F1 Fanatic

@kingshark If it’s a ‘Create Your Own F1 Schedule Thread’, that would be cool. If not, I’ll wait and see.

Singapore is also much wider than Monaco, which is not good. Monaco is special because there’s almost no room for error.

Singapore is also much wider than Monaco, which is not good

Not necessarily. A wider track naturally allows for more overtaking, which increases the likelihood of a more interesting race.

Although both are street circuits, in my view at least, Singapore and Monaco are worlds apart in terms of how they challenge the driver. As mentioned, Monaco is narrow, undulating, fast-paced and ruthless, the barriers leave almost no room for error, and a slight lapse in split-second concentration puts you into the wall. It’s a test of precision, analogous to a surgeon using a scalpel to make an accurate incision.

On the other hand, Singapore has a more drawn-out nature – it’s not a single lap itself that’s the killer, but the sheer endurance of taking all the corners and bumps, in the sweltering heat and humidity, for lap after lap. As many have put it, it’s the closest thing F1 has to an endurance race, and challenges driver’s stamina and long-term concentration – to continue with the analogies, like using an axe to steadily chop down a tree.

In my mind, both circuits are special, and both deserving of a spot on the race calendar. One is already an established legend and driver favourite, and the other has the potential to become a modern classic. If it’s character we’re talking about, there are numerous other soulless tracks that can be trimmed from the calendar – if I may suggest, FOM race contracts notwithstanding, Korea and Bahrain should be the first to go.

What’s the alternative? A narrow circuit where drivers physically cannot pass each other?

No, when overtaking happens at Monaco, it’s usually because the driver in front made a mistake. It’s not a spectacular move. It’s a gift.

Let’s be honest, if Monaco was a recent addition to the calendar, nobody would like it. I remember when I started watching F1, insulting Monaco was heresy among F1 fans, now people rate is as the most boring race and hardly consider the winner to have done something special.

As for the idea behind this thread, I’m going to have to take @Prisoner-Monkeys side from a few pages back. While I do think F1 is often heading into certain places too soon, it’s unfair to dismiss these countries entirely. Europe and the USA were very privileged to be the economic superpowers to first be able to build cars and race them. Other economies are only just getting up to the level of a car no longer being for the very-rich or building them themselves. People aren’t as fascinated with cars, they’re not racing them, so of course there’s going to be a smaller crowd than in Europe.

China barely had any spectators the first couple of years, Malaysia had a big drop in 2000, but are considered countries to stay on the calendar now. Nothing that @Joey-Zyla has said about the post 2008 additions, hasn’t been said about new races post 1980.

I do feel F1 needs a different entry-strategy. Bernie himself of the FIA need to push autosports as a whole in new countries like Korea and Thailand. I was disappointed to see the race in Austin had practically no races opening for them. If F1 and it’s involved parties manage to bring an enthusiasm for motorsports in general to these new countries, odds are F1 will reap the benefits, as it’s considered the pinnacle of motorsport, if you first encounter national motorsports, odds are, you’ll end up checking out F1.

Plus, if we want F1 to grow, we need these new countries. As a Dutchman, I’d love to see F1 on Zandvoort. I would not like the fact Toro Rosso, Caterham and Marussia would have no place in the pitlane, nor the 5 hour traffic jams each day. I also wouldn’t like a country that has problems keeping its economy in check with EU regulations, spending hundreds of millions to attract an F1 race. A lot of developing economies don’t just offer more money for the race, they also offer more sponsorship possibilities, as well as a future for the sport.

Mind you, I love motorsport heritage. But with the internet being what it is today, you don’t have to miss it. You can watch F1 cars going around the Nordschleife, just go to YouTube. Odds are, if you went to one of it’s races, you’d be bored, since you’d only see them come by a handful of times and unless you’ve done plenty of digital laps or track days, you’d have no idea where the drivers are.

I don’t like all of the new circuits either, but as I’ve said in the De-Tilkefication thread, many new races (post 2001) suffered from a generally more boring on-track F1 than we have today. If Austin debuted in 2002, with a 1-2 for Ferrari and a questionable move by Schumacher to let Barrichello past, would we be in love with it like we are today? No.

@nick

If Austin debuted in 2002, with a 1-2 for Ferrari and a questionable move by Schumacher to let Barrichello past, would we be in love with it like we are today? No.

Why not?

I’ve never seen one of these ‘boring races’ on ANY track. I’m pretty sure it’s a myth.

@nick The gap was about a hundredth of a second. How is that ‘boring’?

How long have you been watching Formula 1 for?

I first started watching Formula 1 in 2008, in which I watched the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. However, since I live in the US, the first live race I watched was the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix. Since then, I’ve watched almost every race either live or repeated.

I suggest you go back any watch any of the races at Valencia or Abu Dhabi from 2008 to 2011. Those were boring races – processional affairs without anything that could reasonably be called overtaking.

I’ve watched all of the races at those tracks since 2010, but would gladly watch any one of them again. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I can find the full races anywhere.

Of course, it is more entertaining to watch races live, and I think the 2010 Abu Dhabi GP is the perfect example of that. The championship battle was INTENSE.