There’s PR, and there’s PR. When Formula 1 comes to North America, PR gets supersized. It happened last week in Mexico, and expect it this week at the U.S. Grand Prix.
Ever since the Grand Prix calendar came to the country of Mexico, it has produced some of the most colorful spectacles in the world of motor racing. The track also hosts the only formula E race on a real circuit, not a street track, which is the norm.
Ironically, Mexico nearly came off the Formula 1 schedule. The country’s current president, Andrés Manuel López Obradordue, wanted to divert money spent on the race to what he saw as national priorities. While it’s unclear what made him change his mind, one thing is clear: a tremendous amount of public relations (PR) is associated with the Mexican Grand Prix. Mexico benefits as a result
A good example is what happened at the podium ceremony last Sunday. Winner Lewis Hamilton’s race-winning Mercedes was hoisted up on the podium as confetti flew everywhere. Hamilton donned a sombrero to make it clear to the world where he had won. With a huge tv screen as backdrop, the personages of the three top finishers were projected as they stood on the podium. In larger-than-life fashion, there were their faces, names, and team logos
Have you seen anything like this anywhere else? Probably not. The standard practice is to show the winners with their respective national flags together with the logo of the main sponsor of the race. That’s about it.
But was it all good? It depends. The line seems to have been crossed when race organizers decided to have a figure supposedly dressed as Hamilton join the podium group and celebrate. In the video below, you’ll see second-place finisher, Sebastian Vettel, push the character out of the way.
This week Formula 1 moves to Austin, Texas, where we’re likely get ‘more of the same’ with supersized American flags, ten-gallon hats, and ‘Texas-large’ hospitality.
For fans, it’s back-to-back weeks of Formula 1 PR, North America-style.
