Ready or not, here comes Formula 1. In one month’s time, the Formula 1 race in Austin, Texas will be the biggest sporting event in the nation and everyone will be talking about it. A brand new circuit, drivers switching teams, and a very close championship are just a few of the numerous storylines that will make the race in the USA one of the most compelling in the entire world. To get you caught up on the season and what the sport is all about in time for the race, allow me to answer the questions of the non motorsport viewer.
Don’t we already have racing in America I don’t watch?
Yes, NASCAR and Indycar. Both are series that you should watch because the racing is superb. However, when compared to F1 they fall short for a few reasons. Indycar lacks the organization and financial stability that Formula 1 enjoys causing the sport to be largely inaccessible to its viewers in the United States. NASCAR has a tough time beating the perception that it is just” left turn racing.” Oval track racing does produce thrilling high speeds but five hundred or so miles can become boring for the casual fan.
So what makes Formula 1 different?
Formula 1 is quite a bit different. These are cars that can match the high speeds of NASCAR while enjoying the engineering benefits of open wheel racecar (a car where the entire wheel is visible) like fantastic aerodynamics and the ability to take turns at incomprehensible speeds.
That sounds thrilling with the engineering and all…
The technological achievement of these cars does impress a certain type of person. When put into practice, the sport makes for an aesthetic pleasure that few can match. A twisting circuit set in the principality of Monaco with a harbor full of yachts flanked by model filled swimming pools all brought together by the prince and princess of Monaco is quite a sight. Add in men who don’t care about any of that because they have a race to win and it makes for quite a change of pace from your quarterback winning one for the cheerleader narrative.
What’re these guys, robots? If they can’t get caught up in things like that how can I relate to them or their sport?
It’s a serious game where the best are separated from the worst by only a few seconds. The mistake of crashing a car is far more damaging than a single turnover. A turn of the wheel risks career and life at the same time. The level of stress and pressure to win is comparable to any other professional sport. The difference is these guys handle their business where other athletes would be getting pulled over by the highway patrol.
Who else likes this stuff besides princes and princess and a man who writes about this in his free time?
People often complain when they hear an American sport refer to their champions as, “THE WORLD CHAMPS.” Here’s a sport that that actually has the right to name a world champ. Every continent except Antarctica has held a race. Drivers from multiple nations and persuasions have had a seat in a car to race. Watching, it’s hard not to think of the stake the entire world has in this competition. When you can see PDVSA on the car of a Venezuelan driver, or Telemex on the young Mexican’s car, there no secret that countries and their leading companies want their global recognition as a winner on a winning machine. Move away from the 1 percent and it comes down to which country has the best driver: Italy versus Germany versus the United Kingdom. The rivalries are real and citizens from multiple continents make that known.
No Americans? Who do I cheer for when the race gets to America?
Anyone your heart desires. But cheer for the sport. Watch it. Express what you like. Give voice to what you don’t like. Because if you do that, there will be more races here. There will be more races in the cities we love. The music and art scene in Austin will only expand with masses gathering there to see the race. We as a nation will be able to showcase the cities that make our nation great as the eyes of the world look on as men drive around on a circuit in very fast cars, wearing very fast looking sunglasses, and if they win, spraying very expensive champagne.