Formula 1's explosion on social media since Liberty Media took over running the championship from Bernie Ecclestone is one clear example of how a more open-minded approach has transformed the experience for fans.

Where once Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were viewed as threats to the F1 business model, now they are embraced - a way of opening up grand prix racing to a new audience and increasing engagement.

But such bigger-picture thinking has not just happened off track, because there has also been a major change taking place at grands prix when it comes to how F1's chiefs view its main support series.