[Dan]

With most of the F1 teams struggling for money, I have had an idea that wont affect their sponsorship deals/ business models. However is likely to generate significant media coverage and a lot of money. Why don’t the teams have a system every week/ month were fans could buy things that the teams don’t need/ use i.e old team wear, old car parts, a close look at past seasons cars with picture etc? This could even include a signed picture of the drivers. for example the cost scheme could be something like

£10 for signed picture
£25 wheel nut
£50 for 5mins look at car + picture
£150 picture holding a replica trophy
£200 Old set of mechanics overalls

I understand that my pricings above are probably well off what they would be in reality but it shows my idea, that way for Christmas/ birthdays etc families could buy an F1 fan something very special.

[JamieFranklinF1]

I honestly don’t know why teams haven’t thought about this yet. I can only imagine the thousands of fans that would want to be more involved by doing things like this.

Factory tours, sitting in a car, maybe even a simulator which just allows you to experience what it’s like to be in an F1 car.

F1 gets a lot of stick for not being up to date in terms of social media etc, but there is lots that teams can do to make the sport more inclusive.

[Anonymous]

I would be prepared to pay those prices for those items, but if you’ve ever visited any shops that sell these kinds of items, they sell for much more money than that (like those that advertise in the back of Autosport, or the Alex Reade International store).

And I’m not prepared to pay £500 for a race suit, or £400+ for a logoed barge board or front-wing side-plate.

I used to be a member of the McLaren Fan Club, and they rarely even offered the chance of a factory tour – something that should be openly available to all fan club members. And they wonder why people have lost interest in a sport that has lost all connection to its fans.

[Dan]

Its sad but its true that some teams would buy various parts and try to learn useful data from them, which is why there is such a long delay from parts from the current cars being available for sale which is why not a lot is available for sale.

Were as something like clothing is more or less always going to be the same design for each team year after year. If you think about how many sets that must get made for when a new sponsor is on the car for a limited number of races, then every member of staff has two have several sets (in case they get covered in oil/ petrol, need washing etc. It would mean an a lot to a fan like me to have a signed team shirt/ mechanic overalls etc. from a specific race, which I could get framed and add to my collection. What do the teams currently do with these? send a few odd pieces for charity auction? or are they just in a box in the factory gathering dust?

[Anonymous]

@f1fanf1fan when it comes to out-of-date teamwear, many personnel get to keep them once they’ve worn it during the season – and many sell them to memorabilia stores, which it turn sells them to us for a very expensive premium. Sadly the chance to get any of this cheaply doesn’t exist.

In fact, the best prices I’ve seen for F1 memorabilia lately has come from the Caterham crowdfunding!

[Dan]

yes I agree its a sad situation to be in, I went to Silverstone in 2005 and was lucky enough to find a stall selling various bits of old Jordan cars for sale and I bought myself something, that was the only time it has been realistically affordable for me to buy something

[Anonymous]

If I had the money I’d have paid what it costs Marussia to be handed over to me – plus what it costs to race them.

[Anonymous]

@davidnotcoulthard2 I reckon that F1Fanatics could have collectively bought Marussia … we’d be due £35m next spring too!

But I’d have driver choice of course – Jolyon Palmer and Alexander Rossi, thank you! And Verizon would have come on board as title sponsor thanks to the Rossi connection. And Bianchi, once he recovers, would be eased back in via a Friday role :)

[Dan]

I agree that something like this is possible, look at David Braham’s business model of trying to get the Braham name back into motorsport through a scheme very similar to crowd funding

[Author]

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