Be in pole position for F1

Football and rugby in pubs is a popular and proven choice for licensees to increase footfall. But can Formula One emulate
such success?

The figures support the argument — 834,000 people watched the Monaco Grand Prix in a pub or bar last year — and year-on-year growth across the whole viewing audience suggests an appetite among the
British public.

And, of course, Grand Prix racing has all of the components of a high-quality entertainment package for pubs. The race is spread across a couple of hours on a Sunday, and the lunchtime, brunch, breakfast and dinner start times work alongside a pub’s typical food offers — and, of course, Premier League football is on the same day. There is also the opportunity to build a crowd using the weekend racing schedule, which includes Friday practice and Saturday qualifying.

Ramp up advertising

One example of a pub that has successfully implemented F1 is Murphy’s Sports Bar in Brentwood, Essex. The sports bar traditionally uses the first race of the season to get people hooked and increase the chance of returning customers.

Licensee Marko Howard said: “We will begin to ramp up our advertising by promoting the fixtures and making sure customers are aware that they can watch every race of the season in our venue.”

He said it was vital to get staff involved in the process: “To get people interested, you have to be excited about the sport yourself. We make sure our employees know their sports and encourage them to chat about what we’ve got coming up.”

He also signposted the importance of the food offer, and the role it can play in attracting people to pubs specifically to watch F1.

“Last year, we put on a buffet breakfast for the first race in Australia and offered breakfast sandwiches and coffee for other early race times.

“People are more inclined to come to the pub to watch races if they don’t have to think about eating beforehand.”

The venue also alters its menu during race weekends to reflect the Grand Prix location, and to assist in building an atmosphere.

New drivers this year

The 2015 season should be great from a British perspective. Lewis Hamilton, the reigning world champion, is still in one of the fastest cars — the Mercedes AMG Petronas — alongside team mate and title rival, Nico Rosberg.

There is also the excitement of three new drivers, including teenage sensation Max Verstappen — the son of former F1 driver, Jos Verstappen, and the youngest ever driver to grace the sport at 17 years old.

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 pundit, Johnny Herbert, said of the new season: “You always want to see a battle on the track. It’s still early days and a lot can change but there are good signs so far. Already it looks as if Ferrari are going to be better than they were last season.”

He also claimed that Hamilton will be “hungrier” this year, because he “desperately wants” to emulate his hero Ayrton Senna’s three world titles.

Bringing people together

David Croft, commentator for Sky Sports F1, told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser that F1 was perfect for pubs, because it offered a similar level of debate to rugby and football: “If I wasn’t a commentator, I would be in the pub offering my opinions on the race. That’s the great thing about F1, it can bring people together.”

Croft also said the range of tracks helped in making F1 such a compelling offer. “I can’t think of a single boring race last year.

“And if you look at Mexico this year, it’s great for F1 to be returning to a venue where the stands will be packed with fans who love the sport. That’s where the sport wants to be.

“It’s going to offer entertainment by the taco-load.”