Scuderia
Ferrari is the most popular Formula 1 team in the world.
As if a look at the grandstands at the GPs wasn't enough
– the flags with the Prancing Horse are outnumbering the
others everywhere – now it's officially confirmed by a
FOTA survey in collaboration with LG Electronics and
F1 Racing magazine. A preview of the survey's
results has been published on Autosport.com, as
well as in Gazzetta dello Sport and Marca.
84,456 people in
174 countries were surveyed and 30.1% named the Scuderia
from Maranello as their preferred team. This is more than
the second (McLaren, 19.1%) and the third popular teams
(Mercedes, 10.1%) together.
The same is true
for the popularity of the drivers: here the most popular
driver is Michael Schumacher (19,5%), who gained most of his
success while driving for the Scuderia. Behind him there are
the drivers, who are actually racing for Ferrari or who did
so until last year: Fernando Alonso is second (9,7%),
followed by Kimi Raikkonen (7,2%) and Felipe Massa (6,1%).
There are more interesting facts to find in the survey,
which might be helpful for Formula 1's future. The new
points system awarding more points to the winner is popular
with the fans: 45% think this is a good idea, only 14% don't
like the new system.
Meanwhile the
fans want the classic races on the calendar (51% of those
surveyed), especially Monaco, Monza and Silverstone, which
are the most popular races. But the fans would also like
some more spectacle on TV (65% want the races in HD) and
want to watch the races live on the internet (53%).
And then there
is a result that should make those responsible think: 38%
said that the KERS had a positive impact on the races in
Formula 1 last year and 43% would like to see it again (with
26% against). That the kinetic energy recovery system wasn't
compulsory in 2009 is negative for 22% while 41% say that it
showed how the sport can set positive signs in terms of
energy savings and is able to introduce innovation. That's
why 66.8% say that Formula 1 has to stay the pinnacle of
motorsport technology.
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