Lewis Hamilton
Discussion
Don't get me wrong, WEC is class and I love it - but it'll just never get mainstream.
Just look at cricket - test falling in viewers, 20/20 going like the clappers. Everything these days is instantly gratifying, and WEC is a slow burner in comparison. OK, e.g Silverstone was truly epic for 4 hours out of 6, but only because I follow it so closely. To a casual punter, 6 hours is a LOT of time to dedicate 100% attention to on a Sunday - and if you only 1/2 watch it, then all the tactics are out the window because very often the car leading the race is really only in 3rd or 4th...
Just look at cricket - test falling in viewers, 20/20 going like the clappers. Everything these days is instantly gratifying, and WEC is a slow burner in comparison. OK, e.g Silverstone was truly epic for 4 hours out of 6, but only because I follow it so closely. To a casual punter, 6 hours is a LOT of time to dedicate 100% attention to on a Sunday - and if you only 1/2 watch it, then all the tactics are out the window because very often the car leading the race is really only in 3rd or 4th...
DonkeyApple said:
jonby said:
I think that's true but amplified even more so when you think about the money side of things
When you are young and earning 25 million p.a. or whatever LH is on, the idea of on one hand racing in something dangerous and high profile but on the other, earning peanuts in comparison to your F1 salary, must have an effect on what you think of competing unless it was a boyhood dream to drive at LM
When you are older and have achieved everything, or got as high as you are likely to get within F1, you may well judge the situation differently, especially if it's a chance to race competitively and win trophies when your F1 drive is no longer with a top team
I think if I were his age and earning that money I would spending every free moment I had being young, having fun spending my money away from my day job. As a derivatives broker it has never crossed my mind to spend my free time doing some equity broking for fun!When you are young and earning 25 million p.a. or whatever LH is on, the idea of on one hand racing in something dangerous and high profile but on the other, earning peanuts in comparison to your F1 salary, must have an effect on what you think of competing unless it was a boyhood dream to drive at LM
When you are older and have achieved everything, or got as high as you are likely to get within F1, you may well judge the situation differently, especially if it's a chance to race competitively and win trophies when your F1 drive is no longer with a top team
jonby said:
Absolutely, as he does seem to do. But when you get a little older and have previously been at the absolute top of your game, I suspect some are be willing to drive in almost anything, regardless of the money or prestige, just to keep driving competitively whilst for others, anything less than F1 will be no lionger good enough
Agree. I have a vague memory of Brundle saying he did the Le Mans drive because after F1 it was the best part time job for a retired F1 driver who still fancies carrying some extreme speed occasionally and not having to move to the U.S. It seems logical to me that if you e focusses your whole life in F1 then while you're in the thick of it and contending to be WC you would have any feet desire to spend what free time you have on another form of Motorsport that you can't exactly just turn up on the day, win and go home.
However, as you say, once your career is winding down or being wound down then your mind may drift to other forms of the sport.
It strikes me that F1 is a bit like the BBC in that some people just wish to dislike it and the people for no tremendous reason.
FartKong said:
DonkeyApple said:
It strikes me that F1 is a bit like the BBC in that some people just wish to dislike it and the people for no tremendous reason.
There are many reasons to dislike the BBC but thats a topic for another day.To us the punters the cars are further away than ever from anything that's roadgoing so actually, I'm not sure how much a road going Mclaren or Ferrari driver identifies with the team because of that aspect - of course it has some impact but I doubt that much. So they are reliant on the racing and the cars
The racing is either not that good right now, or made good by strange artificial interjections like tyres that deliberately can't last the distance and massive restraints on the cars themselves. WEC may be more corporate than it used to be but it's still far more accessible to the fans than F1 which gets ever more expensive
Very few of the drivers seem to have the personalities that make me want to watch compared to a decade or two ago, although admittedly you could say that about a lot of sports, say snooker for instance and I appreciate LH is opening up the sport to a whole new fanbase whereas someone like vettel may or may not appeal to existing fans, but is unlikely to bring new fans to the sport. But LH is the exception in F1 right now and on top of that, even perhaps part of his appeal, he is certainly marmite
and then you have the cost and the general feeling of being outsiders to the whole event at F1
Having been to LM24 every year for the last 7 years or so I doubt it will ever be off my calendar now but for additional races, I'm thinking of also going to some of the overseas rounds of the WEC, or the N24, or perhaps the formula e, more than visiting an F1 race, for all those reasons and I think F1 knows it's in a potentially difficult spot to retain it's popularity.
I actually feel that F1 very much represents road cars. Both have become faster than the roads they drive upon so gadgetry and gimmicks are now added to compensate that for both we have reached and passed this threshold. Whether that is fitting Minicab V6s and push to pass buttons or piping exhaust noises through the speakers, neither are any longer about trying to reach the peak of performance on the tarmac. They have to compete in different areas now.
Any sport that reaches the point of such stringent regulation because it can't go any further down its original route does cease to be the same sport it once once.
Group B was the pinnacle of rallying for example, in its original metric.
The classes in Le Mans and their rules create an artificial arena also. Let's be honest, we aren't seeing the fastest and best team win but the team that can beat build a product to fit the ever increasing regulation to slow them down or to even them out so that the weak and inferior will still join in. Le Mans itself is fake and not about true competition any more because weak manufacturers have to have the event rigged in their favour before they will turn up to compete. Is that sport?
I guess bikes are among the few motor sorts where regulation isn't being used to slow them down in the same way. But even that will reach it's zennith at some point.
Any sport that reaches the point of such stringent regulation because it can't go any further down its original route does cease to be the same sport it once once.
Group B was the pinnacle of rallying for example, in its original metric.
The classes in Le Mans and their rules create an artificial arena also. Let's be honest, we aren't seeing the fastest and best team win but the team that can beat build a product to fit the ever increasing regulation to slow them down or to even them out so that the weak and inferior will still join in. Le Mans itself is fake and not about true competition any more because weak manufacturers have to have the event rigged in their favour before they will turn up to compete. Is that sport?
I guess bikes are among the few motor sorts where regulation isn't being used to slow them down in the same way. But even that will reach it's zennith at some point.
Edited by DonkeyApple on Monday 22 June 18:54
DonkeyApple said:
Le Mans itself is fake and not about true competition any more because weak manufacturers have to have the event rigged in their favour before they will turn up to compete.
Is that why Nissan did so well this year? I can't think of any occasion where the rules/regs have been rigged to favour anyone? There is BOP in GTE but that's a whole different story
RobGT81 said:
Is that why Nissan did so well this year? I can't think of any occasion where the rules/regs have been rigged to favour anyone? There is BOP in GTE but that's a whole different story
?The rules are continually amended to ensure enough teams turn up to pay and play. It's a business, just like F1 has to manipulate the rules to keep enough teams on the grid.
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