FOTA turns attention to F1 ‘show’

(GMM) Just as F1's team alliance FOTA has pushed on with cost cuts, the group is now turning its attention to spicing up the spectacle of the sport.

"Within a few days, we will get the results of a global market research into the perception of F1 by the public, by the audience," McLaren boss Ron Dennis revealed at the Autosport International show in Birmingham.

Several changes are possible, including the introduction of a medals-style scoring system, and even reverse grids and points for pole.

"It might mean by varying the qualifying format, it might be varying the race format, or it might be by changing the accessibility of F1," Dennis said.

The Briton said he is a motor racing "purist", but said he was prepared to support even radical changes if they can have a "positive" outcome for F1.

"I am pure. But it can be pretty boring, not to me, but it can be pretty boring for you guys if the race is a procession," Dennis admitted.

"So we have to be mindful of the fact that those people who are captured by F1, their interest is maintained," he said, albeit warning that there is a danger of tinkering with the 'DNA' of a globally popular sport.