As the power of individual athletes rises, CSM Sport & Entertainment Account Director Michael White argues that the talent on display in Formula E could provide the answer for new heroes.
Heroes are an essential part of what makes sport so compelling. The storylines, the highs and lows and the rivalries that emerge. In motorsport, these heroes are front and centre; a critical aspect of the sport, helping to draw in audiences, entice brands to join the journey and serving to add a human heartbeat to an otherwise mechanical entity.
Six F1 Driver’s Championship titles to his name and showing no signs of losing his hunger for more, Lewis Hamilton is writing his legend into the sport and joining the ranks of Senna and Schumacher as a true great, placing himself firmly within this hero bracket.
The motorsport world needs no encouragement in championing Hamilton’s achievements, but at the same time it raises the question: who is following in his slipstream to be the hero chasing down his record of titles in seasons to come?
While F1 has undertaken a process of self-evolution in order to meet its objectives of becoming a leading global entertainment property to reach new audiences, it has been the Hamilton story that has kept the sport in the headlines for so many years.
Hamilton has been the protagonist of a compelling human-interest story that has been crucial in capturing people’s attention the world over.
These stories of human endeavour, raw talent, high stakes and glory are universal, and with figures like Hamilton at the centre of them, F1 is the beneficiary of huge interest from audiences, not to mention commercial partners. The succession plan therefore needs to be a consideration. When Hamilton steps away from driving, who is going to take his place and continue to drive F1 and motorsport into the hearts of fans, old and new?
As the world of motorsport grows into different areas, those heroes might appear in other Championships such as Formula E. The all-electric street racing Championship has been in business for several years, but truly announced itself last season with a radical new car design and the news that some of the world’s biggest car manufacturers would be joining its ranks. Porsche and Mercedes have a pedigree in motorsport and their entry into Formula E is causing heads to turn from Grand Prix to E-Prix.
In its sixth season, Formula E will return to the streets of London, taking its sustainability message to one of the world’s most iconic cities. As the platform continues to grow, the drivers behind the wheel of the forward-thinking Championship are stepping into the spotlight. Just as Hamilton’s image covered the world’s media earlier this year – brandishing a union jack on the top step of the podium – the likes of Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird will be chasing a fairy tale season.
British driver Bird has been a standout talent since Formula E’s first race in 2014. He won the inaugural London E-Prix that year and could make history if his campaign goes to plan this time around, when racing returns to the UK capital for this season’s finale. Alongside Bird is the two-time world Champion, Jean-Éric Vergne who will have no interest in giving up his throne, instead chasing a third title and writing the next chapter of an already illustrious career.
If motorsport fans need new heroes, Formula E could offer the answer. The likes of Bird, Vergne and the rest of the Formula E paddock deliver wheel to wheel racing, through city centres, all with a credible sustainability message. Formula E is relevant, and its drivers are the pin ups for a topic of conversation that is no less universal than a driver pushing the limits to achieve success.
Michael White is an Account Director at ESA member CSM Sport & Entertainment