Tata Communications launches a $50,000 competition
On the occasion of our meeting, Mehul Kapadia, the head of F1 at Tata Communications, was able to detail the scope of the competition his company has launched in partnership with FOM and the Mercedes team.
During the Silverstone Grand Prix, Tata Communications launched a contest called the F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize to harness collective intelligence, allowing fans to suggest their own ideas on how F1 could further improve its data communication to the general public. The incentive for participants is clear: the first prize is $50,000, while other winners will enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix.
The panel of judges is up to the financial stakes: besides our host of the day, we will also have Lewis Hamilton and Paddy Lowe from Mercedes, John Morrison the technical director of FOM, as well as commentator and former driver Martin Brundle.
It is with his two and a half years of experience in F1 that the idea of creating a fan-driven competition to improve fan information was born: « The idea is to attract different talents, to spark a general reflection on how we can make the sport even more creative for fans. It is one of the most advanced sports. Everything the FOM does is great and F1 has brought a lot of innovations to the general public. So as a connectivity provider, how can we encourage reflection around the connectivity of the sport? The message we want to convey is: here is the technology, use it and tell us how we can do even better. This is how we came up with the idea of these challenges to promote science and technology. It allows people to participate in a global platform and be at the heart of a sport they love. »
Three challenges during three different races
For its contest, Tata Communications has decided to set up three successive challenges. The first was revealed at the Silverstone Grand Prix, while the other two will be at Monza and Austin. This timing is obviously not by chance: « This scheduling allows us to launch the first challenge, study the proposals and choose the winners, then launch the new challenge, and so on. It has the merit of encouraging people to focus on only one challenge at a time rather than spreading themselves across different subjects. Silverstone is considered the home of motorsport, Monza is an iconic race with Ferrari, while Austin generates a lot of attention in the American market. This allows us to reach different geographical areas and have the right rhythm to liven up the contest. That way, at the end of the season, we can announce who the grand winner is. »
To win the $50,000 Grand Prize, the selection mode will be as follows: two winners will be chosen for each of the three challenges. Among these six winners, one will be selected as the grand winner. The others can console themselves by attending the 2015 Monaco Grand Prix.
The first challenge is focused on the live timing data that FOM makes available to fans on its website.
Feasibility, an essential criterion
The ideas that will be rewarded during the various challenges could be implemented if they are technically feasible. The feasibility of the ideas will thus be one of the main selection criteria. While one might fear that this limits the creativity of the participants, Mehul Kapadia sees it more as a question of the relevance of the ideas: « If it’s a very good idea but it can’t be implemented, it loses relevance. In that case, how can it be a good idea? A parallel can be drawn here with the construction of this year’s F1 cars: there is a regulation in place, with very specific technical specifications. We can see that Mercedes does a superb job by staying within this regulation. That is the relevance of their creativity. It is about staying in the real, in the concrete. »
Not open in France
If this competition is on a global scale, it is unfortunately not open to France, due to laws that are too restrictive regarding competitions with financial rewards at stake. Mekul Kapadia is the first to apologize: « I am really sorry that this competition is not open to the French market. As you know, this is a global competition. We had to look at the laws in each country to determine where we could set up this competition within the timeframe we wanted, and unfortunately, it wasn’t possible in France. »
From our special correspondent in Silverstone
