Why do people follow and watch F1?

[London424]

To answer the OP, I watch as it's like a male soap opera.

It isn't just about what happens for the 2 hours on a Sunday.

Following the race this weekend we'll have 2 weeks of stories about RB drivers, about the development race for the Europe races, what Mclaren need to do to improve the car etc etc.

[coppice]

ringsound said:

No choice for me
WTCC is dying, TCR have a long road to grow
DTM just not my cup of tea
Formula e is boring
Only WRC and F1 left for me
At least I could still enjoy HAAS vs Force India vs Renault

There's plenty of choice and here's what you do . Stop watching bloody TV and go and see some of the huge diversity of motor sport we have in the UK .Y'know - standing in the open air, watching 3 D images with real sound and smells ? Beats any telly ...

[fat80b]

coppice said:

There's plenty of choice and here's what you do . Stop watching bloody TV and go and see some of the huge diversity of motor sport we have in the UK .Y'know - standing in the open air, watching 3 D images with real sound and smells ? Beats any telly ...

Agreed - This year it feels like myself and all of my previously F1 following mates have independently come to the same conclusion and given up on F1. For me it was a combination of things; Ditching Sky; the C4 coverage never being on when you think it is; the halo; the lack of excitement / tyres etc. There are only so many years you can sit there convincing yourself that something exciting might be just about to happen....It's a bit like that button in Lost.


I have tried and tried over the last few years but it just isn't worth it and as such haven't watched a single lap this year. I have read one or 2 articles but nothing has yet suggested that I am missing out on anything whatsoever.

I think you are right re:Live motorsport being better - BTCC yes, local rallying yes, Le Mans Yes, Stockcars Yes, WRC Yes, F1.....No

Last weekend, we went to the F1 Stock cars in Kings Lynn and watched Frankie Wainman Jnr come from last to first in the final. Got covered in mud, wandered round the pits and the boy got to sit in an F1 stock car and get right up close. Way better than the rubbish F1 off the telly.

[Vaud]

fat80b said:

Agreed - This year it feels like myself and all of my previously F1 following mates have independently come to the same conclusion and given up on F1. For me it was a combination of things; Ditching Sky; the C4 coverage never being on when you think it is; the halo; the lack of excitement / tyres etc. There are only so many years you can sit there convincing yourself that something exciting might be just about to happen....It's a bit like that button in Lost.


I have tried and tried over the last few years but it just isn't worth it and as such haven't watched a single lap this year. I have read one or 2 articles but nothing has yet suggested that I am missing out on anything whatsoever.

I think you are right re:Live motorsport being better - BTCC yes, local rallying yes, Le Mans Yes, Stockcars Yes, WRC Yes, F1.....No

Last weekend, we went to the F1 Stock cars in Kings Lynn and watched Frankie Wainman Jnr come from last to first in the final. Got covered in mud, wandered round the pits and the boy got to sit in an F1 stock car and get right up close. Way better than the rubbish F1 off the telly.

Why does it have to be either/or? Just enjoy both for what they are; different variants within a broad church of motorsport. Just see one live and one on replay.

[coppice]

Indeed - I watch GP on catch up and this year I will be watching live hillclimbing at Harewood and Barbon, racing (from VSCC, HSCC, CSCC to BTCC and GTs )at Oulton, Mallory, Silverstone , Croft , Donington and my favourite Cadwell. Add in some rally cross , some heavy metal thunder at the Pod and some bat st bonkers autograss (highly recommended) and it will be a busy year again .

Motor sport rarely works on TV and GPs apart I wouldn't be paid to watch the rest. Why people elect to spend a summer afternoon watching BTCC support races on the telly when they could be out in the real world is beyond me .

[Vaud]

coppice said:

I will be watching live hillclimbing at Harewood

I only recently discovered hillclimbing, which his ironic as I can almost see Harewood out of my window. Very friendly paddock as well!

[The Selfish Gene]

Vaud said:

coppice said:

I will be watching live hillclimbing at Harewood

I only recently discovered hillclimbing, which his ironic as I can almost see Harewood out of my window. Very friendly paddock as well!

really difficult sport that. I've competed at Harewood - fabulous place.

[VladD]

The Selfish Gene said:

Vaud said:

coppice said:

I will be watching live hillclimbing at Harewood

I only recently discovered hillclimbing, which his ironic as I can almost see Harewood out of my window. Very friendly paddock as well!

really difficult sport that. I've competed at Harewood - fabulous place.

Have you ever raced at Wiscombe Park? I used to watch there every now and again as I lived close by. Lovely venue.

[C70R]

I watch is because there are some excellent races, and some less interesting ones - as has always been the case in my 20-something years of following the sport. You'll never know which the good ones are if you don't tolerate the mediocre ones.
I don't have the time or energy to get worked up about the minutiae of rule changes, the team politics or the (artificially-created) driver/personality soap opera. I watch because I love the spectacle - nothing more, nothing less.

This place seems to have a core of grumpy, middle-aged men, who are lining up to moan that F1 has "gone to the dogs in recent years".

[oilspill]

I think it's the drivers that keep people interested for the large part. Fans build an attachment, become tribal, attach their egos to a driver and away we go.

I heard Christian Horner going on about his drivers 'behavior' way too much on Sunday like a school teacher, carrying on about what the drivers owe the sponsors and workers almost like the latter were volunteers not making any money. I don't watch F1 for the sponsors or to appreciate the workers.
It got to the point where I was thinking the current drivers and rivalries could probably all walk away to another Formula and make it an instant hit. Imagine the now established drivers all racing Stadium trucks as below.


https://youtu.be/Yz77pQcIfFg

[ringsound]

coppice said:

There's plenty of choice and here's what you do . Stop watching bloody TV and go and see some of the huge diversity of motor sport we have in the UK .Y'know - standing in the open air, watching 3 D images with real sound and smells ? Beats any telly ...

I use to go to macau every year for WTCC final stage and Suzuka in some event
I just move back to UK few years ago, based in wiltshire, as far as i know the closest circuit is the castle comb, i know only WRC have uk stage now, dont think any other international event have UK stage?

[oilspill]

thegreenhell said:

Yes, you're right - dull, no action at all in this race. All you missed was a race-long ding-dong between the two Red Bulls, wheel to wheel several times, passing and re-passing, touching wheels, and finally crashing into each other causing the second safety car. So boring.

Christian Horner wants to put a stop to it. Apparently the salaried workers and the sponsors earning a killing were offended by it.

Let's have a whip-round for the workers and buy more sponsor products to allow Max and Dan to rub wheels every race.

[C70R]

oilspill said:

I think it's the drivers that keep people interested for the large part. Fans build an attachment, become tribal, attach their egos to a driver and away we go.

I heard Christian Horner going on about his drivers 'behavior' way too much on Sunday like a school teacher, carrying on about what the drivers owe the sponsors and workers almost like the latter were volunteers not making any money. I don't watch F1 for the sponsors or to appreciate the workers.
It got to the point where I was thinking the current drivers and rivalries could probably all walk away to another Formula and make it an instant hit. Imagine the now established drivers all racing Stadium trucks as below.


https://youtu.be/Yz77pQcIfFg

That's football you're describing, you realise that?

[Vaud]

oilspill said:

I think it's the drivers that keep people interested for the large part. Fans build an attachment, become tribal, attach their egos to a driver and away we go.

Not sure I agree 100%. I used to be tribal (Ferrari/Schumacher) with a soft spot for the garagistas like Minardi.

Since Schumacher retired I've found great pleasure in just watching the racing up and down the order. I think all of the drivers are amazing; we are lucky at the moment in the sheer quality of the grid. Magnussen is the only one that jars in my opinion, I think he is heading for a fall.

[VladD]

ringsound said:

coppice said:

There's plenty of choice and here's what you do . Stop watching bloody TV and go and see some of the huge diversity of motor sport we have in the UK .Y'know - standing in the open air, watching 3 D images with real sound and smells ? Beats any telly ...

I use to go to macau every year for WTCC final stage and Suzuka in some event
I just move back to UK few years ago, based in wiltshire, as far as i know the closest circuit is the castle comb, i know only WRC have uk stage now, dont think any other international event have UK stage?

WEC - Silverstone.
Moto GP - Silverstone.
World Superbikes - Donington.
World Rallycross - Silverstone
Blancpain GT Series - Silverstone

Apart from those, there's no much global Motorsport that gets to the UK.

[Vocal Minority]

Vaud said:

oilspill said:

I think it's the drivers that keep people interested for the large part. Fans build an attachment, become tribal, attach their egos to a driver and away we go.

Not sure I agree 100%. I used to be tribal (Ferrari/Schumacher) with a soft spot for the garagistas like Minardi.

Since Schumacher retired I've found great pleasure in just watching the racing up and down the order. I think all of the drivers are amazing; we are lucky at the moment in the sheer quality of the grid. Magnussen is the only one that jars in my opinion, I think he is heading for a fall.

Tribalism is alive and well - hie thee to the Lewis Hamilton thread for 2 minutes

Once saw a bloke on twitter complaining bitterly that Mercedes and Sky wouldn't re-tweet his picture of his massive Lewis Hamilton collection (framed pictures, signed playing cards, scales models of every helmet and 1:18s of every car and ever sponsor variation thereof. And then more cars, so presumably some duplicates - withe the comment 'all I need is a picture with the man himself'.

I can imagine the reason Sky and Mercedes didn't re-tweet was the strong suspicion that in said photograph Lewis Hamilton would be tied up and crying.....

I am sure such cults exist for other drivers in their respective home nations - but as I see the UK scene, Lewis is the tribal stalking victim of choice.


To those mentioning hill climbing - I couldn't agree more. I am a regular competitor and commentator at Shelsley, Prescott and Loton - I was hoping to do Harewood, Wiscombe and DOune this year - but life has got in the way rather.

For anyone who has never see it - go to a British Championship meeting at Shelsley or Doune - your eyes will pop out of your skull.

Proper sounding cars too

[StevieBee]

Vocal Minority said:

Vaud said:

oilspill said:

I think it's the drivers that keep people interested for the large part. Fans build an attachment, become tribal, attach their egos to a driver and away we go.

Not sure I agree 100%. I used to be tribal (Ferrari/Schumacher) with a soft spot for the garagistas like Minardi.

Since Schumacher retired I've found great pleasure in just watching the racing up and down the order. I think all of the drivers are amazing; we are lucky at the moment in the sheer quality of the grid. Magnussen is the only one that jars in my opinion, I think he is heading for a fall.

Tribalism is alive and well - hie thee to the Lewis Hamilton thread for 2 minutes

I think it's drivers who attract new fans to the sport. Hamilton has certainly done this. Mansell before him. Alonso completely transformed F1 in Spain.

But those who stick around when their drivers have gone tend to be those with the greatest appreciation of the sport and less tribal. They follow it for the pure love of the sport.

A bit like music. We all get into 'music' as a result of a single band or genre. There are then those that consider that band and genre to the pinnacle of music and consider all that follows to be crap - and those that use the entry to music as only the start.

[coppice]

VladD said:

ringsound said:

coppice said:

There's plenty of choice and here's what you do . Stop watching bloody TV and go and see some of the huge diversity of motor sport we have in the UK .Y'know - standing in the open air, watching 3 D images with real sound and smells ? Beats any telly ...

I use to go to macau every year for WTCC final stage and Suzuka in some event
I just move back to UK few years ago, based in wiltshire, as far as i know the closest circuit is the castle comb, i know only WRC have uk stage now, dont think any other international event have UK stage?

WEC - Silverstone.
Moto GP - Silverstone.
World Superbikes - Donington.
World Rallycross - Silverstone
Blancpain GT Series - Silverstone

Apart from those, there's no much global Motorsport that gets to the UK.

International status is neither here nor there to me. It sure doesn't make for better racing. The last WEC event I saw was a yawn fest , frankly , but the one before was terrific. Take in a HSCC meeting or two , a speed hillclimb and a big Santa Pod event and you should end up smiling .

[Vaud]

coppice said:

Take in a HSCC meeting or two , a speed hillclimb and a big Santa Pod event and you should end up smiling .

What I love about hillclimbs is the paddock - so accessible, so friendly. I have a lovely picture of my then 3 year old sat in a Force PT (I think); and quite a few PHers at the event.

Oh, and the historic/vintage events should be seen by any race fan...