Short attention spans threaten F1, says Button

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Jenson Button has identified shorter attention spans among modern audiences as a key problem for the future of Formula One as a global sport.

With viewing figures for motorsports in general in decline around the world, the McLaren driver - who will take a sabbatical from his race seat after the end of the current season - said he was unsure how the FIA could overcome the problem in the future.

"I never watch a stage of the Tour de France," he explained. "I’ll record a stage but only watch the last ten minutes or if it is a sprint stage I will watch the last minute and a half.

"It is tricky and I don’t know how you overcome that," he added. "There will always be the die-hard fans but we need to attract younger fans and trying to get them to watch something for an hour and a half is very difficult.

"For me, I see Formula One as exciting but some other people might see only a few overtakes but in an hour and a half there is ten minutes of action. That is why I find it exciting.

"When those moves happen it is amazing that driver has put everything on the line for that overtake or the strategy worked out because he thought ahead. But for some people that is not enough and I understand that.

"Short races, short sports are on the up. For example sprint and track and field is up because it is a sport people love because it is a quick burst of energy while a Grand Prix is an hour and a half.

"I’m not saying our fans but people in general. I do have a much shorter attention span than I use to. We are like children we can’t sit down and do one thing we need to move on and do another. I can’t sit down in front of the TV for 90 minutes to watch a film I have to be active.

"That is what we need in F1. There is definitely more action on the circuit than ever before but people still want more action whether it is the cars on the circuit or something else to keep them entertained.

"We do need a younger audience as we have a guy who is 19 and a race winner already whereas the mass percentage of those who watch the sport are in their 30s, 40s and older. We need a younger audience otherwise it will get smaller and smaller as they get older.

"Fan interaction is something we need more," he offered, thinking of the 'fan boost' vote in Formula E. "Not just the drivers but also the sport. It is something that will happen.

"The sport over the past couple of years has been in a tricky place in terms of the drivers haven’t been so happy with the cars and the regulations. The sport understands that and there is so much change for next year which is fantastic.

"It is going in the right direction but things still need to change and I think fresh ideas from the new owners will help it go on the up."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.