Old F1 logo not "iconic or memorable"

The revealing of a new logo after the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix caused some controversy among fans, with varied opinions about whether or not it was a wasted effort.

There was some frustration that such an effort had gone into this change, whereas bigger concerns like farcical grid penalties, a lack of overtaking and out-of-control costs had been put on the back burner.

But Brawn, who is F1’s managing director of motorsport, is fully behind the effort the change the logo now and thinks it was essential for Liberty to do so.

“Over the past few days the question was asked as to whether the logo is really a major priority and the answer is yes,” said Brawn, in a regular post-race newsletter sent out by F1 chiefs.

“Apart from the commercial aspects, the new logo is much more flexible in terms of its use, especially when it comes to its application on merchandising and in the digital world. It has impact. The old logo was neither iconic or memorable.

“It was important to let Formula 1 fans see that we are entering a new era. Our sport is changing and must look to the future and also outside its own environment if it is to attract new fans, especially among the young.

"We believe this logo exemplifies this desire: in a world where visual communication is ever more important, we must also move in this direction.”

eSports boost

Part of Liberty’s efforts to attract a new younger audience proved a huge success at the weekend with F1’s eSports Series World Champion being crowned after a finale that became a major talking point in the paddock.

The fact the title was won with a controversial last-lap move was a boost to the event’s profile, and Brawn has cheekily suggested he would like to see the real F1 return to such excitement.

“On Saturday night, there were a lot of people in the paddock, including drivers and engineers, all watching the final on the giant screens and they clearly found it exciting, especially [Brendon] Leigh's last lap overtaking move, which saw him win the race and the title,” he said.

“How good would it have been to see something like that on the real track. Moves like that do sometimes happen for real – I'm thinking of the 2008 finale in Brazil – but wouldn't it be nice to see it happen more often?”