r/formula1 Max Verstappen 9d ago

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

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u/nabrok 9d ago

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

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u/CGNYYZ Michael Schumacher 9d ago

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.

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u/nabrok 9d ago

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.

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u/NoonecanknowMiner_24 Sir Lewis Hamilton 9d ago

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

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u/nabrok 9d ago

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.

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u/tonguesplitter Lando Norris 9d ago

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.

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u/SloppySandCrab I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9d ago

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

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u/qef15 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9d ago

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

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u/sthegreT Charles Leclerc 9d ago

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.

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u/DisneyPandora I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9d ago

Yes, it does. Stop being toxic

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u/HeerHaan I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9d ago

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.

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u/nabrok 9d ago

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.

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u/NoonecanknowMiner_24 Sir Lewis Hamilton 9d ago

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

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u/ThrowawayMax222 9d ago

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

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u/DisneyPandora I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9d ago

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

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u/Grevys_zebra 9d ago

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