Formula One - Back on the Tracks - Viplav Gupta

A track full of enthused crowd, swaying their heads along with the roar of the super engineered

Buddha International Circuit

 cars passing by at 300kmph. The crowd felt energetic, the organizers proud and the advertisers ecstatic. The future of F1 looked bright as sunlight back in 2011. But the very next year, things went upside down. Ticket sales declined, the advertisers were unexcited and the organizers puzzled. The initial set of people interested into F1 did not return back the next year. A major reason for such a dismal performance was low exposure that Indians share for global sports.

Media in India is a big influencer and surely needs to play a significant role to boost the popularity of F1 in India. Biographical sport dramas like Rush, depicting the thrill of F1, plays a

Still from Hollywood movie Rush

 major role in activating people. I for sure got inspired to watch the action live soon. Advertising agencies need to create avatars like James Hunt who could idealize F1 as a sport in the nation. Production houses need to bring in content that could educate as well as entertain people. But over and above all this, the organizers also need to realize that there is a huge potential of international fans who would like to experience the race here. The nation needs to brand itself and show people how “Incredible India” actually is and publicize India as a sport cum holiday destination. All these efforts would definitely enhance the awareness of F1 in India and ensure financially feasibility for the organizers.

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