Unspoiled my faceless, multinational conglomerates spending hundreds of millions of pounds, most of the machinery you can buy and ride from your local dealer, normal human beings as competitors (with actual personalities who don’t whine like babies when they don’t win),fans able to mingle with the teams/ riders, fans able to get up close to the action. Everything modern Eff 1 isn’t.
Unspoiled my faceless, multinational conglomerates spending hundreds of millions of pounds, most of the machinery you can buy and ride from your local dealer, normal human beings as competitors (with actual personalities who don’t whine like babies when they don’t win),fans able to mingle with the teams/ riders, fans able to get up close to the action. Everything modern Eff 1 isn’t.
I must admit it has been great to follow and watch the 2023 events over the past days.... to watch the riders (and with the sidecar events the passengers too) it is just another world and the commitment is something else.
* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left
“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)
* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
Voted TT. Though motorcycle racing in general has lost a lot of appeal for me since they dropped the two-strokes, but perhaps for this one race it's quite okay - the track is dangerous enough without having to keep two fingers on the clutch!
It used to be the Indy 500, no contest, but I watched a YT video of it this year (only about 20 mins), and it's... Well, it's not what I once thought of it. Which goes for most of motor racing these days. The rest of the list is pretty much off limits because I don't watch touring cars, I don't watch sports cars and I damn sure don't watch rallying. Which leaves Monaco, one of the least interesting races in F1 history. World's greatest? Not even F1's greatest by any stretch of the imagination.
2023 'Guess The Pole' Points & Accuracy Champion
If you don't vote now against fascism, you may never have that chance again...
Michael Ferner wrote: ↑11 months ago Which leaves Monaco, one of the least interesting races in F1 history. World's greatest? Not even F1's greatest by any stretch of the imagination.
The Monaco Grand Prix. Motor racing for people who don’t like motor racing. 1982 was good (but only for the last few laps), 1988 was funny to see Senna binning it but every other race is dull, dull, dull. Should have been dropped decades ago.
I'm not even that anti Monaco. There have been decent races, even some good ones - I can live with one such race per year. But to claim that it is something special just because every Vastly Inane Pleb in the world is fawning around the grid is just sad. In motor racing terms, it's a substandard event.
2023 'Guess The Pole' Points & Accuracy Champion
If you don't vote now against fascism, you may never have that chance again...
Michael Ferner wrote: ↑11 months ago
I'm not even that anti Monaco. There have been decent races, even some good ones - I can live with one such race per year. But to claim that it is something special just because every Vastly Inane Pleb in the world is fawning around the grid is just sad. In motor racing terms, it's a substandard event.
1996... heck, 2023.
It was also nice when it was one of the few street circuits on the calendar. It was a different challenge. And it looked good too. You could see out over the Med going towards Portier.
But this year? 7 races in and 5 have been street circuits. Baku's architecture looks identical. And the view over the Mediterranean is now a construction site.
I don't dislike it either. But aside from "history", it offers nothing different these days.
Oscar Piastri in F1! Catch the fever! Vettel Hate Club. Life membership.
Michael Ferner wrote: ↑11 months ago
I'm not even that anti Monaco. There have been decent races, even some good ones - I can live with one such race per year. But to claim that it is something special just because every Vastly Inane Pleb in the world is fawning around the grid is just sad. In motor racing terms, it's a substandard event.
1996... heck, 2023.
It was also nice when it was one of the few street circuits on the calendar. It was a different challenge. And it looked good too. You could see out over the Med going towards Portier.
But this year? 7 races in and 5 have been street circuits. Baku's architecture looks identical. And the view over the Mediterranean is now a construction site.
I don't dislike it either. But aside from "history", it offers nothing different these days.
In modern Eff1:
Street circuits = Good
Fast circuits = Bad
What could warm the heart of Liberty more than fast cars going very slowly around a street circuit, allowing for plenty of lingering shots of sponsors logos in lovely 4k closeup. Much better than getting a coloured flash on screen as a car barrels through Eau Rouge. Plus, what zelebredee worth their salt wants to stand in a damp Belgian forest when they can be pictured on a yacht with a cocktail in hand in Monaco instead - after all, Eff1 is all about the famous “fans” now, isn’t it??
I love the IOM TT. It's an amazing event for all the reasons many of you have cited. However, it's a time trial and not a race. Therefore, it's not in the top spot for me. LeMans.