It’s no secret that the Monaco Grand Prix was and probably will remain the most boring race of the 2018 Formula One season. It’s not usually a thriller since the circuit lacks overtaking zones and the aerodynamic packages prevent drivers from following close to each other. This race does not offer good publicity for the sport.
Like a lot of Formula One fans (and motorsport fans in general), after watching the Monaco Grand Prix, I tuned into the 2018 Indianapolis 500. This race was more exciting than Monaco, even though it was boring compared to previous races, due to the aerodynamic packages on the cars that caused many drivers to crash and prevented any close racing.
The Indy500 was aired on free-to-air television in Canada and the United States on ABC, the Disney-owned parent company of EPSN. This gives the race a lot of publicity and is a big chance for IndyCar to earn some fans. But after the race, they rebroadcast the Monaco Grand Prix.
This is terrible because the race was terrible! It reflects poorly on the sport and the Monaco Grand Prix should not be aired on free-to-air TV (unless all of the races are).
Free-to-air television can be a great way to earn fans and it can often lead many people to watch Formula One for the first time. I myself first remember seeing the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix on TV, which was an immensely better race than the one that we witnessed this weekend. Although I didn’t fall in love with Formula One right away, seeing the 2011 race led me to watch the 2012 and 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, along with the 2013 Canada and Brazil Grand Prix before getting hooked on the sport.
This is how it can happen if it’s a decent race that is put on TV, but it wasn’t a good Monaco Grand Prix this year. This may have driven people away from the sport because it was so uneventful and dull.
I’m not sure about the races that are being broadcast now that ESPN has taken control of the American rights, but when NBC was the broadcaster, I only really remember the races in Monaco, Canada, United States, Mexico and Brazil as being the ones that were regularly broadcast on free-to-air. These are some pretty good races that could draw in an audience… except for the Monaco Grand Prix.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Monaco Grand Prix should stay on the calendar, despite a lot of fans thinking otherwise. It think it’s an event with a lot of history and it deserves a race. However, we need to reduce the hype around the event and not make it seem that the Monaco Grand Prix is the most-anticipated race of the year.
If someone who has never watched Formula One before watches the Monaco Grand Prix and thinks that this is the highlight of the F1 calendar, what are they going to think that all Formula One races are like? Boring, even though it’s a rarity to get races as boring as this year’s race. This is why broadcasters should use caution when airing this race on free-to-air TV because it can do a lot of damage to the reputation of the sport.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company. Assumptions made in any analysis contained within this article are not reflective of the position of any entity other than the author.
