I’m struggling to describe the erratic, bizarre behaviour of Formula One over the last month. Is it a mid-life crisis?
Is it a self-harm emo phase (a theory supported by the darkening of the grid in recent years)? Is it some suicidal trip? Does the sport seem to enjoy masochism?
If you watch just the races, given what we received in Melbourne, you should be enjoying yourself! We’ve had great racing (on a track that is difficult to pass on), intriguing strategy, big crashes (which people walked away from) and a genuinely close field.
If you just turn on the TV (or streaming website, depending on your opinions on Rupert Murdoch), just watch the race and turn off as soon as the podium interviews are done, well done, you got a good 90 minutes of entertainment.
Stick around after the race to hear the press conferences and talking heads and things quickly deteriorate.
The amount of bizarre decisions made around Formula One this month have been breathtaking.
From a disastrous qualifying format to a damaging TV deal to the removal of fan made mods for video games, its not a good time to be an Formula One fan.
The Italian Grand Prix, the adopted home of the Tifosi, the Grand Prix of the people, is going to be replaced by a soulless circuit in Las Vegas, the city of greed.
That’s actually a fitting metaphor for what is going on.
Its like FOM, FIA and the like actually wants us, the hardcore fans to leave. If you are a casual fan, 2016 is shaping up to be a great year of on track racing. If you are an obsessive, addicted and devoted to the sport, well, you get punished.
And then in three years time those casual fans will disappear. Formula One will slip onto Pay TV, leaving the popularity of free-to-air television behind. Don’t expect the casual fans to follow.
So who is left after that. The casual fans are driven away, the hardcore ones forsaken and forgot until we give up. We leave.
Who will watch your sport then Bernie?
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Team Penske is under the same umbrella of ownership as the IndyCar Series itself, so it was imperative for to drop the hammer and protect their integrity—which, thankfully, they did.
Red Bull can’t rest on its laurels and if Perez can’t provide them with cover on the rare days that Verstappen is having trouble, it's time to look elsewhere.
The absolute vitriol against the Canadian that has come from the incident is beyond reprehensible.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the Monaco of American motorsport, and this past weekend, the IndyCar Series reminded everyone exactly why. We witnessed…
New Zealand made a triumphant return to the Supercars championship calendar since the demise of the much-loved Pukekohe Park Raceway – as Taupō delivered…
It’s time that serious questions are asked of his Lance Stroll and his future in the team.
