Brand Loyalty In F1

Of all the kids, in all the schools, in all the towns, in all the countries of this world, there can't be many that wants to drive a Honda when he or she grows up. Or a Toyota or Ford or Renault, Peugot or Fiat. Those are not aspirational brands, and every ten year old is clued-up on what are the right shoes to wear, the coolest clothes to be in, and the wickedest wheels to drive.

A BMW, on the other hand, is designed using the same sort of software as the more down-market cars, and is mass-produced in same sort of factories. But that blue propellor badge on the bonnet gives it a cachet Ford etc can only yearn for. Go figure. Those kids I mentioned with all the right gear, the ones who know a music player is useless without an Apple logo on it, they'll be happy to grow up and drive a Beema. Actually, where I live some of them won't wait to grow up, they're out stealing one right now.

My head might know that Honda and Toyota make reliable and economical cars, but how could I drive a sexy starlet to a movie premier in one? I couldn't, and I know you can understand that. A Ferrari would be a much nicer match with the red carpet, and the photographers would descend on us like vultures to a carcass. We would revel in it, Mitzi Snugglegood and I.

Did I say Ferrari? Now that is a name with some magic attached. A Ferrari looks good, it sounds good, and by golly you can pull in one. My friends would die for a drive in it, and would easily kill for a ride in it. If the dealers would take an old model Yaris as trade-in I'd have one tomorrow.

Racing cars are a similar case, I can perhaps understand the Tifosi. They associate themselves with the history and the sheer glamour of the Ferrari brand. It's like latching on to a fragrance, who wouldn't choose Chanel over Britney? Words like prestige and class spring to mind.

I don't know where Honda and Toyota get their fans from, or what they look for out of F1. Where is the glamour in Jenson Button crawling around in a lame car? I should hardly think it inspires anyone to rush out and buy a Civic. And it might be there is someone so devoted to Lewis Hamilton and McLaren they will a buy a Toyota as a gesture of gratitude to Timo Glock, but that is only on planet cuckoo.

Although the Mercedes name does not suggest the roast beef of Ye Olde England, McLaren seem to be the most British brand name in F1, with both cars and engines made here, unless Wikipedia is giving me a bum steer. And having an English driver who's just become champ has got to make them top choice for the denizens of our sceptred isle. In a pub last Sunday, with everybody screaming for Hamilton to get past that (censored) Vettel, it was not the place to stand up and proclaim loyalty to any other team.

Frank Williams is as English as fish 'n chips, but his cars are currently powered by Toyota, his drivers are both foreign, and most importantly he's not had success for a long time. Nothing succeeds like success, so I wonder where Williams' fan base comes from.

Renault is a fine historic French name, would they get support because of that? Nobody ever arrived at a movie premier in a stretched Clio, or if they did they parked out of sight and walked. There's just no status in the name. A big plus for them is having the intriguing Fernando Alonso as their driver. He seems prickly and difficult, but also fast and charismatic, it's easy to see him generating support for the team.

Some teams have been able to create a special spark, Torro Rosso spring to mind, but maybe that is only because of the buzz about Sebastian Vettel. He's young and dynamic, I can see his appeal to the younger audience. As for the rest though, their appeal beats me.

So tell me, F1 fans, why do you support a particular team?