Brawn tells fans to brace for 'exciting' new digital plans for 2018

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Formula 1's Ross Brawn says the sport is close to finalising exciting new endeavors into the digital arena which shall enhance the fan experience.

Since taking over F1 a year ago, Liberty Media has been building its momentum on the digital platform front, an area which was previously under-exploited by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Ahead of this weekend's season finale, Brawn said big digital plans will be coming the fans' way in 2018.

"I think quite frankly F1 is almost a start-up, because there had been so little done on the digital and social media front, and the way the content of F1 was presented, so for us it really had been a fresh start," said Brawn, who was speaking the F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize Finale at the Yas Marina.

"That is good and bad. It is good because we have got an opportunity to create what we need going forward for the future, bad because there was nothing there to build on.

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"But there are some really exciting things that people are going to start seeing next year, in this arena, of how information is presented."

While F1 is planning to introduce an OTT (over-the-top) live streaming service in certain markets in the future, on-site fans will also benefit from a series of planned innovations, one of which would be the ability to access a lavish amount of race information through a track's Wi-Fi network.

"F1 is so content-rich, there is so much data, so much information, that we can layer it at whatever level the fan or the enthusiast wants to engage.

"What we want is for the casual fan to start to understand how rich is the content of F1 going into it.

"We are looking at how we communicate with the fans within a race so that we can again provide all those extra layers of information. There are some new initiatives that will come out next year.

"Most people have got a mobile phone or an iPad or some sort of device. If we can add that extra information, so that the guys in the grandstand, as well as watching the real track action, know what is going on with the race strategy, know what is going on with the tyres, know what is going with perhaps deeper information, getting the audio from all the cars and listening to the drivers, then that will be a great step.

"We need to introduce a system for the fans. It is a big task, it is a fairly massive task and we are just looking at how we best introduce it."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.