Any love for Formula 1…?

[PHB1969]

I’ve been an F1 fan for about 40 years, Senna was my hero, lost interest in mid nineties and then have followed Lewis Hamilton from 2007.

I’m still struggling with 2021 and how something so wrong has been allowed to stand and now this year it appears that some teams have floors that flex beyond the limits detailed in the regulations, yet are still racing and presumably if scoring points, benefiting.

[grasmere]

Totally agree, Hamilton (love or loath) was absolutely robbed of the title in 2021.

This year it’s all so boring -

[911R]

I am a fan. I DVR all races then FF over the boring parts.

Quoted in Autoweek online:
Fernando Alonso says Formula 1 is still "too boring" under the all-new technical rules that debuted in 2022.

"Unfortunately, Formula 1 is still very predictable," said the Alpine driver, who insists he is yet to discuss extending his Alpine contract for 2023. Everything revolves around Red Bull and Ferrari. Only Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez can win.

"I don't know any other sport like that."

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I agree and wonder if Porsche can compete up front next year? Mercedes has a bigger budget.

[Bill in Bama]

"European NASCAR". I once followed it faithfully but it's boring, no real passing and too many stupid rules. Plus the young drivers I root for turn into egotistical, arrogant pricks and I start to loathe them.

[johnb]

I've never followed F1 or any spectator sport but I've always loved the stories of unusual or surprising things that happened. I loved the Senna documentary and the Rush movie about James Hunt/Niki Lauda. I could listen to Murray Walker's commentary all day. He could make anything interesting.

I just watched Crash and Burn which I can highly recommend. It's the story of Tommy Byrne who had a brief stint in F1 in the early 80s, but his F1 career ended quickly and abruptly.

When I started doing PCA track events mostly in Ohio (Nelson Ledges, Mid Ohio) people kept asking me if I knew or was related to Tommy because we have the same last name and we're both from Ireland (we're not related though) . He's an instructor at the Mid Ohio Racing School and earlier this week I attended the school and I finally got to meet him. Contrary to his reputation as a "character" I thought he was a very down to earth guy. Being driven around Mid Ohio by a man who once rivaled the likes of Senna and Schumacher was an eye opening experience!

Crash and Burn trailer:

[t1gerb0y]

Like but not love.

I wanted to take our daughter to watch the F1 race at COTA this October but can't stomach paying $800 a ticket for the cheap seats!

I volunteered at the race a couple years ago and that was a blast!

[blueline]

First F1 race of 2023 (Bahrain) is in the books. Verstappen won which many expected. What was not entirely expected was the dominating 1-2 finish by Max V and his teammate Perez. Alonso finished 3rd with his new Aston Martin team.

I didn't watch the race but I gathered it was a fairly ho-hum (ie: snooze-worthy) race. Recap from Autoweek:

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/formula ... d568259d8a

F1 Bahrain results screenshot 2023-03-05.png (60.67 KiB) Viewed 131 times

[Bill in Bama]

I'm getting really tired of Google deciding when I don't know how to spell. Henry Manney was the legendary F1 reporter for Road & Track back in the day, and I grew up reading his vivid descriptions of the races when the men never knew if the current race would be their last, and the machines were less-than-perfect, tire technology, metallurgy, and engine management were much more art than science. There were no race simulators, HANS devices, effective roll bars, or any of a host of other safety features (not that any of this is wrong, it was just the era) to provide a cocoon of protection, they just got in, strapped their rudimentary seat belts tight, and took off.

I too prefer racing to be a test of the driver's skills and not who has the best IT guy in the pits. Used to be the lower classes of SCCA were the most exciting events, where you could throw the proverbial blanket over the first four finishers of any race. F1 and NASCAR have evolved (devolved?) into such controlled, rules-based dramas that the skill of the driver is often diminished and I have lost interest. $800 for entry to an F1 race certainly would contribute mightily to that disinterest!

[ROB III]

Not so much any more.
I followed more in the 70's and 80's when everything was more analog and the whole thing was more abut racing and I feel less about business. Too pricey for me as well. $800 for a hard grandstand seat isn't fun, getting a photo pass for $100 so I could lay down next to the Armco and put my camera lens between the upper and lower Armco's for the start of the race was fun ( I did that at the first Detroit GP).
The technology today is fascinating, but so are the details of the Furhmann 4 Cam. The purely technical details of a lot of older cars and just mind boggling....so I'm more interested in vintage events where its about the cars and not the politics. The cars have always been the draw for me which is why I'm not a huge fan of Indy Car or spec classes. The racing is closer perhaps, but there is less personality and brilliance of, and displayed by, individual design.
I agree Hamilton was robbed, but in some respects, that's business and politics in the modern world....

[911R]

My opinion is I watched (via DVR) at least 6 hours of the 12 Hours of Sebring and ignored the F-1 boring stuff.