GPDA says Global Fan Survey findings will help shape F1

The GPDA announced at Monaco on Thursday that, in partnership with Motorsport.com, it is to canvas opinions of fans in what it hopes is the sport's biggest survey ever.

The detailed survey – available at gpda.motorsport.com – encompasses a full range of topics and has been put together with input from a world leading research company.

Sebastian Vettel, GPDA director, said: "I am looking forward to see the survey results and understand what the fans think.

"I hope it helps us drivers, and F1 as a sport, to influence decisions for the better."

Fans opinion matters

GPDA chairman Alex Wurz thinks F1 has lacked knowing exactly what fans think, so believes the research will give drivers a good platform to help Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA take the sport in directions that fans really want.

"We need and want to understand what the fans think," Wurz told Motorsport.com.

"Maybe it comes out that the people like the times when Michael Schumacher won with four stops in Magny-Cours [in 2004], and think it was just because of refuelling.

"We know at the time it was tyre war, and very soft tyres on this particular track with a short pit-lane which made him win.

"So it is down to us internally to apply logic and say okay – so it is people who might understand that this is refuelling. But actually it was the tyre war, with lots of pit stops.

"We want to go to Jean [Todt], Bernie [Ecclestone] and the stakeholders and say: these are the answers of our consumers, let's find the real reason and find it we can implement it.

"We want to go in to a constructive conversation with everyone involved and be the interface of the fans, of their opinions, and what the drivers think."

More connection with fans needed

Wurz said that the GPDA Global Fan Survey was just the first step of an effort that drivers were planning to do to get closer to fans.

"We drivers go into motor racing because we love it," he said. "The bottom line is that the sport is so big because we have fans, and the fans watch it for the exact same reasons.

"We always thought it was good to tweet, but it has been more a one-way conversation so far. On top of that, everyone has said let's understand what the fans think because at the end of the day it is a product.

"You have a consumer and you need to know why he consumes the product. So we said, let's do a fan survey and give them the voice. So, that is how we came.

"The start here is first to listen, and it's not us talking. We listen to the fans and then interact with the key stakeholders."