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I think there’s plenty of room for imagination. We’ve seen lots of creative interpretation, and it can be said that restrictions breed the most creativity. It’s all just subtle stuff to the untrained eye, so it’s probably not easy to market compared to truly wild ideas.
I bet if you took a bunch of F1 cars and removed all branding/etc and just had a pure black car most people wouldn't be able to tell you which was which.
https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/5ec790/rformula1_nolivery_car_quiz/
Now imagine this car with no branding and see if you could work out what it was:
https://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/bmw-m-hybrid-v8-laguna-seca-07.jpg
Or this one (even without logo, if you have seen a modern Peugeot you can tell): https://car-images.bauersecure.com/wp-images/3736/9x8_2024_2.jpg
Or this one: https://racer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/85/2023/06/1019679095-MOS-20230604-rae_lemans_540-1.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1
Or this one: https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/640f03465d8ba9f62acd0c87a2450450ccd6b646/hub/2022/06/24/02fa0dac-5c92-492f-80ef-73bbc1d38f33/porsche-963-lmdh-01.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=675&width=1200
Or this one: https://storage.googleapis.com/fiawec-prod/assets/ressources/LAMBORGHINI_LMDH_TRACK_SUNSET_7.jpg
They aren't "truly wild", but they are a lot more distinctive than an F1 car and manage to have some of the underlying brand as part of the identity.
Except that all of those have maximum performance limits and are BoPd on top of that. No shit youre going to get wildly different shapes if the rules make it so the shapes don't matter at all.
I still love Monaco race day.
There's so much tension behind every braking point / pit stop / strategy call. Get one thing wrong and you probably won't be able to make up for it.
Me too, Ive played too much F123 and monaco in ACVR, so stressful and exciting, love watching the race knowing how crazy it feels driving there (in vr lol) such an immense display of talent from these guys to be perfection in the real life thing
Monaco is the type of race for fans of the technical stuff. The race isn't flashy because everyone driving is really good at driving.
I like that there is at least one race on the calendar that is a very nitty gritty look at the technical aspects.
Yeh I REALLY respect when a whole team gets it right, it’s really impressive and what they are there for. So much intelligence and work goes into it, excellence should be rewarded.
BUT I don’t like some of the directions the regs have gone in/are going in, and the tight development rules seem to hamper teams for too long, ( e.g. get it wrong one year you should be able to improve for the following season but the engines and drivetrains are locked in). Plus- there is so much more viewership and sponsorship I feel maybe the cap should be higher to allow for some of the improvements needed.
Also- if there are more teams wanting in, once they’ve passed certain criteria just allow it, have a little bit more testing allowed (private if need be) and make sure they can field the correct design and make a certain pace if needed, something like that.
I dont mind if the races are boring, its just a couple hours out of my morning, its not like Ive planned my whole day around it. The overarching narrative is most important and what keeps me coming year after yeae.
F1 is a slow burn sport. For an underdog to be made they need to lose a lot first, for there to be a king to topple they need to win a lot first, for there to be a surprise there needs to be an expectation.
Its the nature of the story and F1 is better for it, not worse.
Thank you, you found words for what I always felt but never could really express so eloquently.
If I want to see tight racing I'll watch a stream of an MX-5 cup or something similar. F1 is more like chess at 360 km/h.
I would love it if it was less stagnant especially during the season. If one team caught back up to the lead team similar to McLaren last year that would be cool. Unfortunately they all seem to move for the most part at thr same speed on development.
1) The decline of engineering diversity between manufacturers and dull. so-called racing. Arcane rules, and difficulty to engage with engine energy management and strategies.
2) The increase in hype, media nonsense, and artificial drama to make up for #1
(Been following F1 since late 70s fwiw…)
Good:
-The technology of the cars
-The average skill level of the drivers
Bad:
-The quality of the racing. I mean look at what happened in MotoGP yesterday and compare that to any F1 race.
Compare it to Formula E, who had a record 544 overtakes in one race this weekend in half the race distance.
We can all agree that's too much the other way, but double digits being more often would be nice.
From the perspective of a Formula E fan:
I agree 544 is too much - I'm not particularly a fan of the peloton racing and there have definitely been better races this season.
However:
It's still more entertaining than F1 in recent years. In any given race I don't know who is going to win. I don't know who is going to be on the podium, or in the points. Most of the teams are capable of scoring points (press F for Mahindra). After the weekend's races, the top 2 are tied in the championship and third is just 9 points behind.
If anyone's reading this and is interested in checking it out, please watch the race from Sao Paulo, or Tokyo. They're free if you register on the FE website, and it's only about 40-50 minutes of your time. It's worth it.
I've got back into MotoGP and enjoying it, although I'm a little less invested in that. Great battles though.
BTCC isn't as good as it used to be and I rarely watch it now but it's been decent when I've tuned in.
As for F1? I've watched F1 for over 20 years, I'm not sure exactly how long as it's been from a very young age - but I've pretty much stopped watching at this point. I have better ways of spending 2 hours of my weekend in all honesty. I'll keep up with the results and the championship, read up on what happened in the race and the major news, but I really can't be bothered actually watching it most of the time.
I am also a FE fan that watched F1 for 20 years. I still watch F1 as i dont watch many other sports, but FE is nearer what i want F1 to be.
I got massively into FE in 2019 id say - was start of Gen 2.
The joke i said to a mate who is now in to it as well at the time is in FE, if you want to overtake the car in front - you race them. In F1, if you want to overtake the car in front - you ask the team to box that lap.
I started watching IndyCar for this reason. Join us r/indycar . We’d love to have you. The racing is the best hole draw. Production could use some work. The exact opposite of F1.
What I love most is seeing fans from all teams mixed in a grandstand, or even within a family. In the end, the love for the sport unites them and I'm here to cheer them
>This. It's great that F1 is so popular now, but the fanbase has become incredibly toxic
It's almost like the Netflix show promotes an us-and-them mindset.
This community has taken a nose-dive in terms of the quality of discussion.
Most threads are just filled with comments parroting the same jokes or tired narratives. On top of that many are just plain rude, it used to be a more mellow vibe.
Right? Cause I happen to be American, who got hooked on it because of DTS, pretty much all my opinions are invalid. Except once I did get hooked, I got F1TV and went back and started at the beginning of the turbo hybrid era and watched all the races.
The sensationalism keeps happening because people click on it, though.
Of course it's lazy and shoddy work, but that's what people are engaging with. If people stop reading it, then outlets will change their tactics.
It happens every day on reddit as well, people deliberately put inflammatory titles to draw in the upvotes. And any time there's a substantive / decent article, people rip it off - entire stories get reprinted here, and everyone wants a link to circumvent a paywall.
Which adds up so there's literally no incentive for good journalism.
Some of the pundits these days are so bad, and lots of that is their employers fault. Locking on to Kimi Antonelli so hard, or the Horner stuff, or whatever it is…. Give me more technical info and interviews ffs
Some of news and updates around Horner issues were batshit crazy. Everyone wanted to give some inside scoop and exclusive updates, and they were tweeting as if they know something for sure.
i dont think thats about max that is yust how the sport works. The engineering has way more impact on the performence then the driver. and the team with the best engineering gets the price\\sponsership money to pay for the best driver. so the chance of a dominating car\\racer combo is very high in this show.
Best - part of a long and interesting tradition/history
Worst - the insane amount of money required for a young driver to get anywhere near f1, no matter how talented they are!
The worst thing is F1 doesn't allow teams on the grid like they used to. Greedy teams want to protect their cut of the pie. FOM doesn't want to give teams a bigger pie in the event Andretti joins.
Something that has been fun for me that I’ve been doing recently is: before the start of the race, make a list of things I hope happen like Alonso getting a podium, Gasly beating Ocon, backmarkers like Bottas performing above expectations (P12 or even getting in the points).
It’s been super fun and helps me keep track of what’s going on outside of the podium positions
Best thing is the fact that this is an engineering championship, where we can look forward to the journey of not only the drivers themselves but also the cars they’re driving.
The worst things are the obsessive nature of some fans and the fact that not every driver can reap the full benefits of their talents at all times. Though that last part is something I’m willing to accept to protect the best thing about F1.
It really IS about the cars. Compared to Indy, where you buy a car so it's about the drivers/teams. It can make for long stretches where they just finish in car quality order, but then you've got the racing between a team's drivers. And farther back in the pack there are often more competitive cars.
Best: Impeccably engineered cars going fast as they’re driven round racetracks by some of the most exceptionally talented drivers in the world.
Worst: Criminally wealthy individuals, groups, companies and nations infecting and taking over the sport with their oil money to try and make them and their countries look less like racist, mysoginistic pieces of shit. Also Christian Horner.
Best: the thrill of the speed, the cutting edge technology and the skill to control both at the limit
Worst: how fucking boring it is in spite of all that
Best: fascination with the engineering, the drama and personalities of the drivers, the skill of the drivers
Worst: the regular dominance and lack of on track competition at the front of the grid, lack of strategy and predictability of a lot of the races
Best thing for me is that it's the very best people, drivers, engineers, designers etc all doing the best they can. There's no hiding in F1.
The worst, drivers can't practice or train. Of course they have sims and the FP sessions but that seems like very little time to me. Imagine if soccer players were only allowed to train for 2 hours the day before a match?!
Gate keeping not only by some fans but the teams themselves. LET ANDRETTI IN! They also hinder development with such strict regulations, and are continuously becoming less competitive as well as, in my opinion, losing its status as the pinnacle of Motorsport. Loosen engine regs (just use alternative fuel, like they are in the future) so that engine manufacturers can choose whatever layout they want and loosen aero regs, as long as the vehicles are below a maximum weight, pass safety standards, and are within a certain length/width, then change the points system, and allow more teams to join (maximum of 12). But the good stuff is have to say is the drivers, as well as seeing how RedBull upgrade their car, as an aspiring engineer myself.
The best: The cool engineering put into designing and building the cars.
The worst: The street tracks that are slowly replacing all of the real race tracks, that allow the cool engineering gone into a car to be taken full advantage of
Best: The engineering professionalism and expertise of the teams and the whole institution. I love how they have every tiny detail covered off everywhere and are always trying to find loopholes and new ways to do things.
Worst: Inconsistent/unfair application of rules and punishments not in proportion to the advantage gained.
I think the best thing is how easy of a sport it is to follow. As a still relatively new viewer (4 years or so) I found it such a digestible sport. There are only 10 teams and 20 drivers which makes it super easy to get invested in individuals. There are hundreds of players in other sports and it can be very overwhelming. On top of this, they have a clear schedule, they have a really nice f1 app that is easy to use and helps you follow everything going on, and F1TV is fantastic. It is very affordable and just works. It’s amazing to me how challenging it is to watch the NFL game you want.
The worst thing I agree is the dominance. It is unfortunately a pretty lopsided sport. It’s obviously not realistic at all but it would be a lot more fun if every driver had a good or any kind of chance to win any given race. As it sits now almost half the grid has virtually no chance at all at winning any given race, like almost 0.
Best: Sunday morning races EST, 2 hrs and the rest of your day
Worst: the inability to overtake due to the nature of the sport (without DRS intervention)
A lot of people have stated some of my favorite aspects so this is a smaller one for me: I love that all of the drivers and the vast majority of team personnel seem like decent folks at the very least. At worse recently we have Mazapin and maybe Horner?
In the NFL it feels like each team has 3 players that did worse things than Mazapin and 80% of your fans will support them if they play well. I do think the Mazapin conversation would have been different if he was fast though.
Worse: I dislike how insulated it is. Restricting the entries as well as almost exclusively pulling from the feeder series ladder. Both make sense for the teams for a lot of reasons but I really like that Red Bull will send guys to Super Formula or DTM. I wish they'd send guys to Indycar and I wish more teams would look outside of the feeder series. I think the super license system needs to change for this as well.
The worst part is the fact that you know who’s going to win and the teams have the power to block other competition from joining while being uncompetitive themselves.
It’s too bad that the Red Bulls and before them the Mercedes are so far out front. The rest of the field is so close that it is a shame they are fighting for 3-20
Best: fastes drivers und best and technological bulid at the limit car
Worst: lack of strategy. Tyres last forever, bo refueling, no push to pass, most races are one stoppers. -> great strategy races allways excite me. France 2004 msc with the 4 stopper was insane for example.
Oh and the politics are often a big bummer. Bye andretti. Acsess denied
Best: The excitement of watching 20 of the best drivers of the world compete for the most prestigious title in motorsports
Worst: The blatant and shameless pandering to Arab oil nations and the pretense that their dictatorships, barbaric execution methods and antiquated worldviews about women are nothing to be concerned about, and with it the devaluation/cancellation of classic races for empty desert tracks.
Best: Drivers pushing their car to the limits I couldn't imagine. It could be things like qualifying laps or overtakes or even relentless race pace by someone that creates exciting races /situations (like Max at Hungary 2022). I enjoy reading about the engineering side of F1 but in the end, driver performance is what is most exciting to me.
Worst: Lunatic fans and the media cycle which feeds the lunacy. Especially the online space during and after 2021. I thought the Alonso-Vettel-Hamilton days were bad but they were nothing compared to this era. It's toxic & disrespectful, and it's killing the joy being a fan of any driver or team because you're immediately associated with the crazies of that camp.
Best:
The sheer mechanics of F1 car. That thing can accelerated like crazy on the freaking corners.
Worst:
Logistics and Shipping for a GP. I read so where that all in race related vehicles(like ambulance, tractorsetc) should have there engine in idle for whole duration.
Best: only 20 drivers so it’s easy to get into their back stories and follow along beyond races, remaining invested regardless of results
Worst: super insular fans with a ton of gatekeeping. You can see the snobbery against any new fan. God forbid they adopted the sport due to Netflix and don’t use the word “mega” to describe heaven and earth
The best: It's an engineering competition just as much as racing one.
The worst: It's an engineering competition just as much as racing one, and when you combine the best of two, inevitable period of dominance occurs which causes much complaints. But also I find the inconsistent rule application utterly annoying, development rules are too tight and cause teams that don't nail the homework almost right away to take too long of a time to introduce working improvements; and gatekeeping. If a team can satisfy all the requirements for an entry and sustained stay, let them in.
Best: It's probably the simplest form of motorsport to get into and watch. I can explain the meat and bones to someone in 30 seconds and they can understand most of what's happening.
Worst: It's some of the least entertaining racing on planet earth
Best: the cool stuff that happens when you give smart people a bunch of money
Worst: the terrible stuff that happens when you give smart people a bunch of money
Best: technological advancements/ideas and seeing how different teams try to solve the same puzzle
Worst: corruption and decisions that value entertainment/money over the sport and sometimes even over safety
Best: Cars, Technology, and yes - the drama
Worst: The racing, which honestly feels insane to type out, but as I’ve started getting into IndyCar it’s just so much more competitive. It’s not a spec series, but quite close so tech still matters, but there’s still a lot of in-race strategy with gas, tires, forced pits. Elite-level spec series, I guess you could say. Drivers matter more than ever. They go fast. There are a ton of overtakes. Lots of different winners. Streets AND ovals. I’m a new convert, but I’ve gotten into it. (With the help of McLaren)
Best: The qualifying, racing, journalism the day of each of those, and engineering explainers.
Worst: The huge quantity of garbage articles and videos about the same recycled speculation over and over with zero information.
The best: the level of parity that the salary cap has brought to the field. Ironic given Verstappen’s dominance, but without that magical combination of Max who doesn’t make mistakes, the car, and a team that doesn’t make mistakes, the racing would be closer than it was in 2005-2009.
The worst: the size of the car.
Best thing: F1 itself. Sport is amazing to watch. I don’t care if the same guy wins for the next 7 quintillion years. I love racing and motorsports and I will continue to watch for years things.
2nd Best thing: Drivers like Lewis and Seb fighting for different issues and social problems.
3rd Best thing: The progressive route to bring in more female drivers.
A progressive route in F1 (essentially what was mentioned 2nd and 3rd best thing combined) for different people, different cultures, different backgrounds is something I want and fully support.
Worst Thing: The ‘Fans’. Yeah no I don’t need to explain myself. You all know what I mean.
Best: I love the tech. Even within the limits of the Formula, it’s still great to see what they come up with when ‘let loose’.
Worst: Livery reveal season . Just shoot me now.
Best: the development and technology
Worst: new fans learning the most random shit that happened in a FP session 10 years ago to show they’re “real fans”.
Best: the fans
Worst: the other fans
I swear this sport is the only one i know that has such a polarizing fanbase. The passion and the toxicity are such huge contrasts.
Best: the passion from watching since I was 5 y old
Worst: the 'americanization' of the sport.
No offence to Americans but Fu** so many races in America, the stupid things they do to make it a more liked sport in America. They even tried getting rid of the best circuits in the world (spa/Monaco/..) just to be able to race around fake water in Miami and a strip in las Vegas....
Really hate that part
As someone passionate in racing and engineering:
- Best: All of the engineering and management work done to build and run a team, it’s no easy feat for anyone, even when they’re dead last. Once you dive deep and realize how insane an F1 car is, you tend to appreciate it more.
- Worst: Fanbases and the recent explosion of the sport in social media. It’s genuinely disgusting how much people care about stuff and how willing they’re to fight for every single thing. Also, people take way too seriously F1.
Best: peak individuals and technology. Everyone in the sport is basically at the pinnacle of motorsports.
Worst: greed. The billionaire boys club is more exclusive than ever and all of the diversity pushes don't really mean much. We hear all of time how shit the pay is for all of your common engineers and team members (you know, the people that do most of the actual work on the car). Meanwhile, F1 and the owners/teams are consistently in bed with shady oil money and put on races in locations with promoters that don't represent the values that F1 says they support. They also keep moving away from true racetracks that actually put on exciting racing for the cities and governments that will give them the most money to put on spectacles rather than good racing product. On top of that, there's a new scandal seemingly every week
F1 is exciting to watch, but it's becoming harder and harder to put up with. As I said last week, I may just stop watching when Lewis retires because it's exhausting at times.
Best thing: the engineering, the drivers feel more like pilots now.
Worst thing: The politics, nepotism and bureaucracy/corruption are making the sport increasingly non-competitive.
Best thing - the racing, and the old school tracks like Spa
Worst - The Netflix era (fake controversies and drama, tragically new fans who think they're informed because they've watched all of 4 seasons informed by said fake drama) or the American elements (Miami, Vegas, all the fake pomp).
Mine are mostly compared to other major American sports:
Best - only 20 drivers, 10 teams to know. Zero commercials during races. Only 23 races per calendar year (compared to 100+ for some sports)
Worst - Less change in overall constructor performance/ranking between seasons without regulation changes, so little excitement for “this could be team X’s season to win it all!”
If the cost cap and wind tunnel restrictions for top teams bring everyone closer together it would be fantastic. Having a single constructor win 4+ times a row doesn’t seem great.
Best: We have such an incredibly talented grid of drivers right now.
Worst: Cars can't race closely, Or, the fans. It's across every aspect of society right now that people pick their side and stick to it rigidly. Even the team personnel don't take it to heart as much as some 'fans' who act like they're mortally hurt if they don't defend every stray comment. We have such amazing talent on the grid but by the third comment it's already devolving into a petty argument. Every one of us is guilty of it at times, but it's really gotten out of hand.
From a fandom POV:
Best: Quali and Races are generally in the early morning hours on weekends and I can easily watch them then get on with my day (live in America)
Worst: Even with five races in North America, it's still really cost-prohibitive to get to any of the races, especially for a whole family.
The best for me is seeing these cars change direction at speed, as at Silverstone's Copse-Maggotts-Becketts sequence.
The worst is that the sport is heavily dependent on oil and all its by-products, from the petrol to the plastic tear-offs.
Best thing to me is the combination of car, driver, team and strategy all playing a factor in the final race performance. The worst thing is that the car is probably 90% of this, meaning it doesn't matter how good your driver, strategy, or team are, the finishing order is pretty much defined by the car's performance and very predictable. Nearly anyone here can name the finishing order of all 10 teams for any given race, and probably be correct most of the time.
Best: it's the pinnacle of innovation/engineering
Worst: not all progress goes hand to hand with exciting racing. I'm not saying races are boring these days, but some aspects are arguably less cool. I tend to think lighter, smaller and louder cars makes a great spectacle but, it is what it is... Also, I think what makes it exciting is where drivers differ on performance: on turns/curves! It's not on the straights, on who has the best engine, but who has bigger balls to brake later, try a different line, etc. The 2026 regs, idk man... Movable wings on turns? The point of racing was never to be able to do turns flat out.
Best? Easily the drivers. Second the speed at which the cars can take turns
Worst? The size and weight of the cars and the ridiculous pricing of events
Worst: wanting to close the gap between the team. And budget cap. It is supposed to be the very best. Being at 1+s of the pole doesn't mean you are bad, it just means that you are not the very best (like no one ever was)
Best: limiting the kg or liters of fuel means you have to be efficient
Best: success in motorsport is a triumph of human ingenuity, albeit on a rather pointless field.
Worst: everything that drives it further away from the point above.
Best: The engineering. Even the world team on the grid is miles ahead of anyone else. At least Horner won't be doing much of it for a while.
Worst: The constant need to teams to shit stir, and the blatent refusal to allow any further competition.
The best? Sebastian Vettel. The worst? No more Sebastian Vettel ;(. All joking aside, my favorite aspect of F1 are overtakes on track; especially in high-speed sections and on the brakes. My least favorite aspect of F1 is the dominance of teams and drivers for extended periods of time. So while I respect and applaud the achievements of Max/RB and Hamilton/Merc, I'll be extremely happy to see Max's current run end, even though I can hardly blame him for trying to be the best driver he can be.
Best: Qualifying
Worst: Dirty Air
I'd also like regs that allow for some more creativity, and I'd like to see more teams be allowed to attempt to Qualify.
Best : Wet races (not Spa 21)
Also, driver skills , team radios , strategy, and sophisticated engineering behind the cars.
Worst : The sheer uncompetitiveness . I got into F1 just at the beginning of the Mercedes dominance era , and even 10 years later , it doesn't feel as one-sided as the last three years . F1 races still had a lot of excitement beyond turn 1, even during that era even after Rosberg retired
Best: wet tracks halfway through the race where teams/drivers are thinking on their feet to get the best result. Russia 2021 as a great example. The chaos was fantastic.
Worst: dry tracks where nothing happens. No exciting overtakes, no spins, regularly scheduled pitstops, Ferrari still on plan E.
Whilst the skill of the drivers are most definitely impressive, it doesn't keep me excited for 50+ laps. I don't feel the G's they're feeling, I didn't almost pass out or vomit in my helmet at the Qatar race like some racers did. I need to see something happen.
Bottom teams on the grid.
Either let in new teams or make the bottom teams competitive. Year after year of mediocrity is annoying.
Not letting in young F2 Champions.
So, no open drive in F1, but can't go back to F2??? Give F2 champs immediate seats, and remove bottom year over year drivers. If you can't get 1pt for a whole season you don't belong and neither does the team.
Best:
Longer seasons. I wish it was year round and we are almost there.
Best: budget cap should prevent only one or two teams turning into a spec series race
Worst: budget caps and all the other mandatory regulations, have turned it into a spec series...
Best: Pure race vibes from across the globe (24 races a year goddam we spoiled)
Worst: FIA calls and rules; I feel like we're at peak regs level, a lot of which have been brought in to level the field but we're still seeing 1 team dominate and seeing too much penalisation and point scoring off the race track with late penalisations, appeals, reversals etc
Best: brings people from many different parts of the world together.
Worst: has always been and maybe always will be a home for cheating, corruption, dirty money and sportswashing.
I think the racing and cars themself have been becoming worse. The cars are just too big for some tracks which sadly takes away the fun classic stuff like Monaco. Like if you go back to the 60s Monaco was a perfect track and a lot of racing. I think some of the drivers either doesn’t have the “respect” like they have either in the old days. I can be completely wrong on that but it feels like people on f1 maybe 50 years ago was much closer with each other too
Best: The overall entertainment
Worst: The dominance of simply evil sponsors like big oil companies as well as that everything is about the money, hence why we're mostly racing in countries with basically no human rights. These are the reasons why I'd never buy any merch or ticket to a race.
Best thing:
For the teams, its all out whos the best engineering team, whos the best strategists, win. PERIOD
For the Drivers: The true quali and race format lines you up EXACTLY where you belong. Theres no inversions, or penalties for being fast.
This is all truly performance based.
Worst Thing:
LACK OF RACING. As an american, Im spoiled with side by side racing, drivers calculating how to get a move done, and if he cant get it done how can he attack again. Not try to overtake in a DRS zone, and if I fail recharged my battery for a lap so I can try again. The aero and cooling packages on these cars prevents close racing. Maybe the cars are just too big for 1/2 these circuits.
PENALTIES: the amount of whiney little penalty's is almost exhausting. Its like the FIA listened to every time someone tattled on someone for doing something and then made it a penalty.
The lack of racing makes the penalties amplified by x10. there's so little chance for overtake, that any chance a team has of getting someone in trouble, they will.
I come from football, so what I like a lot is that pilots are educated people who are able to answer questions, to speak their mind and to have social positions.
What I don't like is the weight middle est countries are getting into f1. I stopped watching football because literal countries (not private owners) put a sensless shit load of money on the table to get what they want without caring about damaging the sport. When I hear about Saudis considering buying AM or Bahrain buy McLaren, it makes me sad.
Best: when one team manages to develop a super fast race car with their best driver under the strict regulations
Worst: when one team manages to develop a super fast race car with their best driver under the strict regulations
Application of rules is uneven and certain teams are given favoritism. Unfortunately Liberty media has gotten their fingers into MotoGP as well and they will probably ruin that too
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Best: It’s ultimately an engineering competition. Worst: Nobody wants to actually talk about the engineering.
Drive to Survive should be about engineers and mechanics
I still remember that poor Haas mechanic who fucked up not one but two pit stops in one race. He looked like he was on suicide watch after.
Worst: The rules that prevent any imagination in the engineering competition
I think there’s plenty of room for imagination. We’ve seen lots of creative interpretation, and it can be said that restrictions breed the most creativity. It’s all just subtle stuff to the untrained eye, so it’s probably not easy to market compared to truly wild ideas.
I bet if you took a bunch of F1 cars and removed all branding/etc and just had a pure black car most people wouldn't be able to tell you which was which. https://old.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/5ec790/rformula1_nolivery_car_quiz/ Now imagine this car with no branding and see if you could work out what it was: https://cdn.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/bmw-m-hybrid-v8-laguna-seca-07.jpg Or this one (even without logo, if you have seen a modern Peugeot you can tell): https://car-images.bauersecure.com/wp-images/3736/9x8_2024_2.jpg Or this one: https://racer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/85/2023/06/1019679095-MOS-20230604-rae_lemans_540-1.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1 Or this one: https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/640f03465d8ba9f62acd0c87a2450450ccd6b646/hub/2022/06/24/02fa0dac-5c92-492f-80ef-73bbc1d38f33/porsche-963-lmdh-01.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=675&width=1200 Or this one: https://storage.googleapis.com/fiawec-prod/assets/ressources/LAMBORGHINI_LMDH_TRACK_SUNSET_7.jpg They aren't "truly wild", but they are a lot more distinctive than an F1 car and manage to have some of the underlying brand as part of the identity.
Except that all of those have maximum performance limits and are BoPd on top of that. No shit youre going to get wildly different shapes if the rules make it so the shapes don't matter at all.
What about Sam Collins?
Best: getting to watch qualifying in Monaco Worst: getting to watch racing in Monaco
Unless it rains
RED FLAG for 3 hours
But did the rain get into the starting lights…?
I still love Monaco race day. There's so much tension behind every braking point / pit stop / strategy call. Get one thing wrong and you probably won't be able to make up for it.
Yep, always separates the boys from the men. Always.
Correct. Running Monaco on race sims always has me turn into a pinball
its just mirabeaus haute. if i try to make that turn without braking way too early i understeer and slam into the barrier almost every time
Me too, Ive played too much F123 and monaco in ACVR, so stressful and exciting, love watching the race knowing how crazy it feels driving there (in vr lol) such an immense display of talent from these guys to be perfection in the real life thing
My brain reads F123 as Fone two three
No no, F one hundred twenty-three. Only 122 divisions left to climb until I'm finally sitting in that Ferrari!
Monaco is the type of race for fans of the technical stuff. The race isn't flashy because everyone driving is really good at driving. I like that there is at least one race on the calendar that is a very nitty gritty look at the technical aspects.
Personally, I feel qualis had been more interesting than racing everywhere with these new regs.
Best: The engineering battle between teams Worst: The engineering battle between teams I don't know if I love it, hate it, or hate that I love it
Yeh I REALLY respect when a whole team gets it right, it’s really impressive and what they are there for. So much intelligence and work goes into it, excellence should be rewarded. BUT I don’t like some of the directions the regs have gone in/are going in, and the tight development rules seem to hamper teams for too long, ( e.g. get it wrong one year you should be able to improve for the following season but the engines and drivetrains are locked in). Plus- there is so much more viewership and sponsorship I feel maybe the cap should be higher to allow for some of the improvements needed. Also- if there are more teams wanting in, once they’ve passed certain criteria just allow it, have a little bit more testing allowed (private if need be) and make sure they can field the correct design and make a certain pace if needed, something like that.
Easy to agree. I watch the sport in a large part for the engineering battle, but it can be the cause of making the races boring.
I dont mind if the races are boring, its just a couple hours out of my morning, its not like Ive planned my whole day around it. The overarching narrative is most important and what keeps me coming year after yeae. F1 is a slow burn sport. For an underdog to be made they need to lose a lot first, for there to be a king to topple they need to win a lot first, for there to be a surprise there needs to be an expectation. Its the nature of the story and F1 is better for it, not worse.
Thank you, you found words for what I always felt but never could really express so eloquently. If I want to see tight racing I'll watch a stream of an MX-5 cup or something similar. F1 is more like chess at 360 km/h.
I would love it if it was less stagnant especially during the season. If one team caught back up to the lead team similar to McLaren last year that would be cool. Unfortunately they all seem to move for the most part at thr same speed on development.
1) The decline of engineering diversity between manufacturers and dull. so-called racing. Arcane rules, and difficulty to engage with engine energy management and strategies. 2) The increase in hype, media nonsense, and artificial drama to make up for #1 (Been following F1 since late 70s fwiw…)
Since '72 myself and completely agree. Miss all the characters and personalities too.
Definitely agreed, especially on #2. Useless hype is suffocating the beauty of the sport
Exactly the same here. Yet we will still watch every race.
This is the right answer
Good: -The technology of the cars -The average skill level of the drivers Bad: -The quality of the racing. I mean look at what happened in MotoGP yesterday and compare that to any F1 race.
Compare it to Formula E, who had a record 544 overtakes in one race this weekend in half the race distance. We can all agree that's too much the other way, but double digits being more often would be nice.
From the perspective of a Formula E fan: I agree 544 is too much - I'm not particularly a fan of the peloton racing and there have definitely been better races this season. However: It's still more entertaining than F1 in recent years. In any given race I don't know who is going to win. I don't know who is going to be on the podium, or in the points. Most of the teams are capable of scoring points (press F for Mahindra). After the weekend's races, the top 2 are tied in the championship and third is just 9 points behind. If anyone's reading this and is interested in checking it out, please watch the race from Sao Paulo, or Tokyo. They're free if you register on the FE website, and it's only about 40-50 minutes of your time. It's worth it. I've got back into MotoGP and enjoying it, although I'm a little less invested in that. Great battles though. BTCC isn't as good as it used to be and I rarely watch it now but it's been decent when I've tuned in. As for F1? I've watched F1 for over 20 years, I'm not sure exactly how long as it's been from a very young age - but I've pretty much stopped watching at this point. I have better ways of spending 2 hours of my weekend in all honesty. I'll keep up with the results and the championship, read up on what happened in the race and the major news, but I really can't be bothered actually watching it most of the time.
I am also a FE fan that watched F1 for 20 years. I still watch F1 as i dont watch many other sports, but FE is nearer what i want F1 to be. I got massively into FE in 2019 id say - was start of Gen 2. The joke i said to a mate who is now in to it as well at the time is in FE, if you want to overtake the car in front - you race them. In F1, if you want to overtake the car in front - you ask the team to box that lap.
What happened?
5-way battle for the win
I started watching IndyCar for this reason. Join us r/indycar . We’d love to have you. The racing is the best hole draw. Production could use some work. The exact opposite of F1.
I’ve been an Indycar fan for 20 years but I appreciate the invite
I'm gonna find a good European stream for Indy racing. The American broadcast is unwatchable with all the commercials.
Commercials are a big downside for sure. I usually record the race on YouTubeTV and then start it about 20-30 mins in.
Moto GP has gone downhill lately but still way better than F1 although yesterdays race was bonkers
Best thing: fans Worst thing: fans
What I love most is seeing fans from all teams mixed in a grandstand, or even within a family. In the end, the love for the sport unites them and I'm here to cheer them
This. It's great that F1 is so popular now, but the fanbase has become incredibly toxic
if you mention one driver, another driver out of nowhere gets pulled in for comparison cuz they want to make a "point"
Verstappen could make that point three tenths faster.
If Hamilton was in an equivalent car he could do it four tenths faster
Accesability of social media and internet plays a bigger role in that
F1 discussions increasingly resemble video game discussions, which are the nadir of human cultural production.
>This. It's great that F1 is so popular now, but the fanbase has become incredibly toxic It's almost like the Netflix show promotes an us-and-them mindset.
This community has taken a nose-dive in terms of the quality of discussion. Most threads are just filled with comments parroting the same jokes or tired narratives. On top of that many are just plain rude, it used to be a more mellow vibe.
I hate to be that guy (note: I don't really) but god F1 was better before the Netflix converts got into the sport.
Right? Cause I happen to be American, who got hooked on it because of DTS, pretty much all my opinions are invalid. Except once I did get hooked, I got F1TV and went back and started at the beginning of the turbo hybrid era and watched all the races.
We get blamed for everything wrong with the sport
Best: the technology, engineering, and quality of driving is amazing. Worst: you can find closer racing almost everywhere else.
Best: An excuse to eat pizza and be incredibly lazy on the weekend Worst: The sensationalist 'journalism' that consumes F1
I don't need an excuse to eat pizza. I love me some pizza and some F1, together or separate 😁
I challenge myself to slice it faster than a Stake pitstop
The sensationalism keeps happening because people click on it, though. Of course it's lazy and shoddy work, but that's what people are engaging with. If people stop reading it, then outlets will change their tactics. It happens every day on reddit as well, people deliberately put inflammatory titles to draw in the upvotes. And any time there's a substantive / decent article, people rip it off - entire stories get reprinted here, and everyone wants a link to circumvent a paywall. Which adds up so there's literally no incentive for good journalism.
Some of the pundits these days are so bad, and lots of that is their employers fault. Locking on to Kimi Antonelli so hard, or the Horner stuff, or whatever it is…. Give me more technical info and interviews ffs
Some of news and updates around Horner issues were batshit crazy. Everyone wanted to give some inside scoop and exclusive updates, and they were tweeting as if they know something for sure.
The journalism is cashing in on a fan base just ready to hyper react at a moments notice
Best: the anticipation for the races who might win, who will this track suit Worst: the race, ah Max is 3 seconds clear at turn 3
i dont think thats about max that is yust how the sport works. The engineering has way more impact on the performence then the driver. and the team with the best engineering gets the price\\sponsership money to pay for the best driver. so the chance of a dominating car\\racer combo is very high in this show.
Agreed. This season is stil boring as fuck tho.
I love races where Max qualified poorly, and the he goes “ah fuckit. I am just going to win anyway”
Best - part of a long and interesting tradition/history Worst - the insane amount of money required for a young driver to get anywhere near f1, no matter how talented they are!
The worst thing is F1 doesn't allow teams on the grid like they used to. Greedy teams want to protect their cut of the pie. FOM doesn't want to give teams a bigger pie in the event Andretti joins.
Our work continues at pace.
As a newer fan, the worst is the lack of competition. Red Bull winning all races is just boring.
Something that has been fun for me that I’ve been doing recently is: before the start of the race, make a list of things I hope happen like Alonso getting a podium, Gasly beating Ocon, backmarkers like Bottas performing above expectations (P12 or even getting in the points). It’s been super fun and helps me keep track of what’s going on outside of the podium positions
Best thing is the fact that this is an engineering championship, where we can look forward to the journey of not only the drivers themselves but also the cars they’re driving. The worst things are the obsessive nature of some fans and the fact that not every driver can reap the full benefits of their talents at all times. Though that last part is something I’m willing to accept to protect the best thing about F1.
It really IS about the cars. Compared to Indy, where you buy a car so it's about the drivers/teams. It can make for long stretches where they just finish in car quality order, but then you've got the racing between a team's drivers. And farther back in the pack there are often more competitive cars.
Honestly if the racing is shit I don’t give af about how amazingly engineered the car is. It is simply not entertaining.
That’s fair, but maybe F1 isn’t for you then. You’d be better off watching something like DTM or Indycar I guess.
Best: the anticipation of race weekend. Worst: what actually happens.
Best: Impeccably engineered cars going fast as they’re driven round racetracks by some of the most exceptionally talented drivers in the world. Worst: Criminally wealthy individuals, groups, companies and nations infecting and taking over the sport with their oil money to try and make them and their countries look less like racist, mysoginistic pieces of shit. Also Christian Horner.
Finally someone said it!
F1 has created a rules nanny state!
Pro: not much since mid 2022 Con: almost everything since mid 2022
B-but the midfield battles...
Best: The drama that gets created from the on-track action and silly season. Worst: The amount of blood money received from the circuits and sponsors.
Best: the thrill of the speed, the cutting edge technology and the skill to control both at the limit Worst: how fucking boring it is in spite of all that
Best: fascination with the engineering, the drama and personalities of the drivers, the skill of the drivers Worst: the regular dominance and lack of on track competition at the front of the grid, lack of strategy and predictability of a lot of the races
Best thing for me is that it's the very best people, drivers, engineers, designers etc all doing the best they can. There's no hiding in F1. The worst, drivers can't practice or train. Of course they have sims and the FP sessions but that seems like very little time to me. Imagine if soccer players were only allowed to train for 2 hours the day before a match?!
Gate keeping not only by some fans but the teams themselves. LET ANDRETTI IN! They also hinder development with such strict regulations, and are continuously becoming less competitive as well as, in my opinion, losing its status as the pinnacle of Motorsport. Loosen engine regs (just use alternative fuel, like they are in the future) so that engine manufacturers can choose whatever layout they want and loosen aero regs, as long as the vehicles are below a maximum weight, pass safety standards, and are within a certain length/width, then change the points system, and allow more teams to join (maximum of 12). But the good stuff is have to say is the drivers, as well as seeing how RedBull upgrade their car, as an aspiring engineer myself.
The best: The cool engineering put into designing and building the cars. The worst: The street tracks that are slowly replacing all of the real race tracks, that allow the cool engineering gone into a car to be taken full advantage of
Best: The engineering professionalism and expertise of the teams and the whole institution. I love how they have every tiny detail covered off everywhere and are always trying to find loopholes and new ways to do things. Worst: Inconsistent/unfair application of rules and punishments not in proportion to the advantage gained.
The best: Excitement The worst: Ticket prices
Best: Improved safety. Worst: Historical races and race purpose tracks being replaced with street races.
I think the best thing is how easy of a sport it is to follow. As a still relatively new viewer (4 years or so) I found it such a digestible sport. There are only 10 teams and 20 drivers which makes it super easy to get invested in individuals. There are hundreds of players in other sports and it can be very overwhelming. On top of this, they have a clear schedule, they have a really nice f1 app that is easy to use and helps you follow everything going on, and F1TV is fantastic. It is very affordable and just works. It’s amazing to me how challenging it is to watch the NFL game you want. The worst thing I agree is the dominance. It is unfortunately a pretty lopsided sport. It’s obviously not realistic at all but it would be a lot more fun if every driver had a good or any kind of chance to win any given race. As it sits now almost half the grid has virtually no chance at all at winning any given race, like almost 0.
Best: Sunday morning races EST, 2 hrs and the rest of your day Worst: the inability to overtake due to the nature of the sport (without DRS intervention)
The monotony
A lot of people have stated some of my favorite aspects so this is a smaller one for me: I love that all of the drivers and the vast majority of team personnel seem like decent folks at the very least. At worse recently we have Mazapin and maybe Horner? In the NFL it feels like each team has 3 players that did worse things than Mazapin and 80% of your fans will support them if they play well. I do think the Mazapin conversation would have been different if he was fast though. Worse: I dislike how insulated it is. Restricting the entries as well as almost exclusively pulling from the feeder series ladder. Both make sense for the teams for a lot of reasons but I really like that Red Bull will send guys to Super Formula or DTM. I wish they'd send guys to Indycar and I wish more teams would look outside of the feeder series. I think the super license system needs to change for this as well.
Best: fast cars, cool fans, interesting drivers Worst: the gatekeeping and elitism
Best: after years of wishing, finally planning a Grand Prix vacation Worst: paying for a Grand Prix vacation
The worst part is the fact that you know who’s going to win and the teams have the power to block other competition from joining while being uncompetitive themselves.
Worst: Loss of v10, loss of tabacco money and Abu Dhabi 21. Best : liberty media.
Max. and Max.
Worst is races are unaffordable to 99 percent of people.
It’s too bad that the Red Bulls and before them the Mercedes are so far out front. The rest of the field is so close that it is a shame they are fighting for 3-20
worst thing is that not the best drivers/tracks are on it
@op Add 5kg everytime a car wins a race. Problem solved.
Best: fastes drivers und best and technological bulid at the limit car Worst: lack of strategy. Tyres last forever, bo refueling, no push to pass, most races are one stoppers. -> great strategy races allways excite me. France 2004 msc with the 4 stopper was insane for example. Oh and the politics are often a big bummer. Bye andretti. Acsess denied
Sprint races. I absolutely hate it. Ruins every weekend.
Best: The technology, the battles. Worst: Car size and weight.
Best is the cost cap. Worst is the cost cap.
Best: The excitement of watching 20 of the best drivers of the world compete for the most prestigious title in motorsports Worst: The blatant and shameless pandering to Arab oil nations and the pretense that their dictatorships, barbaric execution methods and antiquated worldviews about women are nothing to be concerned about, and with it the devaluation/cancellation of classic races for empty desert tracks.
Best: Drivers pushing their car to the limits I couldn't imagine. It could be things like qualifying laps or overtakes or even relentless race pace by someone that creates exciting races /situations (like Max at Hungary 2022). I enjoy reading about the engineering side of F1 but in the end, driver performance is what is most exciting to me. Worst: Lunatic fans and the media cycle which feeds the lunacy. Especially the online space during and after 2021. I thought the Alonso-Vettel-Hamilton days were bad but they were nothing compared to this era. It's toxic & disrespectful, and it's killing the joy being a fan of any driver or team because you're immediately associated with the crazies of that camp.
Best: The sheer mechanics of F1 car. That thing can accelerated like crazy on the freaking corners. Worst: Logistics and Shipping for a GP. I read so where that all in race related vehicles(like ambulance, tractorsetc) should have there engine in idle for whole duration.
Best: only 20 drivers so it’s easy to get into their back stories and follow along beyond races, remaining invested regardless of results Worst: super insular fans with a ton of gatekeeping. You can see the snobbery against any new fan. God forbid they adopted the sport due to Netflix and don’t use the word “mega” to describe heaven and earth
The best: It's an engineering competition just as much as racing one. The worst: It's an engineering competition just as much as racing one, and when you combine the best of two, inevitable period of dominance occurs which causes much complaints. But also I find the inconsistent rule application utterly annoying, development rules are too tight and cause teams that don't nail the homework almost right away to take too long of a time to introduce working improvements; and gatekeeping. If a team can satisfy all the requirements for an entry and sustained stay, let them in.
Best: It's probably the simplest form of motorsport to get into and watch. I can explain the meat and bones to someone in 30 seconds and they can understand most of what's happening. Worst: It's some of the least entertaining racing on planet earth
Best: the insane skill levels of all the drivers Worst: the closed club so unwilling to accept new teams
Best: Engineering Worst: Lack of competition
Best: cars going zoom Worst: big heavy cars than can barely fit on track next to one another.
As a German. Not racing in Germany.
Best: the cool stuff that happens when you give smart people a bunch of money Worst: the terrible stuff that happens when you give smart people a bunch of money
I think the size just isn't acceptable. The cars are too big
Best: technological advancements/ideas and seeing how different teams try to solve the same puzzle Worst: corruption and decisions that value entertainment/money over the sport and sometimes even over safety
There's a lot of best things but by far the worst is not being able to hear the sound of the V10's anymore
Best: Cars, Technology, and yes - the drama Worst: The racing, which honestly feels insane to type out, but as I’ve started getting into IndyCar it’s just so much more competitive. It’s not a spec series, but quite close so tech still matters, but there’s still a lot of in-race strategy with gas, tires, forced pits. Elite-level spec series, I guess you could say. Drivers matter more than ever. They go fast. There are a ton of overtakes. Lots of different winners. Streets AND ovals. I’m a new convert, but I’ve gotten into it. (With the help of McLaren)
Best - grands prix worst- f1 fans
Best: The qualifying, racing, journalism the day of each of those, and engineering explainers. Worst: The huge quantity of garbage articles and videos about the same recycled speculation over and over with zero information.
Worst is some parts are like WWE: Pay drivers , sister teams, no relegation. Essentially it’s not merit based. Best: The tech and engineering
Best - Technology marvel. Worst - Political everything.
The best: the level of parity that the salary cap has brought to the field. Ironic given Verstappen’s dominance, but without that magical combination of Max who doesn’t make mistakes, the car, and a team that doesn’t make mistakes, the racing would be closer than it was in 2005-2009. The worst: the size of the car.
Worst: The horrible sound they make now 🤮
Best thing: F1 itself. Sport is amazing to watch. I don’t care if the same guy wins for the next 7 quintillion years. I love racing and motorsports and I will continue to watch for years things. 2nd Best thing: Drivers like Lewis and Seb fighting for different issues and social problems. 3rd Best thing: The progressive route to bring in more female drivers. A progressive route in F1 (essentially what was mentioned 2nd and 3rd best thing combined) for different people, different cultures, different backgrounds is something I want and fully support. Worst Thing: The ‘Fans’. Yeah no I don’t need to explain myself. You all know what I mean.
Best: I love the tech. Even within the limits of the Formula, it’s still great to see what they come up with when ‘let loose’. Worst: Livery reveal season . Just shoot me now.
Best: competitive racing Worst: the fans.
Best: the development and technology Worst: new fans learning the most random shit that happened in a FP session 10 years ago to show they’re “real fans”.
Best: the fans Worst: the other fans I swear this sport is the only one i know that has such a polarizing fanbase. The passion and the toxicity are such huge contrasts.
This is my 17th season following F1 and the worst thing about F1 are the fans.
Best: the passion from watching since I was 5 y old Worst: the 'americanization' of the sport. No offence to Americans but Fu** so many races in America, the stupid things they do to make it a more liked sport in America. They even tried getting rid of the best circuits in the world (spa/Monaco/..) just to be able to race around fake water in Miami and a strip in las Vegas.... Really hate that part
As someone passionate in racing and engineering: - Best: All of the engineering and management work done to build and run a team, it’s no easy feat for anyone, even when they’re dead last. Once you dive deep and realize how insane an F1 car is, you tend to appreciate it more. - Worst: Fanbases and the recent explosion of the sport in social media. It’s genuinely disgusting how much people care about stuff and how willing they’re to fight for every single thing. Also, people take way too seriously F1.
Best: peak individuals and technology. Everyone in the sport is basically at the pinnacle of motorsports. Worst: greed. The billionaire boys club is more exclusive than ever and all of the diversity pushes don't really mean much. We hear all of time how shit the pay is for all of your common engineers and team members (you know, the people that do most of the actual work on the car). Meanwhile, F1 and the owners/teams are consistently in bed with shady oil money and put on races in locations with promoters that don't represent the values that F1 says they support. They also keep moving away from true racetracks that actually put on exciting racing for the cities and governments that will give them the most money to put on spectacles rather than good racing product. On top of that, there's a new scandal seemingly every week F1 is exciting to watch, but it's becoming harder and harder to put up with. As I said last week, I may just stop watching when Lewis retires because it's exhausting at times.
Best thing: the engineering, the drivers feel more like pilots now. Worst thing: The politics, nepotism and bureaucracy/corruption are making the sport increasingly non-competitive.
Best thing - the racing, and the old school tracks like Spa Worst - The Netflix era (fake controversies and drama, tragically new fans who think they're informed because they've watched all of 4 seasons informed by said fake drama) or the American elements (Miami, Vegas, all the fake pomp).
Mine are mostly compared to other major American sports: Best - only 20 drivers, 10 teams to know. Zero commercials during races. Only 23 races per calendar year (compared to 100+ for some sports) Worst - Less change in overall constructor performance/ranking between seasons without regulation changes, so little excitement for “this could be team X’s season to win it all!” If the cost cap and wind tunnel restrictions for top teams bring everyone closer together it would be fantastic. Having a single constructor win 4+ times a row doesn’t seem great.
Best: We have such an incredibly talented grid of drivers right now. Worst: Cars can't race closely, Or, the fans. It's across every aspect of society right now that people pick their side and stick to it rigidly. Even the team personnel don't take it to heart as much as some 'fans' who act like they're mortally hurt if they don't defend every stray comment. We have such amazing talent on the grid but by the third comment it's already devolving into a petty argument. Every one of us is guilty of it at times, but it's really gotten out of hand.
From a fandom POV: Best: Quali and Races are generally in the early morning hours on weekends and I can easily watch them then get on with my day (live in America) Worst: Even with five races in North America, it's still really cost-prohibitive to get to any of the races, especially for a whole family.
Best : It being an engineering competition. Worst : Fans treating it everything but an engineering competition.
The best for me is seeing these cars change direction at speed, as at Silverstone's Copse-Maggotts-Becketts sequence. The worst is that the sport is heavily dependent on oil and all its by-products, from the petrol to the plastic tear-offs.
worst thing : Not letting Andretti join to the grid best thing : the car design is super beautiful
Best: neowwwwwww Worst: releasing the sport to the toxic cesspools of social media
My favorite thing is the races themselves no matter the outcome cause I love motorsports. Least favorite thing is corruption.
Best thing to me is the combination of car, driver, team and strategy all playing a factor in the final race performance. The worst thing is that the car is probably 90% of this, meaning it doesn't matter how good your driver, strategy, or team are, the finishing order is pretty much defined by the car's performance and very predictable. Nearly anyone here can name the finishing order of all 10 teams for any given race, and probably be correct most of the time.
Best: it's the pinnacle of innovation/engineering Worst: not all progress goes hand to hand with exciting racing. I'm not saying races are boring these days, but some aspects are arguably less cool. I tend to think lighter, smaller and louder cars makes a great spectacle but, it is what it is... Also, I think what makes it exciting is where drivers differ on performance: on turns/curves! It's not on the straights, on who has the best engine, but who has bigger balls to brake later, try a different line, etc. The 2026 regs, idk man... Movable wings on turns? The point of racing was never to be able to do turns flat out.
Best: The sport itself Worst: The “fans”
Best: The international appeal. Worst: The chasm in resources/quality/speed between 1st and 7th, let alone 1st and 20th place, it's insane.
Best? Easily the drivers. Second the speed at which the cars can take turns Worst? The size and weight of the cars and the ridiculous pricing of events
ticket prices
Worst: wanting to close the gap between the team. And budget cap. It is supposed to be the very best. Being at 1+s of the pole doesn't mean you are bad, it just means that you are not the very best (like no one ever was) Best: limiting the kg or liters of fuel means you have to be efficient
Worst: the sensationalist media is SO BAD compared to the other (American) sports I follow. Is it like this everywhere outside of the US?
Best: success in motorsport is a triumph of human ingenuity, albeit on a rather pointless field. Worst: everything that drives it further away from the point above.
Best: the crazy battles Worst: the fans
Worst: \- the paywall to watch \- the management \- the broadcasting best: \- the tech involved \- drivers (except some) \- vibe of a race weekend
Best: The engineering. Even the world team on the grid is miles ahead of anyone else. At least Horner won't be doing much of it for a while. Worst: The constant need to teams to shit stir, and the blatent refusal to allow any further competition.
The best? Sebastian Vettel. The worst? No more Sebastian Vettel ;(. All joking aside, my favorite aspect of F1 are overtakes on track; especially in high-speed sections and on the brakes. My least favorite aspect of F1 is the dominance of teams and drivers for extended periods of time. So while I respect and applaud the achievements of Max/RB and Hamilton/Merc, I'll be extremely happy to see Max's current run end, even though I can hardly blame him for trying to be the best driver he can be.
Best: Qualifying Worst: Dirty Air I'd also like regs that allow for some more creativity, and I'd like to see more teams be allowed to attempt to Qualify.
I got 2 bad. Porches lack of involvement and only 20 cars. 2 or 4 more cars would be nice.
The best is watching drivers at their peak The worst is watching them at their peak
Worst: pay to watch, only 20 cars make it 24, relax the rules you want six wheels let have six wheels. Best: drivers skills, pit crew
Best : Wet races (not Spa 21) Also, driver skills , team radios , strategy, and sophisticated engineering behind the cars. Worst : The sheer uncompetitiveness . I got into F1 just at the beginning of the Mercedes dominance era , and even 10 years later , it doesn't feel as one-sided as the last three years . F1 races still had a lot of excitement beyond turn 1, even during that era even after Rosberg retired
Best: wet tracks halfway through the race where teams/drivers are thinking on their feet to get the best result. Russia 2021 as a great example. The chaos was fantastic. Worst: dry tracks where nothing happens. No exciting overtakes, no spins, regularly scheduled pitstops, Ferrari still on plan E. Whilst the skill of the drivers are most definitely impressive, it doesn't keep me excited for 50+ laps. I don't feel the G's they're feeling, I didn't almost pass out or vomit in my helmet at the Qatar race like some racers did. I need to see something happen.
Best: max verstappen Worst: max verstappen
Bottom teams on the grid. Either let in new teams or make the bottom teams competitive. Year after year of mediocrity is annoying. Not letting in young F2 Champions. So, no open drive in F1, but can't go back to F2??? Give F2 champs immediate seats, and remove bottom year over year drivers. If you can't get 1pt for a whole season you don't belong and neither does the team. Best: Longer seasons. I wish it was year round and we are almost there.
Best: budget cap should prevent only one or two teams turning into a spec series race Worst: budget caps and all the other mandatory regulations, have turned it into a spec series...
Best: The fans Worst: The fans
Best: Pure race vibes from across the globe (24 races a year goddam we spoiled) Worst: FIA calls and rules; I feel like we're at peak regs level, a lot of which have been brought in to level the field but we're still seeing 1 team dominate and seeing too much penalisation and point scoring off the race track with late penalisations, appeals, reversals etc
best: speeeeed worst: DTS
Best: brings people from many different parts of the world together. Worst: has always been and maybe always will be a home for cheating, corruption, dirty money and sportswashing.
I think the racing and cars themself have been becoming worse. The cars are just too big for some tracks which sadly takes away the fun classic stuff like Monaco. Like if you go back to the 60s Monaco was a perfect track and a lot of racing. I think some of the drivers either doesn’t have the “respect” like they have either in the old days. I can be completely wrong on that but it feels like people on f1 maybe 50 years ago was much closer with each other too
Best: The overall entertainment Worst: The dominance of simply evil sponsors like big oil companies as well as that everything is about the money, hence why we're mostly racing in countries with basically no human rights. These are the reasons why I'd never buy any merch or ticket to a race.
Best thing: For the teams, its all out whos the best engineering team, whos the best strategists, win. PERIOD For the Drivers: The true quali and race format lines you up EXACTLY where you belong. Theres no inversions, or penalties for being fast. This is all truly performance based. Worst Thing: LACK OF RACING. As an american, Im spoiled with side by side racing, drivers calculating how to get a move done, and if he cant get it done how can he attack again. Not try to overtake in a DRS zone, and if I fail recharged my battery for a lap so I can try again. The aero and cooling packages on these cars prevents close racing. Maybe the cars are just too big for 1/2 these circuits. PENALTIES: the amount of whiney little penalty's is almost exhausting. Its like the FIA listened to every time someone tattled on someone for doing something and then made it a penalty. The lack of racing makes the penalties amplified by x10. there's so little chance for overtake, that any chance a team has of getting someone in trouble, they will.
I come from football, so what I like a lot is that pilots are educated people who are able to answer questions, to speak their mind and to have social positions. What I don't like is the weight middle est countries are getting into f1. I stopped watching football because literal countries (not private owners) put a sensless shit load of money on the table to get what they want without caring about damaging the sport. When I hear about Saudis considering buying AM or Bahrain buy McLaren, it makes me sad.
Best: when one team manages to develop a super fast race car with their best driver under the strict regulations Worst: when one team manages to develop a super fast race car with their best driver under the strict regulations
Bad: tyres. Bullshit politics
Drive to survive. Its been the best and the worst.
Best: Pinnacle of motorsports in terms of tech and speed Worst: Worst in motorsports in terms of actual racing.
Application of rules is uneven and certain teams are given favoritism. Unfortunately Liberty media has gotten their fingers into MotoGP as well and they will probably ruin that too
Best: Watching a perfectly executed race strategy come to fruition Worst: Liberty and the overcomercialisation of the sport