to witness these defining moments in motorsport history.
With the European Football Championship coming to a close, football was on everyone’s mind!! Which led teams and broadcasters to seize the opportunity for one last attempt at creating the perfect F1-football crossover content. They covered everything from game predictions and precision drills to penalty shootouts!
It goes without saying that Sainz once again proved to be the most well-rounded athlete on the grid when he scored an impressive-looking penalty during the Sky Sports Football Challenge. Sure, Leclerc stepped in as the goalkeeper, a role he should NEVER take in real life! But, for comedic effect, it certainly hit the mark, and we thank Leclerc for his commitment to the bit!!
Alongside all the football antics happening in the paddock, several drivers were very invested in their home team performance. Verstappen gave a sassy response when asked if football was coming home before the Netherlands vs. England match. Gasly posted several videos before and after the France vs. Portugal game, which undoubtedly were to tease his Portuguese girlfriend. Meanwhile, the Mercedes boys watched part of England’s quarter-final at Silverstone on the main stage with all the fans!
Speaking of Gasly and Football, the Frenchman wore a special Paris Saint-Germain themed helmet during the British Grand Prix. It looks like it was a collaboration with the club and the driver - who is a fervent supporter of the Parisian club - to celebrate the release of the PSG away kit for the coming season. Clearly, there is a significant overlap of fans between the two sports, and who better to facilitate the crossover than a driver who is an avid football enthusiast?!
The other hot topic this weekend was the release of the name and teaser of the Pitt/Bruckheimer/Hamilton movie. After the announcement of the less-than-ideal release date, I couldn’t help but be skeptical. Unfortunately, they proved me right when the movie poster was released! Neither the design nor the name suggests a whole lot of creative effort went into it. The name of the $300 million budget movie is “F1” - I know groundbreaking!! And the poster is an almost perfect replica of the iconic shot of the 1970s driver François Cevert. Truth be told, it's not the worst thing they could have done! A quick side note, the movie poster disappeared from F1’s official social media accounts. I wonder what that’s all about.
A couple of days later the teaser dropped and it proved to be far more encouraging. Disregarding the tone-deaf and nonsensical dialogue, the multiple race sequences look amazing!! Let’s be honest, it’s what most of us are expecting from a Joseph Kosinski movie. With all the buzz about the 15 specially designed lightweight cameras that were mounted on the cars, and the film crew operating them via a radio frequency network set up around multiple tracks. Plus, a few teams allowing the production to attach these cameras on their cars during race weekends and digitally swapping liveries in post-production. I'd be very very surprised and disappointed if we didn't get some incredible racing scenes in this movie!!
Something that did surprise me this weekend was McLaren handing out fire extinguisher-shaped cookies as a token of appreciation for the help they received when their motorhome caught fire during the Spanish Grand Prix. The cookies looked adorable, and it’s nice to see teams being cordial and supportive off-track despite the fierce competition.
Oh, I almost forgot!! I think it’s time the FIA implement an alternative to the paddock pass because drivers seem to be unable to hang on to them! First, it was Leclerc, then Russell, Albon, and this weekend Norris. So, maybe like a bracelet or some sort of facial recognition system at the gates?!
Finally, and most importantly, Roscoe and Leo were at Silverstone!! We didn’t see any footage of an official meeting between the two, but it’s impossible they didn’t bump into each other during their morning stroll in the paddock. Also, why did Roscoe get some of Albon’s merch while Leo didn’t?!
An Odd Signing?
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Haas announced that Ollie Bearman, the British Ferrari Academy driver currently in Formula 2, signed a multi-year contract with them.
Unlike several previous rookies, Bearman doesn’t come into the pinnacle of motorsport having won multiple feeder series or being the leader of the current F2 championship. Nor has he enjoyed the hoopla of his peer Antonelli or his predecessors like Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, or Verstappen.
So, besides his amazing point-scoring outing as a reserve driver for Ferrari this season - when Sainz suffered appendicitis - why would Haas disregard his apparent underwhelming F2 performance?
THE REASONING:
One of Bearman's recurring puns is that his standing in the Formula One championship is higher than in the actual championship he's competing in this season. Besides being a fun fact and a bit odd at first glance, it reveals a lot about the feeder series’ current phase.
Just like in F1, Formula 2 is bound by a set of technical regulations imposed by the FIA. However, unlike in F1, teams in the feeder series receive a chassis, an engine, and parts from a predetermined manufacturer. This means every driver on the grid has an identical car except for the setup. Hence why it’s considered a great barometer of a driver’s ability.
After five years under the same technical regulations, the FIA has introduced a new era of rules, debuting this season. These 2024 regulations were developed to close the gap between the feeder series and Formula One as much as possible. As such, this new generation of cars was given a new aero package, floor, and bodywork heavily inspired by the current era of Formula One cars.
But with any major change comes a big learning curve and Formula 2 is feeling it! Not only are teams struggling to consistently find the right set-up window, but drivers have, allegedly, made it known these cars are a nightmare to drive. All of this has led to a serious shake-up in the pecking order with major teams like Prema far from their usual top spots in the championship.
This is why evaluating driver performance this season is challenging, and why Formula One teams aren't relying on championship rankings for it. With multiple seats up for grabs during this driver market, it’s no coincidence that several Formula 2 drivers have been doing a lot of SIM work and private testing in older spec F1 cars - seemingly more than usual. It’s a way for decision-makers to obtain reliable data they can use to compare with other junior drivers and benchmark against their current F1 performance.
So sure, Bearman, Antonelli, Martins, or Maloney aren’t ranked particularly high this season, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t serious contenders for the available F1 seats. Moreover, Bearman himself acknowledges that his multiple FP1 sessions and his stellar performance at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix were key to making his case.
Which may be the best proof of concept of the mandatory FP1 rookie outings, post-season young driver tests and the junior programmes in getting young talent into the pinnacle of motorsport.
Master Storytellers
The British Grand Prix holds a special place as the home race for the majority of Formula One teams. Even those competing under different flags have their headquarters in Motorsport Valley. This typically results in special liveries and a spotlight on the thousands of people working at the factories, as a way of celebrating both the teams and the sport.
This year, however, celebrations were very understated except for Aston Martin and their This is Us campaign. Which masterfully combined storytelling with a fan-centric approach.
ZOOMING OUT:
In an attention economy, like the one we currently have, the ability to craft a compelling narrative is the key differentiator for brands. This is especially true for the luxury market that relies on storytelling to tap into the emotions and aspirations of their target customer to create a sense of desire.
Formula One has deep ties with luxury brands, but in the past couple of years the sport’s fanbase has grown more diverse. This shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity for brands like Aston Martin, which now need to broaden their appeal and storytelling beyond the concepts of heritage, craftsmanship, and exclusivity to engage with this new fanbase.
With most fans never attending a Formula One race, it also means they likely won't ever own a luxury car. So, how do you forge an emotional connection and become relevant to this growing fanbase when the gap between aspiration and attainability is too wide for most people to bridge? Anyone can buy a can of Red Bull, but an Aston Martin or a Ferrari? Not so much!!
Aston Martin looks to have found an interesting way to overcome this. Rather than placing the car manufacturer at the heart of the team, they have chosen to place the fans. With the British brand representing the shared values, ambitions, and passion for racing.
At the core of this strategy is their I / AM platform and the luxury brand’s exceptional storytelling ability, which was on full display this weekend. Not only did the team reach fans across the country with their tour, but they also opened the AMR Technology Campus to local students and invited several fans to Silverstone to experience the home race firsthand. All this was weaved into a multi-media narrative with evocative imagery and beautiful cinematography telling the stories of ordinary people being part of this extraordinary universe. With the tagline: This is You. This is Us. This is Aston Martin Aramco.
Campaigns like these - which make fans co-creators, provide real-life access to the sport and leverage Formula One's incredible stories - help teams and brands build meaningful connections with fans, increase engagement, create positive brand association and ultimately drive revenue.
It's hard to say if Drive to Survive - which showcased the extraordinary impact of storytelling on the sport’s growth rate - prompted some of these teams to make storytelling a central pillar of their communication strategies or even influenced Formula 1’s more recent decision to collaborate on the Bruckheimer/Pitt movie.
But one thing is certain: teams that have adopted this approach, appear to have secured a significant share of the F1 fandom, even though they aren't top performers on track.
This week’s recommendations!!
🗞 READ
Jerry Bruckheimer And Joseph Kosinski On F1 | Formula One teams’ race for costly drivers highlights their value | ‘F1 festival’ secures Silverstone’s Grand Prix future — at a price | What We Learned Being at the Biggest F1 Film Set in a Year | Is McLaren Too Error-Prone To Beat Red Bull? | How do F1 drivers race against Max Verstappen? ‘It’s tough and on the limit’
🎧 LISTEN
Alex Albon On Silverstone, Groupchats And F1 Memes | Box Of BLUFFS!: "I Don't Want To Break The Trust We Have!" | 20 Questions with Lando | How Formula 1 Trophies Are Made | F1 Explains: How laptimes are recorded | Red Flag Pod: 2024 Silverstone | F1 Beyond the Grid: Lando Norris - Winning Means More | Team Torque x The Fast and the Curious: The British GP | The Race Tech Show: What’s Going Wrong at Ferrari?
Photo Credit: Formula Scout, Aston Martin