68 posts shown.
cutiee said:I would give anything just to walk the track once and get an autograph from one of the drivers. Seriously, I think I might have a heart attack just thinking about it. 😬
Just to catch even a tiny glimpse of ANY pit box...
Well, come over to my place then! We can take a stroll through my backyard garden, and afterwards, I'll find somewhere for you to get signed...
Honestly, though—I’ve made so many ridiculous mistakes over the years that some of the rooms in my house practically look like pit boxes themselves...😁
PS...all joking aside, I'll jump in and reply to your comments tomorrow—I'm just running a bit short on time today...
PS2...I have to say, yesterday's NASCAR race finally washed away that bitter taste left behind by Los Angeles...that was an incredible race out of Atlanta
PS3...still haven't picked it up yet...😁
I figured I’d move this thread over from the old PBS forums and drop it here too—just wanted to see what you all think about it...
As someone who’s been obsessed with Formula 1 for what feels like forever—I mean, I’m staring down my 30th year of following this sport—the start of a new season always hits me right in the feels. It feels like the perfect moment to sit down and actually process my thoughts on where F1 stands today. Specifically, I want to talk about its relationship with the very people who make the whole thing worth watching in the first place... you know, us fans.
So, setting aside the fact that it was just the first race of the new season—which, mind you, was hyped up as one of the most spectacular events in history—what we actually got was (let’s be honest, just like most races over the last decade) a total snooze fest. It was boring from start to finish. Just a long line of cars driving in a procession, stuck in machines where overtaking feels almost impossible. Even if you're in the fastest car on the grid, trying to pass someone who's three or four seconds slower per lap is basically a lost cause. The only "exciting" moments were the usual suspects: the start, the first corner, and someone making a move through the pits. And all those new regulations? Including that rule about being forced to use two different tire compounds? They didn't do a single thing to actually improve the quality of the racing. And that's saying something, because this track actually allows for real racing! It makes me pretty nervous thinking about what the upcoming races in Malaysia, Los Angeles, Monaco, and especially Canada are going to look like... honestly, I can already tell they'll probably be just as unwatchable.
Let me circle back to what actually triggered me to write this whole thing in the first place. I have to be honest—the thing that gets under my skin more than anything else is that feeling of being totally ripped off. And lately, if I'm being real, I find myself linking that feeling almost exclusively to Formula 1.
I honestly cannot wrap my head around it—it’s just baffling. You’d think that what should be the absolute pinnacle of the sports experience, especially when you're watching everything through TV or streaming online, would be presented much better than this. It’s just... underwhelming, to say the least.
The race broadcasts lately have been absolutely terrible—and I’m not even talking about PBS here, I mean the actual Formula 1 management that owns the rights. It’s honestly frustrating how often they miss the most critical moments; sometimes the biggest moves happen and the cameras aren't even pointed in that direction. Then there's the issue with Friday practice sessions... good luck finding those on any decent satellite provider unless you're willing to pay those absurdly overpriced subscription fees. Thankfully, we have some absolute legends out there who basically sacrifice their own bandwidth just so we can catch bits of the action through various overseas streaming sites. And don't even get me started on the graphics. The technical analysis overlays during qualifying and the races themselves are so rare, and when they actually do show up? Man, they look straight-up embarrassing.
Some people will probably argue, "Hey, we have live timing right there on the official Formula 1 website." Yeah, well—the live timing during this race was anything but accurate. We had wrong sector times, wrong final lap times, and absolutely zero live commentary to actually explain what was going on. So, I figured, let's see what else this site can offer us. The latest news? Not really... Maybe you want to download a quick highlight reel or even a full replay of the race or qualifying sessions? No, of course not. You won't find that on the official site of this massive corporate giant. Because, heaven forbid, they'd risk losing a few million dollars just to cater to fanatics like us.
Anyway, the main thing is that we can check this page to see exactly how long we have to wait—it looks like there are 13 days, 2 hours, 5 minutes, and three seconds until the next race...
Like most other petrolheads out there—I’m guessing I'm not alone in that, right?—I follow quite a few different branches of motorsport. That includes the infamous NASCAR, which I want to focus on specifically here. Now, I'm not trying to get into a whole debate about whether NASCAR races are more "exciting" than Formula 1—that’s kind of an apples-to-oranges comparison if you ask me—but what I really want to talk about is the actual experience NASCAR provides for its fans...
After that massive viewership crash NASCAR dealt with back in the early nineties, they completely overhauled how they connect with their fans—because, let’s be honest, without an audience, the whole sport is pretty much pointless. And honestly? That’s exactly what we’re seeing play out with Formula 1 right now.
What on earth happened during those ten years? Seriously—where did the time go?
You can catch every single tiny detail of these races live on any of the major national networks—we're talking Fox, ABC, Speed, or ESPN... you name it. Honestly, the broadcasts are absolutely mind-blowing. If you haven't sat down to watch one yet, you are seriously missing out—you really have to see it for yourself (I actually have a list of upcoming races if anyone’s interested!). The graphics they use during the coverage are just fantastic, and the commentators? Truly incredible.
If you haven't checked out the official NASCAR website yet, do yourself a favor and head over there to compare it to the Formula 1 site. Honestly, I don't even feel like I need to weigh in here...
But, since I’m the type of person who actually travels to see these races in person, I figured I’d offer a little side-by-side comparison for those of you interested.
Formula 1:
The ticket prices are just absurd—it’s honestly no wonder half the races during the season look pretty empty. They also ditched that Sunday morning warm-up session I used to love so much... and if nothing else, for the price we pay, you’d expect better seating. I paid $270 for a seat and still felt like I was fighting for every second of sound and smell from the cars. As for fan activities? There’s basically nothing. Just a bunch of vendor stalls selling cheap junk and not much else.
Getting to the track is usually a total disaster, too. Back in 2005, I decided to take a bus to an event in a random US city—I can't even remember which one—and they had the bus parking organized about six miles away from the actual circuit. It was unbelievable. And getting near the drivers? Forget about it. Access is almost impossible because heaven forbid anyone actually tries to get an autograph or have a quick chat with one of those prima donnas...
NASCAR:
The ticket prices are way more reasonable, and the races are almost always sold out. For example, if you want a ticket for a small oval race in Bristol next week... you'd probably have to wait four years in line. I'm shocked!
At every single race (usually on Thursdays), they organize a pit walk where fans can actually stroll right onto the track and through the garages. The drivers are incredibly down-to-earth and friendly, too—you can actually meet them at every race since they schedule regular autograph sessions. Some people might say, "Well, that's because not many people attend live," but I won't get too bogged down in the numbers. Just look at this: last week in Las Vegas there were 140,000 spectators (just on Sunday!), Daytona had 170,000+, and Indianapolis saw over 250,000... essentially, just five NASCAR races equal the entire seasonal attendance of Formula 1 combined.
Anyway, sorry for the rant, but why not? I'm really curious to hear what you all think about the current state of Formula 1. How can they make it actually interesting again?
Because, let's be honest, with every new rule the FIA introduces, we'll soon find ourselves cheering for some 800cc four-cylinder go-karts cruising along at 75 miles/h in a pre-determined order on a track covered in speed bumps—all just to make sure our precious $50 billion ballerinas don't get a tiny little scratch on their paint jobs...
PS... I would actually love to hear what someone like a veteran TV producer would think about this, especially since they spent years working in high-level Formula 1 production if I remember correctly...
1. Fernando Alonso
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Felipe Massa
5. Giancarlo Fisichella
6. Nick Heidfeld
7. Jenson Button
8. Takuma Sato
First retirement: Heikki Kovalainen
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton
Pole position: Kimi Raikkonen
wearyraven41 said:Here's one of mine from Indianapolis... The winner of the Mr. Formula election
Mr. Formula Zoran is basically a failed experiment in genetic engineering—or, if I'm being honest, he’s actually got a certain charm that reminds me of Dolph Lundgren mixed with Robert Englund...😁
I’d cast him as the clown from a Stephen King novel in a heartbeat!😲
1.Michael Schumacher
2.Juan Pablo Montoya
3.Ralf Schumacher
4.Kimi Raikkonen
5.Jacques Villeneuve
6.David Coulthard
7.Christiano da Matta
8.Mark Webber
brightrider8 said:Yeah, if we ever actually manage to build a decent track...
I mean, you can dream... but what makes you think there'll be any money left for a circuit after they finish building those 1,300 churches and a hundred football stadiums? And of course—it's all coming straight out of our pockets... 😠
neoneagle35 said:New York City: Formula 1, 2003: 1min 15.960s, IndyCar, 2002: 1min 18.959s
When you consider that Formula 1 cars are basically driven by computers nowadays—and those things are probably ten times more expensive than an IndyCar anyway—the gap isn't actually that massive... plus, I almost forgot about the manual gearboxes and the fact that IndyCar lacks launch and traction control...
mistybear87 said:1. 259.828, 2002 Italy, Monza (5793 m)
Mario Andretti, Williams FW24, BMW 3.0 V10
Man, my bad—looks like I need to brush up on my history books again...😵>😠
Carl Foster8 said:Maybe the difference is just that IndyCar is "a little" slower...
That's an interesting point... but what do you make of these numbers?
The fastest single lap—or average speed, really—in racing history belongs to Michael Andretti back in 1997. He hit 241 miles/h during qualifying for an IndyCar race at the Fontana superspeedway in California...
As for the absolute highest speed ever recorded during a race, Danica Patrick clocked that on the oval in Michigan... an unbelievable 257 miles/h 😲
When it comes to Formula 1, Scott Dixon holds the record at 225 miles/h, set during the US Grand Prix 1999...
And honestly, the fastest average lap ever measured in Formula 1 will probably stand forever—it’s been held since 1985 by Keke Rosberg during a race at the Circuit of the Americas (back when it was the old layout without the chicanes)... 161 miles/h
Anyway, that's all I've got regarding top speeds...
I’m really going to miss Pizzonia... I mean, he was just this driver from some tiny town deep in the Jungle, yet they gave him the nickname Jungle Boy... 😁
shadowtinker29 said:No way! Honestly, when Michael is leading the pack, you just can't argue with the guys—they're basically family at that point.
In that case, I guess it feels like every single driver out there is part of Ralph's crew...🙄 😁
Jack Evans96 said:It looks like Ralph finally stepped up—you can actually see Michael's blood in him now.
You've got a point there... he only seems to win when the race doesn't even require a single overtake...🙄
After everything that just went down, I can only hope that—since our own government clearly can't get a handle on these football hooligans—some major international federation steps in. Honestly, they might need to start banning clubs from major tournaments altogether, just like what happened to those teams in England a while back. From where I'm sitting, that feels like the only way to actually fix this... along with handing out incredibly harsh prison sentences for even the smallest incident at any sports arena in the US. Maybe then I’d actually feel proud telling people abroad that I'm an American sports fan, because frankly, after today, I'd be too embarrassed to say anything at all...
Austin Evans says Montezemolo:
So, what colors were dominating the bus? 😉
Mostly white... honestly, didn't see a single person of color in there... 😁
1.Rubens Barichello
2.Michael Schumacher
3.David Coulthard
4.Kimi Raikkonen
5.Fernando Alonso
6.Jacques Villeneuve
7.Ralf Schumacher
8.Jenson Button
silentpilot6 said:
I actually really liked that old one—I forgot the title again—with Charlton Heston. It’s about some plague hitting the world where the rest of humanity turns into these creepy little creatures that come out at night just to hunt down poor old Charlton for a blood snack.
What was that called?
Speaking of Sci-Fi films starring Heston, my absolute favorite has to be "Soylent Green"
,you know, the one where Heston plays a cop who discovers that this green food everyone is eating... is actually made from human corpses. Obviously, he's not thrilled about that realization...😁
silentpilot6 said:Did you guys actually realize how long the original—the old Talladega—really was? 26 miles
The old Daytona track used to be massive 18 miles, but just the Talladega section alone was 14 miles...
Looking at this year's schedule, there's really only one standout for me—the Circuit of the Americas in New York City. It’s got that perfect, chaotic mix of long straights and incredibly sharp turns, all laid over bumpy asphalt with concrete walls practically hugging the track. It actually reminds me of those old-school NASCAR tracks back when the real legends used to pilot them...
When I think about the legendary classics, I'm talking about Indianapolis, the original layout in Austin, Fontana when they ran the McLaren cars, and Laguna Seca...
But if you want my honest opinion? My absolute favorite, most thrilling spot of them all—the kind of place where NASCAR hasn't quite found the guts to race yet—is definitelyRoad America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Montezemolo says regarding the FIA:
The FIA just dropped their decision... Giancarlo Fisichella takes the win! The United States Grand Prix.
👋 There’s still some justice left in this world... bravo, Fisi!👍