Drag racing legend John Force makes a point of being one of the first guys to start signing autographs at the track every weekend. He also makes a point of staying in front of the crowd until everyone has had their moment with him. Richard Petty also loves to love his fans.
Most modern drivers claim they appreciate the fans, but they talk the talk. Few walk the walk. In Formula 1, the fans and the drivers might as well be in different countries.
I know it has been said before, but without the fans, there would be no professional race car drivers. Talented amateurs funding their own hobby, yes. Pros, no.
Apparently this weekend in Las Vegas, 7 time World Champion Michael Schumacher spent as much time as possible over the weekend communing with fans. At one point he pretty much had to beg photographers to back off, but he went out of his way to see the fans. I’d be willing to bet that he spoke to more fans this weekend than he did during his entire F1 driving career.
Perhaps he can take those good vibes that he received from all of those folks and bring them back to the F1 circus that could certainly use some good vibes. Maybe he could even convince the teams that having drivers spend face time with the fans might actually bring more fans (and their money) in to the events!