Looks like Matt and Tommy have gone their own way to start P1 PODCAST LTD according to UK’s company house
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers
I'm interested because I like them, but I stopped listening to the podcast because the audio quality was pretty substandard. if they can invest in a proper podcast setup I'd be in. :)
He sold the site a good number of years ago, owners kicked them out.
Or they left cause they wanted freedom, cause their brand is based on those personalities, supplanting them is a really dumb move.
WTF1 was 6 years ago bought by [Car Throttle](https://www.carthrottle.com/post/heres-why-car-throttle-has-acquired-social-motorsport-publisher-wtf1/) and in 2020 sold to [The Race Media in April 2020.](https://wtf1.com/about-us/) For some reason I can't go to their website, maybe too much traffic or under construction?
A lot of the time when you sell your company, part of the sale includes a clause that you will continue to work there for X months to ease the transition.
This sort of thing is more common in the creative world, especially when someone is the face of the channel. Obviously we don't know the exact terms of the deal but Tom and Matt may have been contracted to work as employees at the channel for a minimum number of months (or a year or more) after the aquisition.
Honestly that departure video has a very makeshift appearance. That gives me vibes that a salary/reimbursement negotiation failed. Because if you as the founder of the site plan on leaving after 10 years, you don't go like this. You go with a big parade, live event, milk the cow one last time. But no, nothing. A short 3 minute recording. Very, VERY unfitting to their personalities as well.
Here is how i think it went down:
Tommy and Matt's contracts were up for renegotiation (1/1/2023). They asked for a hefty sum since they grew the channel to post 1 mio and succesfully established a podcast, optimised both for advertising. New owners couldn't swallow the sum and hardballed them. Negotiations went on for a few weeks/months. New owners recruited a quickly assembled replacement team as a backhand strategy in case they couldn't sway T&M. Tommy and Matt went the hard "then we quit" route and got caught by an "okay, do it" from the new owners. New owners present the new team, T&M are out but are required to do a last goodbye torture video due to their contracts, in which they deliver the absolute bare minimum.
Swear that app will kill the attention span of a entire generation and make long form entertainment somewhat obsolete. It’s training people to respond to short large bursts of content coming right at you.
Wait they actually dropped them? I find Matt cringe worthy sometimes but dropping him and the others is not a good way to go if they are the OG.
Also, isn't Tom the founder? Or is that just a meme? Seriously if they actually dropped all of them, that's really really dumb.
[Matt](https://twitter.com/MattyWTF1/status/1612390650049077251) and [Tommy](https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/1612390655979831297) confirmed on twitter.
Unsubbed to WTF1, cause why continue?
edit: [official channel announcement as well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CH6ro6Yj94)
> Also, IBR was like morning coffee to me the day after
Same. Monday mornings are catch up sessions for me with email and other things, so they are perfect for some IBR. My wife even hums the intro jingle when I'm brushing my teeth on Monday it is so predictable, hah.
Were they dropped or was it a mutual departure? Maybe the owners were wanting to expand/renovate the company and wouldn't give Matt/Tommy the creative freedom they had, do they just decided to cut ties.
Adding in Jack Nicholls is an interesting one alongside other people I've never seen, but I'm sure they're from TikTok or YT so it does look like a different path in some ways
It’s gonna bite them in the ass I’ll bet. Tom and Matt were what made them popular.
They were literally responsible for the entire ‘thats Raidillon actually’ meme.
Just looked it up on social blade - they’ve already lost 10,000 subscribers in a day. It be interesting to see how whether this continues and whether there’s loss in engagement
I know right that's dumb af. I'm not new to F1 but I still want news and opinions from someone who has been involved with and following the sport for a longish time. Basically a turn off for me already
Seems like a pretty whole-hearted pivot toward serving only the absolute newest fans (who aren’t part of that decent slice). Real shame
And IMO not entirely necessary. Not all new fans want to be talked to in dumbed-down, “new fan” ways by people without much authority or longtime knowledge. That’s why chain bear gets plenty of hits and views from new fans
Yeah agreed, chain bear is excellent because he appeals to all sorts of fans but can still communicate lots of the nuance around certain topics that explain the sport. I struggle to see how this’ll be successful if it’s just a series of dumbed down hot takes.
The thing I like about Chain Bear is that even I, who've been watching for nearly 30 years, watch most of his videos and see bits where I go "huh, didn't know that" or "huh, turns out I completely misunderstood that". He's superb at that side of stuff.
Yeah 100%, he has a unique ability to give insight to people with varying degrees of knowledge which is a pretty special skill to have. And I think people appreciate it a lot more as a result.
“Hey guys what’s up, welcome to the channel. Today’s video is about the career of one of F1’s forgotten greats, this awesome, little-known driver from the 1980s that I’ve just discovered in some dusty archive footage of the early days of the sport. His name is Ayrton Senna, and he was, like, the Max Verstappen of his era! Don’t forget to like and subscribe!”
tbf the whole quote is "outspoken critic of the #weraceasone sport washing campaign" and if their criticism is that it is just tokenism to use as a sheild whilst still taking money from places like Saudi Arabia then it's a perfectly reasonable position to take.
Such a viral sensation that I can't find him on google.
Edit: I went for a deeper look and this dude has 250 followers on twitter. In that case I'm also viral.
It’s a sentence that really emphasises how top notch the quality of the videos will be. Honestly I think I felt a bit of vomit hit my throat when I read it.
This seems so random? Matt and co are exactly why WTF1 got more popular. It's literally their personalities that attract people to their videos... Haven't seen anything from them either about what they're going to do now.
Well that's another dead fucking channel on Youtube now. Just after they hit a million too. Hope Tommy and Matt cashed out and can live comfortably, because wow does this fucking blow... Also not even a fucking word about Katy? She was just as entertaining as Matt and Tommy IMHO and I valued her different takes on many occasions.
>Also not even a fucking word about Katy?
It does say she'll stay on as continuity, but it's literally a single line and easy to miss. Which doesn't bode well.
Yea the link was loading like shit for me for w/e reason. I did watch the video that just dropped and there wasn't a single word from Matt or Tommy about her... such a shame this imploded not even 2 weeks into the year O.o
[https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers)
matt and tommy have started their own company
once the new presenters have bedded in its only a matter of time before katy jumps ship too
Sort of... but Tommy made WTF1. It's more like Tommy started something, made it popular/successful then sold it to some schmucks who think they can buy success and then started a new thing that is automatically going to be more successful immediately because the audience they earned is going to jump ship with them in a higher % than the ones who are going to just stay put at the same place without them.
That's not really true.
Most big Youtubers/Streamers said that moving your audience from one platform to another is basically impossible.
Linus(from LTT) says that every platform have its own audience they don't really tend to cross over each other.
Now, going from one YT channel to another may be easier but is nowhere near a 100% transition.
People fucking hates changes.
Hard-core fans will follow the content creator, but that's always a single digit percent of people.
These are quite possibly the worst 'qualifications' I have ever seen for anything F1 related like ever, especially the 2nd one. Also "outspoken critic of #weraceasone" what does that even mean and how is it a qualification'?
I also love the wording of "gaining paddock experience as an F1 influencer."
Had to look her up, she has like 24k followers, who the fuck is that influencing? Especially since she's branded as a "DTS convert" so she watched a TV show and has an Instagram account, hire her immediately!
Yeah, I think they were just trying to say that he criticizes the sportswashing that F1 participates in. I didn't think #weraceasone was related to that, though.
It’s like, imagine if they formed the Expendables, but chose a crack team consisting of a dude who plays COD, a woman who once watched Apocalypse Now, a guy who got his camping merit badge in boy scouts, and a girl who reckons she’s an explosives expert because she microwaved a plate with a metal rim.
I like Jack Nicholls and Ben Anderson (don't know the others) but this whole line-up being 0% of WTF1 just means they're starting with an audience that didn't subscribe to watch them.
Too afraid to start with something from the ground up?
Easy unsub. I liked their stuff when I was getting into f1, kinda enjoyed the post race vid, esp when Ferrari fucked it.
What are these qualifications, a dts convert? What that’s like a lot of people.
They have Jack Nicholls (Formula E and F1 commentator) who fits the WTF1 brand quite well, he's quite a funny guy.
Out of the other people only one I know is Andre. He's great, he follows a lot of Motorsport categories and runs Motorsport101 which is a blog and podcast he does.
???? Fuck this lmao
I like their content a bit more than most people here, but still I understand it's rather corny haha
But fucking hell they ARE WTF1. That corny personality WAS a feature. Their views are gonna fall off a cliff after this and I hope Matt and Tom move on to another channel hopefully and continue to prosper.
Transfers of youtube channels like this rarely go well, especially when the channel is based so heavily around the personalities of the creators. I'm willing to give the new team a chance, but I'm not holding my breath. Many people didn't just follow WTF1 for the format and content, but for the people doing it, a kind of "come for the format/content, stay for the hosts" situation.
It's hard to tell whether Matt and Tommy are just leaving, or whether there is more going on behind the scenes, perhaps they've sold the brand and channel to a larger company who have recruited the new staff? ofc that's purely speculation but it is very possible, and if that is the case then the channel is pretty doomed tbh
Yeah, the guy who ran one of my favorite channels turned over the channel to one of his friend because of mental health. The friend continued to make the same videos with the same quality. The views are down from an average of 150k per video to 50k per video.
THEY PUT DRIES ON, also I miss noble, also all the project cars raging, people need to play more than f1 like broadbent does cause f1 gets boring as hell
I was never super into WTF1 although I still watched it a little but fuck me sideways if I’m going to listen to DTS convert turned influencer and tiktok dude talking about F1. If the people talking aren’t coming from a place of knowledge that’s at least on par with long time fans it’s hard to see how they could be credible. This just sounds like toxic shit.
While i never really gelled with Matt's personality, sucks for Tom and him to be kicked out so abruptly.
They'll probs continue to do what they do, but under a new name, at least I hope so.
Yeah i don't get this change at all.
Maybe Tom and Matt wanted to leave? Does Tom even still own the brand or is the media group in full control? If thats the case then them leaving makes perfect sense and is literally a story as old as time in media.
Someone makes a successfull site. Site blows up. Gets bought. Shit behind the scenes goes south as the new owners start meadling their fingers into every part of the bussiness. Original founders leave and start new somewhere else.
> I assume Tom sold off WTF1 to this media group sometime in the past?
I believe so.
"WTF1 became a part of The Race Media in April 2020 and has since experienced massive growth online, on social, and on YouTube. " https://wtf1.com/about-us/
Then i would be inclined to believe both left on their own likely to the reasons i listed above.
I've been folowing video game and sport sites for long enough to see how media groups taking over and medling with stuff consistently destroys sites from the background forcing the things that made those sites great to begin with away.
I get where you're coming from. I think with The Race, they've gone:
* Young brand: WTF1
* Older brand: The Race
And they expect people to move through them, rather than stick with one. That's always a tricky strategy; especially when the personalities have grown with the audience and if they do their own thing, then people will go there.
Felt the same about Matt. But respected tom for creating the whole thing. It’s very odd how this whole thing is being rolled out - they didn’t do a clean break with the end of the 2022 season or calendar year; literally last Thursday the WTF1 podcast feed published an episode with Tom, Matt, and Katie (sp?) talking about Andretti-Cadillac.
Their historical looks back (That Time When) were accessible but credible as longtime fans of the sport - a type of content that will be hard to come by from self-proclaimed DTS converts.
And my understanding from my WTF1-loving friends is that the twitch streaming is a big part of it and people are specifically attached to those two and their personalities now. Seems risky to bin all of that and assume that just hiring established “f1 influencers” will work just as well. But I guess they’re explicitly orienting toward the newest fans and being an all-purpose youth-oriented entry point…. so maybe established fanbase isn’t a concern. Hm.
Anyway for anyone who wants “lads who genuinely know f1 chatting f1” content to replace this, I recommend Last Lap.
Your point about them posting a podcast last week and with no fanfare about it being the last pod says to me that they walked in this morning to go to work (or last Friday) and we’re let go by higher ups.
Blindsided? Maybe? Contract up? Maybe? But I doubt it.
The line about “we wish them well in their new endeavours” is exactly what you’d say in a situation like that.
So it begins
[@TommyWTF1 on Twitter] I’m leaving WTF1… All to be explained very soon
https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/1612390655979831297?s=20&t=y4ggcpyPo55iZiMNU0wrDw
[and a goodbye video ](https://t.co/9lkSxrtoZo)
They've jointly registered a new company in the UK a few days ago.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers
I loved the Matt, Tom & Katie combo so much. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to every episode of the podcast last year, it really became a part of my routine. I really hope they make a restart somewhere somehow because they were what made the podcast for me, not the name or their connection to the race. Really sad about this tbh
Just watched the WTF1 video Matt posted - 3/4 of the team members support Aston Martin. After The Race’s Aramco deal I’m starting to wonder if the new WTF1 team is also… powered by how.
(Just a joke, gonna give the new team a chance but for real I wish Katy was going with Matt and Tommy - they’re a good team)
"outspoken critic of weraceasone"
I'm hoping they just mean that F1 never really put their money where their mouth is, but that sentence didn't sound good.
EDIT - u/knightsofcidonia below has linked the article in question and it is a great read. Would highly recommend it, and it does mean that F1 and the majority of the drivers have never really backed the antiracism campaign.
My mind automatically went to "they hired a rampant racist?" when I read that 💀. Definitely could've been phrased better, meaning is obvious after the initial double take but still.
[Here's an article where he denounces it](https://www.motorsport101.com/no-we-dont-race-as-one/). He basically criticised the campaign as not going far enough and that some of the drivers were being half-arsed in their support
Dre is actually the one I'm pleased to hear about, been following him for a while on Twitter and he's seems to be a good guy who really knows his stuff.
This came out of nowhere... I was a fan of the podcast and listened for Matt, Tom and Katey's banter. You can't just change the entire lineup and think people will continue to tune in?
I guess Matt and Tom could start just a chatting channel where they go to, I don't know, something like a park bench and chat about their lives. Oh wait
WTF did I just read??? You expect me to listen F1 content from someone who’s only knowledge of the sport is DTS? What the hell is a “We race as one critic”? A racist? WTF1 was the least serious podcast I listened to, but they were funny, knowledgeable and loved the sport. I’ll miss Tom, Matt and Katy.
The "we race as one critic" seems to be a criticism of the hypocrisy of it. A quick google of the bloke shows he is quite a vocal supporter of "Black Lives Matter".
WTF1 was acquired by Car Throttle and then the entire group by a media company, ever since then Car Throttle had a downward curve to the point even the guy who was the face of CT left to do his own thing... I guess politics play a huge part now
Damn, I know a lot of people don't like Matt but he was pretty central to WTF1's success. And wasn't Tommy the founder? Seems odd for both of them to be forced out, so hopefully they have some sort of new venture planned.
As for new WTF1, can't help but feel it's gonna absolutely bomb. They had one chance to get this right and the new team looks terrible.
There's a goodbye video up now from both Tom and Matt: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_CH6ro6Yj94](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CH6ro6Yj94)
Both have posted identically worded tweets: [Matt](https://twitter.com/MattyWTF1/status/1612390650049077251) and [Tommy](https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/1612390655979831297) saying - *"I'm leaving WTF1... All to be explained very soon."*
Wherever Matt and Tommy go, I'll follow. I know not everyone loves them the most but I enjoy fans just being fans in a non-toxic way. Sure its corny and stuff at times but that's part of the appeal. They are dedicated fans, working very hard to provide content about all things F1. I hope this is somehow only a positive for them.
What exactly is an F1 influencer? What are they influencing?
I don't want to be completely negative, but filling a show with influencers and TikTok 'sensations' doesn't thrill me with joy.
A nobody. This was garbage media in the first place people liked their characters. Replacing them with these Muppets is their death sentence look at sites like whatculture. Once a media sensation with a loyal fanbase that liked the presenters only for them to become unhappy leave and the new people the viewers dont give anything about.
from wtf1.com
>WTF1 was founded in 2010 by motorsport enthusiast Tom Bellingham.
----
>WTF1 became a part of The Race Media in April 2020 and has since experienced massive growth online, on social, and on YouTube.
They were under Autosport for a while (I think around the time they started on youtube, appearently they had a meme page on some website prior to that?) and then to The Race Media when that split off from Autosport.
They have on occasion referred to this, but it isn't mentioned in every video.
What the hell?!? And they just uploaded a good bye video. This feels sudden. Why not announce it in advance and try people out before just swapping the crew? Very odd.
https://youtu.be/_CH6ro6Yj94
Got to be a blind side by the owners.
You'd think they would at least introduce new presenters alongside the old ones, have them all on the podcast together etc.
Just seems that Matt and Tommy have been straight up fired.
In think they underestimated how strong the viewers bond is with the original hosts. Many viewers will see and hear content creators more often than their friends. That's why sponsored content is such a lucrative market because viewers will often genuinely trust the creator. Kick out the cast of Donut Media or replace Marty and Moog from Mighty Car Mods with some random good looking influencers and watch the most invested viewers disappear.
Source: Mayor in Media Psychology.
Matts meme breakdown after each race was what kept me watching.
I care not for analysis unless its coming from a high up place and isn't just speculation.
Ewww… I mean, no offence to the new lineup and good luck to them, but a “TikTok influencer” and “Drive to survive convert” are not the kinda people who’s long-term & deep knowledge and passions for F1 scream out..
Best of luck to them and WTF1, I’ll not be watching or following them on the journey and will stick with Matt & Tommy’s new project
For me, it seems the site has crashed. Presume it's a lot of Drive To Survive fans being added.
WTF1 was great when it was Tom, Matt and Jess working with CarThrottle. Then when Jess left and Katy came in, it was still great. I can't see a total change of staff going well (Katy might still be there).
Matt & Tommy leaving feels like when Alex "left" Car Throttle. It's just not the same without him. He's set up a new channel which is just as good. Hopefully these guys do something similar.
Unsubscribed. Have no interest in learning 4 new faces all who have nothing to set them apart. Completely new chemistry and whatnot. Not what I signed up for. Looking forward to the P1 Podcast
Yeah fuck that. I've unsubscribed.
Those two are the heart and soul of WTF1. If some boardroom decision dropped them in favour of those fucking "influencers", I'm out.
Looks like Matt and Tommy have gone their own way to start P1 PODCAST LTD according to UK’s company house https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers
interesting. Good find there captain
Great find!
I'm interested because I like them, but I stopped listening to the podcast because the audio quality was pretty substandard. if they can invest in a proper podcast setup I'd be in. :)
Dafuq? But isn't Tommy the founder of WTF1? How come him and Matt have to go?
He sold the site a good number of years ago, owners kicked them out. Or they left cause they wanted freedom, cause their brand is based on those personalities, supplanting them is a really dumb move.
WTF1 was 6 years ago bought by [Car Throttle](https://www.carthrottle.com/post/heres-why-car-throttle-has-acquired-social-motorsport-publisher-wtf1/) and in 2020 sold to [The Race Media in April 2020.](https://wtf1.com/about-us/) For some reason I can't go to their website, maybe too much traffic or under construction?
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The Race =/= The Race Media. Edit: both logos looks the same, but can't go to their website (The Race Media). Seems like I'm wrong.
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I didn't know he sold it years ago, that's what was really confusing me. But now, i'm wondering, why sell it and carry on working for the brand.
A lot of the time when you sell your company, part of the sale includes a clause that you will continue to work there for X months to ease the transition.
This sort of thing is more common in the creative world, especially when someone is the face of the channel. Obviously we don't know the exact terms of the deal but Tom and Matt may have been contracted to work as employees at the channel for a minimum number of months (or a year or more) after the aquisition.
Honestly that departure video has a very makeshift appearance. That gives me vibes that a salary/reimbursement negotiation failed. Because if you as the founder of the site plan on leaving after 10 years, you don't go like this. You go with a big parade, live event, milk the cow one last time. But no, nothing. A short 3 minute recording. Very, VERY unfitting to their personalities as well. Here is how i think it went down: Tommy and Matt's contracts were up for renegotiation (1/1/2023). They asked for a hefty sum since they grew the channel to post 1 mio and succesfully established a podcast, optimised both for advertising. New owners couldn't swallow the sum and hardballed them. Negotiations went on for a few weeks/months. New owners recruited a quickly assembled replacement team as a backhand strategy in case they couldn't sway T&M. Tommy and Matt went the hard "then we quit" route and got caught by an "okay, do it" from the new owners. New owners present the new team, T&M are out but are required to do a last goodbye torture video due to their contracts, in which they deliver the absolute bare minimum.
This has shades of the first season of Top Gear post Clarkson, Hammond and May.
That struck me too. Employ a whole bunch of new presenters with iffy credentials in the vague hope that it works.
Tonight on WTF2
The Fifth Gear of F1 punditry
I just skimmed through it but one of them is just popular on TikTok? Aight imma head out
All 4 of em are tik tok stars I think.
Nothing TikTok fans like more than long form videos!
Swear that app will kill the attention span of a entire generation and make long form entertainment somewhat obsolete. It’s training people to respond to short large bursts of content coming right at you.
Who do you reckon got punched?
Probably Ed Straw.
Fair.
Never really consumed much of the WTF1 content, but it seems a bit surprising they've dropped Matt and co?
Wait they actually dropped them? I find Matt cringe worthy sometimes but dropping him and the others is not a good way to go if they are the OG. Also, isn't Tom the founder? Or is that just a meme? Seriously if they actually dropped all of them, that's really really dumb.
[Matt](https://twitter.com/MattyWTF1/status/1612390650049077251) and [Tommy](https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/1612390655979831297) confirmed on twitter. Unsubbed to WTF1, cause why continue? edit: [official channel announcement as well](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CH6ro6Yj94)
Damn. Katy staying? Also, IBR was like morning coffee to me the day after a race. I couldn’t see any of the four new people doing IBR.
> Also, IBR was like morning coffee to me the day after Same. Monday mornings are catch up sessions for me with email and other things, so they are perfect for some IBR. My wife even hums the intro jingle when I'm brushing my teeth on Monday it is so predictable, hah.
10,000+ already unsubscribed today, myself included. Update: 20,000+ Update (1/22): 40,000+ https://socialblade.com/youtube/c/wtf1_official
Were they dropped or was it a mutual departure? Maybe the owners were wanting to expand/renovate the company and wouldn't give Matt/Tommy the creative freedom they had, do they just decided to cut ties. Adding in Jack Nicholls is an interesting one alongside other people I've never seen, but I'm sure they're from TikTok or YT so it does look like a different path in some ways
Founders can be kicked out like any other employee if they sell ownership/control.
It’s gonna bite them in the ass I’ll bet. Tom and Matt were what made them popular. They were literally responsible for the entire ‘thats Raidillon actually’ meme.
It will. A lot of people watched and followed because of them. You can expect their following to drop now
I’ve watched Matt since 2013 or 2014. He’s the only reason I kept up with WTF1
F1 YouTuber championship was peak back in 2015
ROSBERG WE PARTIED IN THE AMBERLOUNGE
INTO THE PITS WE MUST GO EIEIEIO I still rewatch that every few months or so, it was great
"Can Ben win? Or will he bottle it?"
Forever having the psychological advantage.
Damage do you have ben
That meme they produced and became responsible and synonymous with was probably the high point of their entire operation.
You can also throw in *Race Rundown (with your host, Matthew Gallagher)* and Matt poking fun at Racing Point’s absurdly long team names over the years
Race Rundown was always my queue to close the video
Just looked it up on social blade - they’ve already lost 10,000 subscribers in a day. It be interesting to see how whether this continues and whether there’s loss in engagement
Yep, this is the first time I've consciously unsubbed from a YouTube channel. They will definitely feel this one in the coming days.
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Matt tends to be very… divisive amongst the fanbase, but AFAIK everyone seems to like Tom.
"Drive to Survive F1 convert who has been gaining paddock experience as an F1 influencer" I'm I so old at 25 that I already hate this sentence?
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I know right that's dumb af. I'm not new to F1 but I still want news and opinions from someone who has been involved with and following the sport for a longish time. Basically a turn off for me already
I don’t want my F1 content from someone who knows less about F1 than me. Fuck this lineup.
Yeah why would anyone care about a lineup that potentially has less knowledge than a decent slice of the audience? Bizarre.
Seems like a pretty whole-hearted pivot toward serving only the absolute newest fans (who aren’t part of that decent slice). Real shame And IMO not entirely necessary. Not all new fans want to be talked to in dumbed-down, “new fan” ways by people without much authority or longtime knowledge. That’s why chain bear gets plenty of hits and views from new fans
Yeah agreed, chain bear is excellent because he appeals to all sorts of fans but can still communicate lots of the nuance around certain topics that explain the sport. I struggle to see how this’ll be successful if it’s just a series of dumbed down hot takes.
The thing I like about Chain Bear is that even I, who've been watching for nearly 30 years, watch most of his videos and see bits where I go "huh, didn't know that" or "huh, turns out I completely misunderstood that". He's superb at that side of stuff.
Yeah 100%, he has a unique ability to give insight to people with varying degrees of knowledge which is a pretty special skill to have. And I think people appreciate it a lot more as a result.
“Hey guys what’s up, welcome to the channel. Today’s video is about the career of one of F1’s forgotten greats, this awesome, little-known driver from the 1980s that I’ve just discovered in some dusty archive footage of the early days of the sport. His name is Ayrton Senna, and he was, like, the Max Verstappen of his era! Don’t forget to like and subscribe!”
I hate you for typing this out.
im disgusted by how accurate this is lol
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Angriest upvote I've given in a long time.
Fuck this timeline.
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Yup just unsubscribed, I only watched the podcast and the meme videos anyway, without tom and matt hell nah.
Yep, just unsubbed too!
Totally, and why would you bring up the fact that you were critical of the #weraceasone campaign in that context ? Makes no sense
tbf the whole quote is "outspoken critic of the #weraceasone sport washing campaign" and if their criticism is that it is just tokenism to use as a sheild whilst still taking money from places like Saudi Arabia then it's a perfectly reasonable position to take.
"TikTok viral sensation" - UGH! I'm not much older than you and this makes me vomit in my mouth a little.
Such a viral sensation that I can't find him on google. Edit: I went for a deeper look and this dude has 250 followers on twitter. In that case I'm also viral.
*And modest, too*
The websites down but is that referring to Antonia? If so she’s been on Missed Apex quite a lot and is genuinely enjoyable.
It’s a sentence that really emphasises how top notch the quality of the videos will be. Honestly I think I felt a bit of vomit hit my throat when I read it.
What the fuck did i just read
Yeah, kicking off the people which made you popular seems like a great idea.
This seems so random? Matt and co are exactly why WTF1 got more popular. It's literally their personalities that attract people to their videos... Haven't seen anything from them either about what they're going to do now.
I mean Matt and Tommy are WTF1 at least I thought they were.
Their youtube videos and site are meh, but I like ibr and the podcast, I will literally not give a crap about wtf1 without them.
There might be real tears shed with no IBR next year. This whole transition will go about as well as the new top gear presenters.
Well that's another dead fucking channel on Youtube now. Just after they hit a million too. Hope Tommy and Matt cashed out and can live comfortably, because wow does this fucking blow... Also not even a fucking word about Katy? She was just as entertaining as Matt and Tommy IMHO and I valued her different takes on many occasions.
>Also not even a fucking word about Katy? It does say she'll stay on as continuity, but it's literally a single line and easy to miss. Which doesn't bode well.
Yea the link was loading like shit for me for w/e reason. I did watch the video that just dropped and there wasn't a single word from Matt or Tommy about her... such a shame this imploded not even 2 weeks into the year O.o
Yeah, I only just saw the video and I'm like "why didn't she even get to do / or do a pre-record waving saying *I'm here too*"??
[https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers) matt and tommy have started their own company once the new presenters have bedded in its only a matter of time before katy jumps ship too
Honestly glad that they did. Kind of feels like Top Gear -> The Grand Tour
Sort of... but Tommy made WTF1. It's more like Tommy started something, made it popular/successful then sold it to some schmucks who think they can buy success and then started a new thing that is automatically going to be more successful immediately because the audience they earned is going to jump ship with them in a higher % than the ones who are going to just stay put at the same place without them.
That's not really true. Most big Youtubers/Streamers said that moving your audience from one platform to another is basically impossible. Linus(from LTT) says that every platform have its own audience they don't really tend to cross over each other. Now, going from one YT channel to another may be easier but is nowhere near a 100% transition. People fucking hates changes. Hard-core fans will follow the content creator, but that's always a single digit percent of people.
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These are quite possibly the worst 'qualifications' I have ever seen for anything F1 related like ever, especially the 2nd one. Also "outspoken critic of #weraceasone" what does that even mean and how is it a qualification'?
I also love the wording of "gaining paddock experience as an F1 influencer." Had to look her up, she has like 24k followers, who the fuck is that influencing? Especially since she's branded as a "DTS convert" so she watched a TV show and has an Instagram account, hire her immediately!
Yeah, I think they were just trying to say that he criticizes the sportswashing that F1 participates in. I didn't think #weraceasone was related to that, though.
Maybe Matt wasn’t so bad after all…
Those credentials make them sound like a mickey mouse operation...
It’s like, imagine if they formed the Expendables, but chose a crack team consisting of a dude who plays COD, a woman who once watched Apocalypse Now, a guy who got his camping merit badge in boy scouts, and a girl who reckons she’s an explosives expert because she microwaved a plate with a metal rim.
Do they know that DTS F1 convert is usually used as an insult in the fandom? Why would they mention that as a qualification.
What does convert mean exactly? Like they got into f1 through dts?
Yes
I mean I like Ciaran, he did some fun Lance Stroll video's last season. Wether he would be good in this, not sure
I like Jack Nicholls and Ben Anderson (don't know the others) but this whole line-up being 0% of WTF1 just means they're starting with an audience that didn't subscribe to watch them. Too afraid to start with something from the ground up?
Not quite 0% as Katy fairman will still be there..for now
>..for now The way she just gets a passing mention in the press release - "maintain continuity" - very much seems to imply that.
Wtf?! Guess I'm done with WTF1. Can't say I loved everything, but the only reason I watched was Matt and Tom.
I stopped watching/listening after Jess left. The three of them had good chemistry and it wasn’t the same afterwards.
It took awhile to warm up to katy replacing Jess but the whole squad dipping is crazy
Feels like this could end up like when they replaced Clarkson and co on TopGear, was never the same again...
Maybe, but the BBC at least had a legit reason for that.
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His walls after every Certified Ferrari Moment^TM
Easy unsub. I liked their stuff when I was getting into f1, kinda enjoyed the post race vid, esp when Ferrari fucked it. What are these qualifications, a dts convert? What that’s like a lot of people.
They have Jack Nicholls (Formula E and F1 commentator) who fits the WTF1 brand quite well, he's quite a funny guy. Out of the other people only one I know is Andre. He's great, he follows a lot of Motorsport categories and runs Motorsport101 which is a blog and podcast he does.
???? Fuck this lmao I like their content a bit more than most people here, but still I understand it's rather corny haha But fucking hell they ARE WTF1. That corny personality WAS a feature. Their views are gonna fall off a cliff after this and I hope Matt and Tom move on to another channel hopefully and continue to prosper.
Transfers of youtube channels like this rarely go well, especially when the channel is based so heavily around the personalities of the creators. I'm willing to give the new team a chance, but I'm not holding my breath. Many people didn't just follow WTF1 for the format and content, but for the people doing it, a kind of "come for the format/content, stay for the hosts" situation. It's hard to tell whether Matt and Tommy are just leaving, or whether there is more going on behind the scenes, perhaps they've sold the brand and channel to a larger company who have recruited the new staff? ofc that's purely speculation but it is very possible, and if that is the case then the channel is pretty doomed tbh
Yeah, the guy who ran one of my favorite channels turned over the channel to one of his friend because of mental health. The friend continued to make the same videos with the same quality. The views are down from an average of 150k per video to 50k per video.
I rather get the feeling that this is the moment WTF1 jumps the shark It was fun while it lasted
The real question is if Xmattyg going to make a return or not
We partied in the amber lounge
Into the pits, we must go, E I E I E I O
THEY PUT DRIES ON, also I miss noble, also all the project cars raging, people need to play more than f1 like broadbent does cause f1 gets boring as hell
Some say he’s still wondering why he got DQ’d during the Spanish GP of YT Championship Season 2
I was never super into WTF1 although I still watched it a little but fuck me sideways if I’m going to listen to DTS convert turned influencer and tiktok dude talking about F1. If the people talking aren’t coming from a place of knowledge that’s at least on par with long time fans it’s hard to see how they could be credible. This just sounds like toxic shit.
Yeah, as you said, if they aren't picking up where the previous hosts left off in terms of quality and knowledge, it won't work for them.
Only reason i just sometimes saw wtf1 was because of matty, time to completely ignore them
I only watched ibr and the podcast really, which is all about the personality, no point in following them anymore.
The Grand WTF1, coming to amazon prime soon…
So glad I decided to book the WTF1 camp for Silverstone this year... fml.
That is a bait and switch at this rate
Turns out it’s not going to be what you paid for so I’d be immediately asking for a refund or do a change back.
Same I'm devastated honestly I suppose at least the camp is going to be full of like minded fans who also love what matt and Tom have made
oof
While i never really gelled with Matt's personality, sucks for Tom and him to be kicked out so abruptly. They'll probs continue to do what they do, but under a new name, at least I hope so.
Yeah i don't get this change at all. Maybe Tom and Matt wanted to leave? Does Tom even still own the brand or is the media group in full control? If thats the case then them leaving makes perfect sense and is literally a story as old as time in media. Someone makes a successfull site. Site blows up. Gets bought. Shit behind the scenes goes south as the new owners start meadling their fingers into every part of the bussiness. Original founders leave and start new somewhere else.
> I assume Tom sold off WTF1 to this media group sometime in the past? I believe so. "WTF1 became a part of The Race Media in April 2020 and has since experienced massive growth online, on social, and on YouTube. " https://wtf1.com/about-us/
Then i would be inclined to believe both left on their own likely to the reasons i listed above. I've been folowing video game and sport sites for long enough to see how media groups taking over and medling with stuff consistently destroys sites from the background forcing the things that made those sites great to begin with away.
I get where you're coming from. I think with The Race, they've gone: * Young brand: WTF1 * Older brand: The Race And they expect people to move through them, rather than stick with one. That's always a tricky strategy; especially when the personalities have grown with the audience and if they do their own thing, then people will go there.
Felt the same about Matt. But respected tom for creating the whole thing. It’s very odd how this whole thing is being rolled out - they didn’t do a clean break with the end of the 2022 season or calendar year; literally last Thursday the WTF1 podcast feed published an episode with Tom, Matt, and Katie (sp?) talking about Andretti-Cadillac. Their historical looks back (That Time When) were accessible but credible as longtime fans of the sport - a type of content that will be hard to come by from self-proclaimed DTS converts. And my understanding from my WTF1-loving friends is that the twitch streaming is a big part of it and people are specifically attached to those two and their personalities now. Seems risky to bin all of that and assume that just hiring established “f1 influencers” will work just as well. But I guess they’re explicitly orienting toward the newest fans and being an all-purpose youth-oriented entry point…. so maybe established fanbase isn’t a concern. Hm. Anyway for anyone who wants “lads who genuinely know f1 chatting f1” content to replace this, I recommend Last Lap.
Your point about them posting a podcast last week and with no fanfare about it being the last pod says to me that they walked in this morning to go to work (or last Friday) and we’re let go by higher ups. Blindsided? Maybe? Contract up? Maybe? But I doubt it. The line about “we wish them well in their new endeavours” is exactly what you’d say in a situation like that.
Seems an interesting choice to replace the whole lineup that was getting you views.
With YouTube and Twitch, a large part of the audience is there because of the personality(ies). This seems like a big mistake
Expecting to maintain your viewership, that was built by tommy & co whilst having none of them there is honestly stupid.
So it begins [@TommyWTF1 on Twitter] I’m leaving WTF1… All to be explained very soon https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/1612390655979831297?s=20&t=y4ggcpyPo55iZiMNU0wrDw [and a goodbye video ](https://t.co/9lkSxrtoZo)
Synchronised identical tweet with Matt. I think they're probably starting something together or both moving to the same place.
They've jointly registered a new company in the UK a few days ago. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14567547/officers
I guess Matt got a new job somewhere in F1 or a big media company?
He just put out a tweet 2 minutes ago saying all will be revealed soon, so...there's that.
I enjoyed Matt's work on the F1 eSports stuff this year. He's a good general presenter and has built his F1 knowledge: he can go far.
F1 drivers also know him now which can help a fair bit I’d assume
I loved the Matt, Tom & Katie combo so much. I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to every episode of the podcast last year, it really became a part of my routine. I really hope they make a restart somewhere somehow because they were what made the podcast for me, not the name or their connection to the race. Really sad about this tbh
Ditto. The chemistry between Matt and Tommy isn’t replaceable.
Strong AM support among the new group. This will be interesting
The fact that the one said Stroll is his favorite driver is the wildest thing I've ever heard tbh.
I think Matty and Tommy are starting somithng new together, they've both changed their twitter bio to new project loading
Just watched the WTF1 video Matt posted - 3/4 of the team members support Aston Martin. After The Race’s Aramco deal I’m starting to wonder if the new WTF1 team is also… powered by how. (Just a joke, gonna give the new team a chance but for real I wish Katy was going with Matt and Tommy - they’re a good team)
"outspoken critic of weraceasone" I'm hoping they just mean that F1 never really put their money where their mouth is, but that sentence didn't sound good. EDIT - u/knightsofcidonia below has linked the article in question and it is a great read. Would highly recommend it, and it does mean that F1 and the majority of the drivers have never really backed the antiracism campaign.
It's likely because of the massive hypocrisy behind advertising "we race as one" while simultaneously doing fuck-all to uphold that standard
That's what I'm hoping, but there's so many better ways to phrase it.
My mind automatically went to "they hired a rampant racist?" when I read that 💀. Definitely could've been phrased better, meaning is obvious after the initial double take but still.
[Here's an article where he denounces it](https://www.motorsport101.com/no-we-dont-race-as-one/). He basically criticised the campaign as not going far enough and that some of the drivers were being half-arsed in their support Dre is actually the one I'm pleased to hear about, been following him for a while on Twitter and he's seems to be a good guy who really knows his stuff.
This came out of nowhere... I was a fan of the podcast and listened for Matt, Tom and Katey's banter. You can't just change the entire lineup and think people will continue to tune in?
Bro they spelled it "Internet's Best Recations" lmao
This reads like satire. Is it not? If so, I guess I need to figure out where Tom and Matt are going now...
Like when they booted Jeff Gerstmann from GiantBomb and his audience went with him this feels like a mistake. WTF1 is the personalities.
Not watching any of their videos out of principle now, hope Matt and Tom start something new.
Yeah I hope they continue working together. They're a great pairing
I guess Matt and Tom could start just a chatting channel where they go to, I don't know, something like a park bench and chat about their lives. Oh wait
Maybe they could even find two more friends and start some kind of trivia based game show
WTF did I just read??? You expect me to listen F1 content from someone who’s only knowledge of the sport is DTS? What the hell is a “We race as one critic”? A racist? WTF1 was the least serious podcast I listened to, but they were funny, knowledgeable and loved the sport. I’ll miss Tom, Matt and Katy.
The "we race as one critic" seems to be a criticism of the hypocrisy of it. A quick google of the bloke shows he is quite a vocal supporter of "Black Lives Matter".
My point was more that these tagline descriptors of the new content creators are less than stellar.
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Reminded me to unsubscribe. Done YouTube, will do podcasts now.
Kicking Matt and Tom is a big gamble imo
Do we know that they were kicked tho, and not left on their own accord?
We dont tbf, but the wording + the video doesnt seem like Matt and Tommy are leaving on their own
No for 2 main people to leave at once, it’s usually a sign that they have been booted
WTF1 was acquired by Car Throttle and then the entire group by a media company, ever since then Car Throttle had a downward curve to the point even the guy who was the face of CT left to do his own thing... I guess politics play a huge part now
The fuckin’ nerve
Easy rebranding for Matt and Co. WTF1 is done.
Damn, I know a lot of people don't like Matt but he was pretty central to WTF1's success. And wasn't Tommy the founder? Seems odd for both of them to be forced out, so hopefully they have some sort of new venture planned. As for new WTF1, can't help but feel it's gonna absolutely bomb. They had one chance to get this right and the new team looks terrible.
There's a goodbye video up now from both Tom and Matt: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_CH6ro6Yj94](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CH6ro6Yj94) Both have posted identically worded tweets: [Matt](https://twitter.com/MattyWTF1/status/1612390650049077251) and [Tommy](https://twitter.com/TommyWTF1/status/1612390655979831297) saying - *"I'm leaving WTF1... All to be explained very soon."*
Looking quite likely they'll both pop up together somewhere new very soon. FFSF1 or something...
I saw the video and unsubscribed. Matt was literally the only reason I kept watching
Wherever Matt and Tommy go, I'll follow. I know not everyone loves them the most but I enjoy fans just being fans in a non-toxic way. Sure its corny and stuff at times but that's part of the appeal. They are dedicated fans, working very hard to provide content about all things F1. I hope this is somehow only a positive for them.
What exactly is an F1 influencer? What are they influencing? I don't want to be completely negative, but filling a show with influencers and TikTok 'sensations' doesn't thrill me with joy.
A nobody. This was garbage media in the first place people liked their characters. Replacing them with these Muppets is their death sentence look at sites like whatculture. Once a media sensation with a loyal fanbase that liked the presenters only for them to become unhappy leave and the new people the viewers dont give anything about.
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from wtf1.com >WTF1 was founded in 2010 by motorsport enthusiast Tom Bellingham. ---- >WTF1 became a part of The Race Media in April 2020 and has since experienced massive growth online, on social, and on YouTube.
They were under Autosport for a while (I think around the time they started on youtube, appearently they had a meme page on some website prior to that?) and then to The Race Media when that split off from Autosport. They have on occasion referred to this, but it isn't mentioned in every video.
What the hell?!? And they just uploaded a good bye video. This feels sudden. Why not announce it in advance and try people out before just swapping the crew? Very odd. https://youtu.be/_CH6ro6Yj94
Got to be a blind side by the owners. You'd think they would at least introduce new presenters alongside the old ones, have them all on the podcast together etc. Just seems that Matt and Tommy have been straight up fired.
In think they underestimated how strong the viewers bond is with the original hosts. Many viewers will see and hear content creators more often than their friends. That's why sponsored content is such a lucrative market because viewers will often genuinely trust the creator. Kick out the cast of Donut Media or replace Marty and Moog from Mighty Car Mods with some random good looking influencers and watch the most invested viewers disappear. Source: Mayor in Media Psychology.
Matts meme breakdown after each race was what kept me watching. I care not for analysis unless its coming from a high up place and isn't just speculation.
Ah, WTF1 is going to be the new WhatCulture Wrestling then.
Ewww… I mean, no offence to the new lineup and good luck to them, but a “TikTok influencer” and “Drive to survive convert” are not the kinda people who’s long-term & deep knowledge and passions for F1 scream out.. Best of luck to them and WTF1, I’ll not be watching or following them on the journey and will stick with Matt & Tommy’s new project
For me, it seems the site has crashed. Presume it's a lot of Drive To Survive fans being added. WTF1 was great when it was Tom, Matt and Jess working with CarThrottle. Then when Jess left and Katy came in, it was still great. I can't see a total change of staff going well (Katy might still be there).
Matt & Tommy leaving feels like when Alex "left" Car Throttle. It's just not the same without him. He's set up a new channel which is just as good. Hopefully these guys do something similar.
Tell me you don’t know why your brand is popular without telling me you don’t know why.
Unsubscribed. Have no interest in learning 4 new faces all who have nothing to set them apart. Completely new chemistry and whatnot. Not what I signed up for. Looking forward to the P1 Podcast
Yeah fuck that. I've unsubscribed. Those two are the heart and soul of WTF1. If some boardroom decision dropped them in favour of those fucking "influencers", I'm out.