Any F1 fans?

[wwb]

Paying some respect to the recent threads on golf, bowling, and basketball, I figured I may as well put out some feelers for F1 lovers and haters.

Being an old fart, I ain't gonna stay up until the wee hours to watch a race in Australia.... I'll wait for the re-broadcast (10:00 this morning CDT). Anyhow, since ESPN has the broadcast rights this year..... any opinions on it?

My take on it:
At least 3X the commercials as opposed to NBC Sports.... maybe 4X
Commentators sound like excited local station commentators as opposed to the informative coverage by David Hobbs et al from last year
NBC used to get short interviews with the team strategists during the race.... none now

Hope it improves as the season progresses.

 

[RSIno1]

Screwed up - even had it on the calendar, forgot they changed channels. I always taped the practices, qualifying and the race on DVD. Got several years but have never rewatched them. Just set the timer it'll be on at 6pm here. I think that Liberty Media will kill F1 in short order. They have gotten rid of the grid girls added the halo and want a spec motor. Indy has a spec chassis and NASCAR has spec car and restrictor plates all of which have killed spectator appeal.

 

[Chief 101]

I make a really poor spectator...if anything is to be done I want to do it myself...not particularly fond of watching other people's activities...

 

[Jimbo357mag]

I enjoyed it back in the 70's and again in the 2000's but I haven't really watched it in years. I got put off when they started adjusting the cars from the pits.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_World_Drivers%27_Champions

 

[Bull Barrel]

All racing series use a spec car. The sanctioning body sets the rules and cars are built to those specs.

 

[contender]

I was thinking aircraft,,,,!

 

[Fox Mike]

F1 is getting to be like all the other racer series, except possibly NHRA events. All the cars look alike and the rules now leave very little to inovation. In F1 watching, if you ever really see more than two cars together it is either at the beginning of the race or during a caution. Personally my idea of road or track racing is for three or four cars all running together and trying to get ahead of each other.

 

[GunnyGene]

Local dirt track is much more fun.

 

[wwb]

All racing series use a spec car. The sanctioning body sets the rules and cars are built to those specs.

True for F1, as well - but the way their specs are written, there's a lot of room for individuality. Every one of the teams is running a different chassis, even though they are all built to conform to the requirements.... but Mercedes has a longer wheelbase than the others, and Ferrari corners better, as a couple examples. Also, both Mercedes and Renault engines have more power than either Honda or Ferrari, even though they are all "spec" engines.

It's not just a parade, either. Last weekend, Valtteri Bottas started 18th because he blew a gearbox in qualifying - but he ended up finishing in 8th. Making up 10 places is no small feat when the cars are closely matched. Overtaking someone is one thing, but passing him is a whole 'nother affair, even with DRS.

 

[Muley Gil]

Yeah, I am.

Ford built some nice trucks in the late 1940s-early 1950s.

 

[mhblaw]

I have been an F 1 fan for a long time. Enjoyed the race yesterday, but the commentators were hard to understand. Either get their volume up or turn down the volume from the track. To early to criticize too much, but miss David, Steve etc. Time will tell. Too bad about the Haas cars. Looks like they could be very competitive this year.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I used to pay attention to F1 when the cars were more "run what you brung" allowing the factories to be a lot more individualistic yet stay within the rules than they are today. And the women were beautiful, regardless of their reason for being there: drivers' wives and girlfriends, flag/sign girls, whatever.

After a long absence of attention, I watched the Montreal Grand Prix a couple of years ago, first F1 race I'd seen in decades. I guess I'm just not a fan of "rulebook" racing when the end result is "one design" and, as Jimbo put it, the race is run from the pits. Track announcers were talking about how "hot" a day it was, 78 deg F, and how that would affect the cars. Huh? That's not "hot!" Turns out the bad side effects weren't tire or mechanical things, but electronic glitches! For example, I believe Mercedes had three cars on the track to start, and only one finished. The other two dropped out when the computers started putting on the brakes sorta willy nilly, so the driver had no idea what his car was going to do in response to his inputs. A little correction before a corner could turn into a skid, and so forth. And now the track girls are gone. Harumph.

Rick C