F1 Exhibition creator on mission to tell “really truthful account” of the sport’s history
In a UK exclusive, the senior curator of the F1 exhibition, which launches in Madrid a month from today, explains to Mirror Sport why this immersive new experience is so important
Capturing the essence of more than 100 years of Grand Prix racing in one show sounds like an impossible task – but Tim Harvey is confident he and his team have pulled it off pretty well.
The Formula 1 exhibition starts exactly one month from today in Madrid. It promises a plethora of artifacts, interactive displays and historical references aimed at catering to motorsport fans old and new – ideal considering Formula 1 has grown in popularity around the world in recent years.
In addition to the die-hard motorsport enthusiasts, a new generation of fans is now also following F1 – addicted in part to the success of the Drive-to-Survive series in recent years. The fifth season of the Netflix show released today, coinciding with the month-long milestone for the launch of this new experience.
This new, much larger and more diverse audience is a big part of why now is the right time for F1 to get bigger and bolder than ever in terms of its storytelling. “This is the perfect time to do it,” Harvey explains when the exhibition’s senior curator speaks to Mirror Sport.
“It was the end of an era – Bernie Ecclestone had been in charge of the sport since the mid to late 70’s and 2017 brought that reign to an end. Under the ownership of Liberty Media, a new era was heralded that could look ahead and recognize this incredible legacy and history of the sport, but that it was necessary to set sail for a new century with new values, principles, ambitions and goals set.
“So we can look back at what the likes of Bernie and Ron Dennis, Enzo Ferrari and Colin Chapman – the pioneers – created for the sport, but we can now also look forward to what the future holds for F1. Not only is it one of the greatest stories in sport, it’s one of the great stories of the 20th century.
“The ambition for all teams and everyone involved in Formula 1 is now: ‘How can we make this one of the great stories of the 21st century? How do we reconfigure this sport and tackle new goals and ambitions that make it relevant?’ That’s really what we’re trying to do with this exhibition – to capitalize on this tipping point that we’re having right now as we look back and look ahead.”
F1’s top executives and the teams themselves have played a significant role in the production of this new show. While this obviously adds to the resources at the curators’ disposal, there are obvious concerns that an attempt might be made to conveniently omit some of the sport’s more unsavory chapters – of which there have been many over the decades.
However, Harvey insists that is not the case. He and his team have felt completely free to embrace both the good and the bad of F1 history, unfiltered and unencumbered by bureaucracy and executive interference.
He says: “We started the project in 2017. Bernie was still officially working in some capacity at the time, but it felt like a unique moment when we were able to create a show that could honestly look back at what happened without any fear or apprehension — a new look back at the history of the sport in a way that might not have been possible at the time he was leading the project.
“To Liberty’s great credit, they have worked very hard to ensure that this is a show that leaves no stone unturned. She addresses some of the most sensitive issues in the history of the sport and doesn’t shy away from or gloss over the unfortunate parts of it. I’m really confident in our ability to create a show that is authentic and is a truly truthful portrayal of what happened.
“Nothing was ever taboo. We were lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Stefano [Domenicali, F1 chief executive] and we spoke to him at length about how we cover the history of the sport. Part of what makes F1 such an intriguing subject is the fact that it has this richness – it’s a tale of triumph and tragedy.
“It’s in many ways a perfect reflection of who we are as a species. We have our flaws and flaws, we are vulnerable – we are not perfect. And that really reflects so well in the history of the sport.”
Harvey promises visitors they won’t find a “typical museum exhibit” at the F1 show. Instead, motorsport fans can expect a “fun, visually enriching experience”. Each of the seven rooms in the show is inspired by a different aspect of the sport, whether it takes you into a team’s factory and lifts the curtain on what would actually happen there, or onto the racetrack and gives you a driver’s perspective .
The show opens to the public on March 24th at the IFEMA exhibition center in Madrid – north-east of the city center near the main airport of Barajas and Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano football stadium. Ticket sales, Harvey explains with visible pride, were “very, very positive” as the first weekend was completely sold out.
But there will still be plenty of opportunities to catch the show in its first home. And those who can’t travel to Spain shouldn’t worry, as there are plans to take the show to the road in the future. “We’re going to use that first show to refine it before it goes to the next town,” explains Harvey.
“We were thrilled to launch the show in a market like Madrid, rather than launching it in London, New York or Los Angeles – an obvious choice for teams [many of which are based in the UK] being able to make a meaningful contribution, and that was important to the show.
“It is designed to be duplicated and exist in multiple versions and we are excited at the prospect of bringing the show to the US. It is designed to be reconfigured as a US tour, as an Asian tour.
“The goal is to take it to all corners of the world, so it’s not just a European show, it’s an international exhibition that can be seen in different cities around the world. But right now we are very focused on the Madrid starts and using it as an opportunity to see how it performs.”