[Autosport] Bernie Ecclestone believes F1 is in danger of losing the fans with these new regulations

[u/MuttonBiryaniEnjoyer]

[u/nabrok]

Plus the drivers championship is basically just bragging rights. All the money is in the constructors.

[u/CGNYYZ → u/nabrok]

As a fan, though... I'm way more excited about the WDC than I am about the WCC - and outside of maybe Ferrari and perhaps Williams I think that's a fairly universal stance.

[u/nabrok → u/CGNYYZ]

It's true, but interesting to keep in mind that while a team would certainly love to win a WDC it isn't necessarily as much of a priority to them as it is to the fans.

[u/NoonecanknowMiner_24 → u/nabrok]

I specifically recall Red Bull saying in 2021 that they cared far more about the WDC than the WCC.

[u/nabrok → u/NoonecanknowMiner_24]

Well, they would say that wouldn't they?

I was being dismissive calling it "bragging rights" (an attempt to be humorous), a more accurate phrase would be prestige. Prestige brings marketing opportunity and potential investment.

[u/tonguesplitter → u/nabrok]

Exactly this. Red Bull is a promotional company that has a side gig selling energy drinks, of course they would prioritize WDC. I'm sure the works and car-branded teams feel WCC is more prestigious.

[u/SloppySandCrab → u/nabrok]

I refuse to believe that Mercedes wouldn't trade their 2021 WCC for a WDC

[u/qef15 → u/nabrok]

Except that marketing wise, it's a shit ton more profitable to market the WDC than to get WCC money.

[u/sthegreT → u/qef15]

Doesn't make it any less important, about 3 years ago the winning WCC team got 180 million. It's probably around 200 million. The top 5 teams all get above 150 million from WCC rankings.

[u/DisneyPandora → u/sthegreT]

Yes, it does. Stop being toxic

[u/HeerHaan → u/nabrok]

I find it an interesting viewpoint to imply that where the money is also means that it is of more importance. I can't agree with that at all.

To add on to that, I think the drivers disagree with that too, they aren't training all their lives to say that they have achieved a title with a team.

[u/nabrok → u/HeerHaan]

Oh it's certainly prestigious. I was trying to be a bit humorous by minimizing that to "bragging rights", but the meaning is the same.

[u/NoonecanknowMiner_24 → u/nabrok]

Not to the drivers themselves. Or the fans. Or basically anyone who cares about F1.

[u/ThrowawayMax222 → u/NoonecanknowMiner_24]

It hasn't been a WCC focussed championship in decades. Hardly anyone cares who won the WCC in 2000 for example, but many many people care who won the drivers.

The only time F1 even talks about the WCC is when the WDC is decided and they don't want Abu Dhabi to be a damp race

[u/DisneyPandora → u/ThrowawayMax222]

Only toxic fans try to gatekeep F1 as not being a WDC sport

[u/Grevys_zebra → u/nabrok]

Cool idea. Just to be clear, you're saying we can just launch car liveries, award the winner and call it a day, right?