Things to like and dislike about Formula One

Formula One is a beautiful sport. Since you are reading this post and I am writing it, We love the sport more than anything else. Formula One is called the pinnacle of motorsports because of its pros however, It also comes with its cons. In this post, we will look at the good and not-so-good things about Formula One.

• Good: Legacy

1950 was the first official year of F1 since then it's been 73 years the sport has brought us unparalleled racing and thrill. All these years we witnessed amazing stories of brave drivers. Peak rivalries between drivers. Unbelievable cars. Mind-boggling speeds. So many records and benchmarks. Evolution of the sport from being an absolutely crazy innovation game to a sustainable well-matured sport. Evolution of cars from being suicide rockets to the safest race cars in the world. So many mistakes, so many learnings. Brought us unbelievable things that have never been done before and continue to do so. F1 always created new ways of evolving. It was never really inspired by anything else but created its benchmark for others to follow. F1 is special because it represents a limitless and passionate human mind on four wheels ready to conquer the track.

The innovation, safety, bravery, I could talk about its legacy all day and that's the reason why this blog exists!

Here are some of the remarkable things that happened in F1.

Niki Lauda's infamous crash at Nurburgring in 1976

Niki with his unhealed burn injuries

Niki Lauda back in the car after just 6 weeks with wet wounds

    

Mercedes AMG One. The car with a 2017 F1 engine

Max debuting at the age of 17 years and 166 days (not the actual picture)

Max Verstappen wins 2016 Spanish GP at 18 years 228 days of age

Felipe Massa the 38 second F1 Champion

Felipe standing brave after losing the championship to Hamilton in 2008

  

The Mercedes W11 EQ Performance, the fastest F1 car ever built

  

Tyrell P34, one the most unique F1 cars with 6 wheels

• Not-so-good: Domination

It's not a new thing even for a new audience. The Domination in the current year was at its peak. The 2023 Redbull car RB19 has now become the most dominant car ever in the history of F1 leaving behind the McLaren MP4/4. As much as the Redbull engineers should be praised for building an amazing machine, it's equally painful for the fans to see that car winning every single race without really competing with any other car. This not only makes the sport predictable but boring to watch too. The domination of one driver hampers racing and rivalry. 2016 was the year when Mercedes was dominant they never really competed with any other car but at least their drivers were in a fierce championship rivalry. 2012 was one of the most competitive and entertaining seasons to watch where seven different drivers won the first seven races. F1 makes efforts to make the field more competitive through various methods such as the budget cap, which was introduced in 2021, and Regulations change for better racing. It all comes down to other teams to catch up quickly to the best team rather than relying on regulation changes. 

• Good: Behind the scenes and Drama

As the tagline of the blog says "There's a whole lot more to racing than just winning" F1 is not only about racing and going fast around the corners but also about what happens behind the scenes. If we do some research it is equally interesting to understand how F1 teams work, How strategies are planned, How the data is collected and used for analysis, How the tracks are prepared, and how the settings on the steering wheel help drivers to faster. There is so much effort put into all these small things which make a significant impact in racing.

When multiple teams are competing it naturally gives rise to Drama. And who doesn't like the extra spice? The driver Interviews, radio and other Inside things add the flavour of entertainment to the fans. Drive to Survive the Netflix web series makes life even easier by giving exclusive inside footage of teams. 

• Not-so-good: Toxic F1 community

While there is freedom of speech for everyone it's equally important to act like a responsible person on the internet. While surfing through the F1 community on the internet, especially through Twitter / X we come across toxic and unhealthy posts regarding drivers or other personnel. While criticism is an important thing for growth it should be constructive and not harmful or toxic. We all represent the F1 community and if every one of us starts to write with responsibility and thought, it'll make the internet a better place. 

• Good: Character of F1

If we watch other sports such as MMA there's a lot of unhealthy talk and unnecessary trash-talking and whatnot. I do understand that MMA is based on those things and they are essential for the sport. Similarly, F1 is based on innovation with engineering at its heart. There's a mutual respect between F1 teams and drivers. There's even a culture of friendship between drivers. We'll not see any driver being unnecessarily confident or talking with dishonouring someone. Overall Everybody is very well composed and mature. The F1 culture in itself is very healthy. I love how F1 is surrounded by Education, competition, bravery, technology and history.

• Not-so-good: Accessibility of F1

F1 is an expensive sport. The financial turnover of F1 is in billions. To become an F1 driver we have to go through karting and junior formula categories. There is a good video by one of my favourite creators about how expensive it becomes for a driver to reach F1 and how competitive the field is. 

In conclusion, you need to have a billionaire family background to become an F1 driver.

Talking about the viewing experience it's sad that there is no media partner of F1 in India.  so to watch F1 in India we have to subscribe to F1TV Pro which costs 299/- per month or 2499/- per year. Not a good move to grow in India.

• Good: Commentary and Journalism

The commentary in F1 is an absolute jewel! The standard of Commentary in this sport is very high especially Sky Sports F1's commentary. The real-time analysis and predictions that pundits and commentators do are the finest I have ever heard. Karun Chandhok who happens to be India's second F1 driver is my favourite F1 pundit because of his knowledge and analytical skills. All these journalists, especially Sky Sports F1 are fantastic and I love their work.

• Not-so-good: Cash over the sport

It is evident through many decisions by F1 the financial side of F1 is taking more interest than the essence of F1 in the minds of F1 stakeholders. F1 will race to record-breaking 23 races in a year even after promising to become net-zero by 2030. Many drivers are already unhappy with 23 races in a year. F1 will promote unity and stand against racism but yet it will also race in the countries like Saudi Arabia which has a history of discrimination against women. F1 will welcome new circuits from rich European countries to put in the busy calendar but will have a hard time adding legacy F1 circuits such as Hockenheim, Suzuka and SPA. These moves from F1 sometimes question the integrity of the sport. I request that the Formula One group preserve the essence of the sport.

These were a few of the things that I like and dislike about F1. Let me know what are the things that you like or dislike about F1 in the comments below.