2014 Formula One Regulation Changes Expected to Increase Viewership and Betting Numbers

The 2014 Formula 1 season will see some major technical and sporting regulation changes.

Formula One in the recent four years has all been about how many races and titles Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull can win. Apparently this has influenced TV viewing and Formula 1 sports betting patterns, forcing them to go down considerably. Viewership figures have decreased by around 50 million last year.

Formula 1 has always been THE sporting event to watch on TV alongside World Cups and Olympics. Can anything be done this year to bring back the viewers to the Queen of Motorsport? FIA, the governing body, certainly thinks it can help.

Things to excite the viewers

The introduction of Drag Reduction System (DRS) and Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) certainly did a lot to increase competitiveness. These gimmicks have brought back a part of the viewers and even affected bettors under British gambling laws, who started to wager more often than before the systems’ introduction.

Formula 1 regulation changes and their expected effect on viewership and betting

• FIA has introduced a number of technical and sporting regulation changes for 2014

• Formula 1 betting at online sportsbooks in the UK is expected to be affected

• Viewership numbers are expected to increase thanks to the new rules

Another thing introduced to provide viewers and bettors with more excitement lied in the hands of Pirelli. The tyre supplier has been forced by the FIA to deliver more volatile compounds and a wider choice of tyres. Just think of 2012 when there was an unprecedented number of seven different winners in the first seven races of the season.

However, the tyre game has been regarded as dangerous when there was an array of exploding and damaged tyres, causing accidents which were considered to be more dangerous than spectacular. And of course many bets outcomes at online sportsbooks in the United Kingdom were influenced by problems with tyres.

New regulations for 2014 season

FIA has introduced a range of sporting and technical regulation changes for the 2014 season. These are expected to further increase competitiveness and thus bring in more viewers to the TVs and more punters to land-based and online bookies.

2.4L V8 engines are gone, and 1.6L V6 Turbos are in. Experts say they sound just as exciting, but not as loud as the previous powerhouses. Besides they are limited to 15,000 RPM compared to 18,000 for the 2.4L ones.

The pre-season tests have already shown everyone that Red Bulls are in trouble, due to Renault’s failure to tame the reliability of the new engines. Mercedes-powered competitors gained a sudden advantage thanks to renowned German reliability. Ferraris are dangling in the middle in this respect.

Red Bulls, however, have other issues to focus on. Cooling is not perfect, but Adrian Newey, there aerodynamics God says all will be “cool” before the season starts, but even he has admitted the cars are falling behind the competition.

Other regulation changes include the double-points final round. The last race of the season will bring double points to both Drivers and Constructor tallies. Naturally, the idea behind this is to keep TV viewers interested right until the end of the year. And it will certainly have an effect at internet betting sites in the UK as well: double points – double betting interest.

In previous years, there were case when viewers lost interest in the season due to the fact that championship titles were already decided way before the final race. However, fans and various media giants have already revealed their dissatisfaction with this particular rule, dubbing it artificial and simply ridiculous.

In any case, we will have to wait until the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to see if FIA did the right thing. This in itself is already a confirmation that the governing body has achieved some success. Whatever the outcome, the 2014 season shapes up to be pretty excited, charting into unknown territories as well.

2014 Formula One season betting

What about the actual betting offers? Virtually every land-based and online sportsbook in the United Kingdom and worldwide is already offering odds for the upcoming season. The first Grand Prix is scheduled to take place in Melbourne, Australia this weekend, but let’s take a closer look at the season betting odds for both Drivers and Constructors Championship.

Top 10 Drivers Championship Winner odds

Constructors Championship Winner odds