"Figurehead is missing"

Formula 1 and MotoGP: How fans differ

170,000 fans come to Spielberg for the MotoGP - far more for Formula 1.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

The two major motorsport events attract masses of fans to the Red Bull Ring in the Mur Valley every year. However, there are big differences between the spectators, as a tourism expert explains to the "Krone". 

The Murtal can once again look forward to hundreds of thousands of overnight stays when the Motorcycle World Championship comes to the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg these days. In recent years, the racing series known as MotoGP has not quite reached the spectator numbers of Formula 1 - "but it is still the second most important event in the region," says Michael Ranzmaier-Hausleitner, Chairman of the Murtal Tourism Association.

We are now spoiled by the hype surrounding Formula 1, which brings us an exception with 300,000 fans. However, the MotoGP is clearly the second most important event.

Michael Ranzmaier-Hausleitner, Obmann Murtal-Tourismus

Bild: Michael Jurtin Photography

More families at Formula 1 
As different as the two motorsport events are, the spectators are just as different when they pitch their tents in Styria: "The classic Formula 1 guest is one hundred percent focused on the event and the party, which is very dominant due to the mass dynamics. Motorcycle fans in the region look more to the left and right and often only arrive with their own motorcycle at short notice. Accordingly, there are more families at Formula 1 than at the MotoGP. They are two different worlds."

The crowds already flocked to the Ring on Friday.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Even in terms of the nationalities of the fans: "In MotoGP, around 60 percent of the fans come from Austria and 40 percent from abroad; in Formula 1, it's exactly the opposite. There are 50,000 fans from the Netherlands alone at the start every year."

"MotoGP lacks a figurehead"
Who cheer on World Champion Max Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring as a major crowd puller. Such a figurehead is currently missing in the motorcycle world championship, which can also be seen in the spectator numbers. "A figurehead who mobilizes thousands of fans is missing here. Someone like Valentino Rossi." The motorcycle superstar ended his career three years ago.