General
Brawn: "The streaming drivers have been seeking interaction with the fans"
- GPblog.com
Due to the coronavirus, the opening of the F1 season unfortunately had to be cancelled. As a result, the drivers had to look for other ways to enjoy themselves while they were at home in lockdown. A number of these drivers found that solution when streaming. Because there is much more direct contact between the driver and the fans, many got to see a completely different side of F1. That side is something Formula 1 can learn from.
That's what Ross Brawn, sports director of F1, thinks. "Over the past few months, streaming has been a lifebuoy to keep in touch with the fans. It's great that we've been able to reach so many people with this kind of entertainment. I thought it was great to follow this," Brawn told Motorsport.com. Brawn is very excited about the things that Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc, for example, have done. Norris has been streaming for a long time, but Leclerc has really ventured into streaming because he sat at home all day.
Doing more in the future
Where you normally only see a helmet and a car that goes over the track at enormous speeds, online racing offers a lot more possibilities. "The real drivers have really looked up the interaction with the fans. That's something the fans really wanted, to get to know the driver better. Normally you only see them in formal settings". By streaming, however, you can see the driver sitting in the living room, which makes it much more personal.
Brawn indicates that he has seen the positive effects of the last few months and that he definitely wants to do something with that. "The interaction is a really nice aspect of Esports. We have always supported that. The participation of real drivers in esports turned out to be a big boost. I'm sure there will be a lot more support and more resources in the future. We've seen the positive effects and we don't want to let them pass without doing anything", Brawn concludes.