WTCC aims to exploit driver conflict

The World Touring Car Championship will no longer keep driver conflict "just inside the teams," says series chief Francois Ribeiro.

Plans to increase the series' profile include greater emphasis on personalities and rivalries, plus more ambitious camerawork in the TV coverage, and a broader range of content on digital platforms.

"We want to go more into what British people call storytelling," Ribeiro told AUTOSPORT. "There will be more original content for social media and the internet, and a completely integrated approach to communications.

"There will be only one message across all the different media; I want my people to work together to go into the storytelling. If there are stories -- for instance, last year behind the scenes there was tension between Yvan [Muller] and Pechito [Jose Maria Lopez] -- we will not hide this any more. We will bring this to the screen, to the internet. We will not keep it just inside the teams.

"I spoke to all the car manufacturers about this. What do you think people will remember in 10 years' time about the 2014 Formula 1 season? That the engines made less noise? No, they will remember the story between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

"We will have a new talk show which takes place immediately after the second race of the weekend, and if there has been an incident on-track between some of the drivers, and I can get the drivers involved on there before they go to the stewards, I will."

Ribeiro's plan may not be welcomed by FIA officials. In 2011, Nico Rosberg was fined 10,000 euros when he conducted a media briefing before reporting to the Formula 1 stewards following a collision in second Korean Grand Prix practice.

Article B of the 2011 FIA International Sporting Code relating to "obligation of cooperation" states: "All FIA license-holders and all participants in international events undertake to co-operate fully and entirely with any disciplinary investigation conducted by the FIA."

The new talk show will be streamed live via a relaunched WTCC website. Eurosport Events will also produce other programmes exclusively for the web and social media.

"There are changes you can see and changes you can't see," said Ribeiro (RIGHT) "Much of the calendar is new, these are the changes you see. But I have also changed 40 percent of my [Eurosport Events] staff over the past 14 months. Sometimes when you want to change things you have to change people, and communications are a priority."

Ribeiro also detailed a "massive upgrade to our TV production" including aerial footage of the May 16 round at the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

"We want to make this something special on television," he said. "I hope it will be remarkable. For me, it's like filming a rally stage.

"Most of the crew we will bring to the Nordschleife are also working on the European Rally Championship, and many of them are the ones who produced 14 hours of live coverage for the Monte Carlo Rally [in 2010]."

Originally on Autosport.com