The Cult of Formula One

Formula One is dying the critics say. But while F1is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, there is not doubt the sport is riding through a rough patch. There are complaints about the new sound, safety concerns following Jules Bianchi’s death, there are calls to lower costs – highlighted by Lotus’ off-field struggles and Marussia’s uncompetitive cars - to even the playing field. All this and more is the giving Formula One the greatest fear of every sport in this age of ‘sportstainment’ – being labeled as “too boring”.

So naturally, I was interested in getting a first hand view of whether Formula One’s apparent demise had been exaggerated. I’d never had the opportunity to watch a Grand Prix live before – being from New Zealand and there’s not enough money to tempt Bernie Eccelstone and co to our small islands despite our F1 pedigree. So when Shell Motorsport offered a chance to go behind the scenes in partnership with Ferrari to the Spa Grand Prix, I jumped at the chance.

[SHELL EXTENDS DEAL WITH FERRARI FOR FIVE MORE YEARS]

I was lucky enough to be seated at the Spa circuit’s famous Eau Rouge corner in a sea of red of Ferrari fans, who had turned up in their droves to back Sebastien Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. What I noticed very early on, and contrary to what I had been expecting, was the enormous passion evident from the approximately 150,000 people who were trackside over the weekend – and these scenes were repeated at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and in Singapore and then again in Japan.

There were claps and cheers whenever Vettel and Raikonen drove past the Rouge corner, there were genuine cries of despair – and then cheers and even laughter - when Raikkonen was overtaken by Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen late in the race only for the young Dutchman to overshoot the next corner allowing the Ferrari driver to recover.

[HORNER FIGHTING TO KEEP RED BULL IN FORMULA ONE]

[RED BULL'S FUTURE UNCLEAR, SAYS CHIEF]

But much of the focus was on Vettel. After starting from a lowly ninth on the grid, the German was on track to finish on the podium after defending his position in enthralling battles, first with Red Bull’s Daniel Riccardo and subsequently Lotus’ Roman Grosjean. The race for first and second was essentially over from the start, but as the temperature at Spa plummeted, the tension racked up as Vettel desperately held off Grosjean’s bid for history on worn tyres, when the German suffered a blowout on the penultimate lap. If it was possible, the crowd almost seemed more deflated than Vettel’s tyre, such was the disappointment in his enforced retirement so late on.

And I saw all this repeated the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. It seems like Formula One is trying to live in two different worlds – the one trackside where the fans turn up in the droves, and the one on TV where they are stagnating. There is a real chance there will be no F1 Grand Prix in France, Germany or Italy next year. With the rise of audiences and quality circuits in Asia and the Middle East, the 2016 season may see only five races out of 19 in Europe, it’s traditional home as Ecclestone increasingly looks to new markets to secure Formula One’s broadcast revenue and by extension it’s future viability.

[IS THE ITALIAN GRAND PRIX ABOUT TO BECOME THE LATEST ON THE SCRAPHEAP?]

Formula One needs to decide which is more important for its future – millions watching on TV, but whose connection to the sport may end when they change channels or the thousands and thousands of fans who will attend each race, but who alone can't afford to sustain the sport financially.

Hamish williams travelled to the Spa Grand Prix courtesy of Shell Motorsport.