Formula 1 has long had a fan following in India, including me, who has been a fan of this elite motorsport championship ever since Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve battled for the championship in 1996. Before the influx of new fans came in the wake of streaming’s popularity and the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive show, things were naturally more loosely organized and niche. However, the modern age of smartphones and streaming has meshed well with top racing championships lately.
Apps are expected to play a big role in this modern approach, including the F1 TV app, which is the only official way to watch Formula 1 racing in India and support the series. Other than that, there aren’t many apps out there other than the official F1 app, but there is one app that stands out for a number of reasons. Box Box Club is a Made in India app developed by F1 enthusiasts. Developers are also working with the Bengaluru-based Apple App Accelerator program to get guidance on app design.
Made by F1 fans
As mentioned earlier, F1 has a small but loyal following in India, including Box Box Club founders Ranjit Ramanan and Kamal Lakshmanan. “Our decision to build Box Box was driven by our recognition of the huge passion and global appeal of motorsport,” said the founders. In fact, the entire development team of the app is Indian, but it is worth noting that India ranks around 15th among all countries in terms of downloads of the app.
“Our vision was to develop an app that provides real-time updates, lock screen and home screen widgets, exclusive content, customizable features, and a thriving community to enhance the overall motorsport experience,” the founders said. This is where the app stands out compared to more traditional sources of the same information, such as the official F1 app or various websites.
While you can access details like match schedules, championship standings, and statistics from recent matches simply by opening the app, the real selling point of Box Box Club is its collection of widgets, which I had the chance to use on iOS. “When Apple announced lock screen widgets and live events for iOS 16, we started working on day two of WWDC 2022 to create mockups of live track tracking and lock screen widgets for F1. We studied the documentation and rolled out both features on day one of launch,” said Ramanan and Lakshmanan.
This has given a huge boost to the app and naturally made life easier for fans. You no longer need to go into the app to access the game countdown or schedule for your local time zone; it’s all beautifully presented through the home screen widget on iOS. “This (the timely launch of the new widget feature) has significantly boosted our F1 fan base and also brought us attention from some of the top F1 teams. They shared our lock screen widget on their official social media channels,” the founders said.
Advanced features that provide a holistic experience
While some features, including widgets, watch faces, statistics and community updates, are available for free, the paid experience offers some advanced and better features that may appeal to F1 “super fans”. This includes detailed results and data about upcoming races, the ability to add multiple driver and constructor widgets, and the ability to track race positions, laps and more in real time. There are two paid plans, Pro priced at Rs. 499 per year, select Rs. 999 per year.
“Response to premium features has been positive, with users appreciating the added value they bring to the racing experience. Premium features typically include advanced analytics, additional content, ad-free browsing and personalized alerts,” said Ramanan and Lakshmanan, talking about the differences between free and paid experiences on the app.
Develop apps in India and work with Apple
With a large pool of qualified professionals and a growing user base, India is home to many app developers, but that doesn’t make things any easier. “The Indian market is not easy to open. Due to the diverse population, not all applications can capture the market.” said the founder. Another challenge is finding someone with the right skills but also an interest in the admittedly niche F1 championship. “We at BoxBox faced the huge challenge of finding an Android developer who was also a Formula One enthusiast,” said Ramanan and Lakshmanan.
Box Box Club is available on iOS and Android, but the developers work closely with the Apple App Accelerator program in Bengaluru. “The 2022 version of our app is very different from what’s currently on the App Store. A big part of the change is driven in the right direction thanks to the support of Apple’s App Accelerator team. They sit with us frequently and review our design and app structure,” the founders said.
