David Brown

It's too technical, too obsessed with engine specs, tire compounds, and aerodynamic minutia.

To many, F1 fandom is dominated by middle-aged men debating gear ratios and fuel strategies.

That image is reinforced by the company Formula One keeps.

Race weekends are saturated with luxury brands promoting watches, champagne, private jets, and financial services, products that most fans can only dream of affording.

For Liberty Media, the brand study's message is clear.

Formula One needs to open up.

Under Bernie Eccleston, the sport had been tightly controlled.

Access to television footage was restricted.

Drivers, teams, and broadcasters were warned against sharing clips online.

That approach might have worked in the analog era, but it's a disaster in the digital age.

So, Formula One rips up its playbook.

Instead of limiting content, it floods the internet with it.

Official social media accounts offer fans a look behind the scenes.

Teams and drivers are encouraged to interact directly with fans.

And there are no more cease and desist letters every time Lewis Hamilton posts race footage on Instagram.

The goal is simple.

Make Formula One visible again.

And social media is just the beginning.

It's 2017 at Formula One's broadcast center, just outside London, England.

Inside a dark screening room, media consultant David Hill lowers himself into a chair.