Official F1 site gets new look – but no video

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Formula1.com has had a lick of paint and looks all shiny and new. But before you get all excited, no, they still aren’t offering any video.

But I’m sure they’ll keep on tearing F1 videos down from other sites with the monotonous regularity of Ralf Schumacher’s contract extensions.

The ‘social media’ revolution appears to have completely passed them by. Blogs? Forums? Nope. Not even a lousy comment form to be found.

Thankfully they haven’t got rid of the one thing it had going for it – the live timing page (it’s under ‘Services’). Here’s a few new features I’d like to have seen:

>> Bernie’s blog – The latest on which obscure corner of the globe F1 will visit next and why Silverstone is a stinking pile of horse excrement.

>> Design your own Hermann Tilke circuit – Pick from two exciting types of corner: a tight left hairpin or a tight right hairpin!

>> Ask Kimi Raikkonen – The eloquent Finn answers your queries in up to three words (two of which will be “for sure”).

>> Interactive F1 racing game – Organise testing, attend PR engagements and plan your strategy. Oh, you want to drive the car? Sorry, that’s the least important part of Grand Prix racing these days.

>> Mad Max’s random rule generator – Drivers must do at least one stint without a rear wing! Anyone who leads more than ten laps must stop to pick up a passenger! Dissenters will be shot! Generate your own set of 2008 rules.

What would you like to see on the official F1 site?

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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13 comments on “Official F1 site gets new look – but no video”

  1. How about a rewind button? Back to about 1962 would do for me…

  2. I’m older than Clive……rewind it all the way back ….. 1950.
    Live timing and the archive are the only features I ever use this site for.

  3. I only ever visit for the live timing, and I don’t see that changing, but at least they finally have RSS feeds, even if they are hidden away. Welcome to the 21st Century lads.

  4. I can’t see why Formula 1 “the brand” isn’t pushed more. If you look at formula1.com’s shop they have the bog standard hat, t-shirt and key ring. The teams are light years ahead in this area.

    I’d be more than happy to wear an F1 T Shirt if they’d got a better selection. I do have allegiances to F1 drivers and teams but I’m also a fan of the sport.

    Why don’t they get Honda’s connection with 19 (the PR company who dreamt up the Earth Car idea) to knock some ideas together? If they can produce those dramatic wallpapers why can’t they stick one on a shirt??

  5. PS – As for the site, I like it but there is SO much more they could do. Videos is the obvious; how about online games, more interactive track guides (Brundle-style), etc.

    They could use this to really cultivate the sport’s fan base.

  6. Robert Mckay
    26th June 2007, 14:36

    “…bog standard hat, shirt and key-ring…”

    Well, almost. Bernie’s charging you nearly fifty quid for a key ring. Ehhh?! Christ, no wonder the man’s rich.

  7. motoGP website is miles ahead of this “new” Formula 1 web … Bernie is making too much easy money from the race fees and the rights, why would he bother with a website or F1 branded stuff … remember 2004 when Ford walked out of F1 putting 3 teams in trouble – it looked for a while that there will be problem filling up 20 places on the grid with talk of some team racing 3 cars … and just 2 years later there were 20 or so bids for 1 spare place for a team … Bernie is taking all this for granted, he feels that everybody needs him and does not need anybody. and then the F1 web is as it is …

  8. “…fifty quid for a key ring.”
    I do need a new one for my BUICK and my SUBARU! Now I can’t buy tickets to the next GP !!!

  9. About the blog,I think they do have one.Except that it is called Scott Speed’s diary,or something like that.

  10. I would love to be able to have a look at the new site, but it took 30 seconds to load, and then it only loaded the pictures (for some reason the text, backgrounds and buttons didn’t load). If this is the new improved website, then they’ve obviously been using the Max Mosely “improved rule” definition. Never mind “social media” – the least I expect from a website is that it works!

  11. Heh,30 seconds is not that bad.But it loads completely down here,no missing buttons or text.Might have something to do with your browser.

  12. Ben Goldberg
    26th June 2007, 20:47

    I’ve noticed that Scott Speed’s diary is actually just all of his quotes gathered up through the weekend put together in one article.

  13. I’ve tried with both Internet Explorer (which plain doesn’t work with formula1.com at all, but then it doesn’t with many sites) and Firefox (which is as I reported in post #11). And a blog composed of soundbite quotes is only a blog in terms of production method, not in spirit.

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