“Liz Truss lasting longer than that shirt”- Fans outraged over poor quality McLaren F1 merch at the US Grand Prix

A McLaren F1 T-shirt peeling off within hours

Formula 1 has arguably the most passionate fans in the world. Fans who spend 23 weekends in front of their TVs watching 20 cars race for the win and love every second of it. Fans who make the sport a part of their lives, travel to different countries just to get a slice of the action. Without seeing the hundreds of thousands of fans cheering every race, we simply would not have the true essence of F1.

This love for the sport is crucial for the teams and F1 in itself as the broadcasting rights, ticket sales, and merchandise sales are a big part of the revenue, i.e. capitalizing on the fans to ensure profitability. Thus official merchandise sales are significant for the Formula 1 teams as it allows them to generate millions of dollars annually. However, in recent times, merchandise prices have increased, which cuts a big hole in a fan’s pocket.

YouTube video — Fans are always eager to wear the same merch as their star drivers

As Formula 1 has been successful in attracting new fans to the sport, we’ve seen more and more people attending races and spending money to enjoy the Grand Prix. Fans who buy the merchandise of their favorite teams, to feel part of the team themselves, to have a possession which they can flaunt on every race day to their friends about their enthusiasm for their favorite driver. Hence it’s only logical for fans to expect decent-quality items at such exorbitant prices.

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Also Read: “It’s really a lose-lose situation,” Nico Rosberg thinks the FIA are in a tough spot with the budget cap breach verdict

An $80 McLaren F1 team t-shirt peels off within hours!

Throughout the race weekend, one can find most fans wearing official merch from various teams

On last Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, a Reddit user purchased a McLaren F1 T-shirt from the paddock for $80. And by the end of the race, the user noticed the words peeling off the T-shirt. The user was shocked and his astonishment was matched by other fans who were infuriated seeing how awful the quality of F1 merch has become. One user commented, “Liz Truss lasting longer than that shirt”, a humorous take on the shirt not lasting even a day. Another user replied, “That’s the Ricciardo special, it’s slowly fading away”, a reference to Daniel Ricciardo losing his seat at McLaren.

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Fans have voiced their opinions about the falling quality being a major issue for F1 merchandise, yet as long as we, the fans keep buying the official merch, there will be non-incentive for the teams to improve the quality or even reduce the prices.