Post-season blues

[Born Racer]

So, that's all folks. That was that. The frantic and relentless pursuit of the goal, the race on the track, the race to develop the car and even the sense of a race to and fro airports to get all that done has all finished.

Largely unrelated to the lack of racing going on, these post-season blues relate to a sort of existentialist (if you will) concern over how the world will regard where F1 has been and what it was all for. These are not really my blues (I can put up with a lack of F1 for a little while), and in some respects will not be the drivers' blues- I am sure they are delighted to get some respite from it all. Success or a perception of lack of success, they will relish the chance to sit down for as long as possible (even if the grind of sponsorship duties and training will soon consume them).

These blues concern the feeling of a Formula 1 that does not stop revolving, that does not give time to digest an appreciation of what has been.

Testing mere days after the final race. Talk of the future.

A world championship that allows Mark Webber to feel "low" (his word) having 'lost' it, despite actually having won a good number of races, led the championship for more than anybody in 2010, and having put in a marvellous performance with a lot of success. Is the pursuit of the championship a distraction from the joy of any individual motor race that forms a constituent part of it? The championship adds a huge sense of something epic, but do individual races get lost amidst its preeminence?

A world championship that doesn't allow Sebastian Vettel to appreciate it, live and breathe his accomplishment. Remember his reaction post-race. Then watch the interview days later on the BBC site in which he talks in a media-responsive way- detached, toeing the party line and probably not particularly wanting to do this interview, certainly not revealing anything raw, anything like the post-race reaction. That unadulterated rapture (the "girly" crying), then following the reminder from Christian Horner that he is the champion of the world, that exaltation that comes with the "Yeeees!", the pure bawling that's enough to imagine a sore throat.

It engenders a feeling of futility in F1. Please accept my musings here. It's been an enjoyable season, but do we all read too much media? Does the media always want the 'next thing' to the detriment of the here and now? F1 is not futile, but Vettel would do well to enjoy this. As would the others achieving success in F1, maybe not champions but achievers and winners, who would do well to remember that. The engineers and the mechanics who do not even get the thrill of exposure to the world when they achieve their greatness, who must content themselves with a more private contentment and elation. I hope they also take stock and enjoy what they've done.

It's not futile of course, but I hope that everyone remembers the past and takes a bit of time to reflect on what it was like, and that they live in the present and enjoys all that is to be taken from the present. I also want them to keep a perspective on the championship and its value, in terms of not thinking that having not won it is five or however many times worse than doing so; for those who have won, I hope they enjoy it for all it is.

[garcon]

I actually feel really positive. It's the first season for a while that I've ended it more enthused with F1 rather than less. And hopefully we have a similar battle in store for 2011.

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

It's been an enjoyable season, but do we all read too much media?

Yes.

And not just F1.

[alc]

Sadness after a climax is normal, and the climax of this season was one of the very best.

[Bononi]

Ah yes, yes. Now a bunch of months is ahead with all sorts of rumours, extracts of past declarations taken out of the context, silly threads and over-the-top discussions.
For all members of the F1 forum, there's never such thing as enough of F1 subjects.

[Teretonga]

We ahve mass communication and yet through the internet and personal message sites like facebook and twitter we can interact 'personally' yet anonymously with a world of 6 billion people.....

So we over analyse and inspect everything in minute detail until its done to death and then wonder why there is no ' inspirational wonder' or amazement any more....

Yeah. Too much media, too much talking and too much analysis. We need to stop and savour the moments.

[jab]

I'm looking forward to a few weeks off, then the inevitable excitement over the first tests, before a decline into frustration that the season isn't upon us, and then the arrival of the first race

Same every year. Although this year I'm glad it's over more than recent years - it just dragged on too long

[hgmonaro]

Unless I'm really bored, this will be the last time I visit this forum until a week before the 1st race next year! See you then!

[Knowlesy]

Not looking forward to the 20 race calendar next year. Can we go back to 16 or 17 please?

[Paradise City]

Plenty of vintage youtube F1/Motorsports to fill the dark days which should dampen the post F1 hangover.

[JamesH]

Look on the bright side everyone. F1 may be over for the season, but we still have Strictly Come Dancing, X factor, I'm a Celebrity Get me out of here and Christmas to look forward to.

The list goes on.

How can you be so sad?

Oh, hold on a minute.......

[Bononi]

Looks like they're testing at YAS Marina just yet...