What is currently your biggest interest in F1?

[wnut]

You watch F1 every GP weekend.

What interests you most about the championship?

The cars, electronics, aerodynamics, the drivers, the venues, the grid girls, the social hangers on, the concerts, the buildings, team politics....whatever?

[S griffin]

The drivers and the hope of getting a good race

[Peat]

Originally Posted by wnut

You watch F1 every GP weekend.

Out of habit, at the moment. Not out of interest.

[JacobP]

One reason to keep watching F1 racing at all times is because F1 is the biggest magnet for racing talent. Nearly every racer in the junior series is dreaming of racing in F1. Even though the lower teams often hire pay drivers, the average and the top drivers are the cream of crop.

And of course, the other reason I watch F1, even during a boring season like 2015 is because I am hoping to see an occasional miracle, something like Canada GP of 2011.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by wnut

You watch F1 every GP weekend.

Not since Sky got involved I haven't. I've watched a couple of BBC highlights shows this season but not sat down to watch a live race yet. I still keep up with the results and in between race gossip etc but watching the races when they're on - not so far.

The biggest points of interest this season are the woes at McLaren and seeing how Manor are getting on.

[Richard C]

This is not what you want to know, but for me a question is "Why do I still follow the sport?" Currently that is down a great deal to inertia. F1 for me is a lot like a really good childhood friend. We seem to be growing further and further apart the older we get, but the memories old and potential for them to maybe happen again keep me here for now.

In the spirit of the question here are a few things in mostly random order...

* Technology. I like to see what I hope might be the best allowed by any rule set in a major series. Cars are the stars.
* Competition. I like that for the most part these are giants (Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, etc.) battling with some scrappy others (Williams) who occasionally upset the normal order of things.
* Good racing (when it happens.)
* While as mentioned above, Technology is big for me, I am not oblivious to the drivers and other personalities. Sometimes a heroic effort by a driver who rises above the capabilities of his chariot is a great thing to watch. Or seeing the impacts of someone like a Chapman or Newey.
* Racing on historic tracks

Things I don't care as much about...

* The glitz and glamour does little for me.
* How screwed up the sport is. This ranges from the nefarious nature of BE to the collapse of smaller teams who are trying to play a game that is stacked against them and everything in between.
* The high cost of being a spectator (don't care to spend that much money to see an event in person)
* I generally don't care much for generic tracks in exotic locations that don't get much local support.
* The endless "tweaks" that attempt to fix things all while ignoring the large problems that nobody has the guts to really deal with.
* The fact that I actually have a hard time recommending the sport to anyone due to the reasons above.

Richard

[ECW Dan Selby]

Erm. I'll be honest. I think it's more force of habit right about now.

I still hunt for thrills and hope that we'll get real racing, ie. non-DRS, non pre-calculated battles that almost feel pre-determined.

Meh!

Selby

[Pontlieue]

I watch pretty much any king of car racing. And F1 is still the most talented drivers in the fastest cars (around a road circuit). That's why F1, despite its flaws, is still worth watching. I used to care a lot about the technology, but in that regard, LMP1 cars are simply much more interesting.

I couldn't care less about Lewis Hamilton's newest jewellery, or what Alonso had for breakfast. And the "glamour" has always been an annoying distraction from the racing for me. But well, I'm one of the few people who knew that Dempsey was a racing driver before I knew he was an actor.

Another reason for me to keep watching F1 is that it is the only form of motorsport which is known by most people. I can talk about F1 with most of the people I know, that's not possible with IndyCars or WEC.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

This is not what you want to know, but for me a question is "Why do I still follow the sport?" Currently that is down a great deal to inertia. F1 for me is a lot like a really good childhood friend. We seem to be growing further and further apart the older we get, but the memories old and potential for them to maybe happen again keep me here for now.

In the spirit of the question here are a few things in mostly random order...

* Technology. I like to see what I hope might be the best allowed by any rule set in a major series. Cars are the stars.
* Competition. I like that for the most part these are giants (Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, etc.) battling with some scrappy others (Williams) who occasionally upset the normal order of things.
* Good racing (when it happens.)
* While as mentioned above, Technology is big for me, I am not oblivious to the drivers and other personalities. Sometimes a heroic effort by a driver who rises above the capabilities of his chariot is a great thing to watch. Or seeing the impacts of someone like a Chapman or Newey.
* Racing on historic tracks

Things I don't care as much about...

* The glitz and glamour does little for me.
* How screwed up the sport is. This ranges from the nefarious nature of BE to the collapse of smaller teams who are trying to play a game that is stacked against them and everything in between.
* The high cost of being a spectator (don't care to spend that much money to see an event in person)
* I generally don't care much for generic tracks in exotic locations that don't get much local support.
* The endless "tweaks" that attempt to fix things all while ignoring the large problems that nobody has the guts to really deal with.
* The fact that I actually have a hard time recommending the sport to anyone due to the reasons above.

Richard

I saw this thread yesterday and have been considering my answer since then. I too couldn't think of one specific reason so was mentally compiling a list. I'd almost finished when I read Richards post above, and really, he's summed up my feelings far better than I was going to do so myself!

[Casper]

How long it takes the bright sparks running it to stuff it up more that they have. I can no longer watch it due to changes in TV arrangements so they just lost me but I suppose I could download a torrent if I was keen enough which I am not.

[tux]

As others have said, habit. For me the drivers and teams i used to support are gone, the interest in the actual cars has gone.

[chillibowl]

kind of corny, but i watch because of tentenths. i want to be part of the conversations here so that means watching.

something that BE will never understand but sports is a social thing and being able to talk about it with like minded people is what makes it relevant and important to me.

[Moneyseeker]

Probably a bit of a tame answer but my biggest interest is seing how Max Verstappen is getting on. I kind of know before the race gas started that if Lewis and Nico form the front row, they will stroke hit home with Vettel, kimi or Bottas lurking behind to pick up the pieces if they falter.

To me (an old hand as an F1 fan) Max is breath of fresh air - clearly fantastically talented, unassuming and proving doomsayers wrong. if I were BE or FOM I would be rejoicing in this but they are too busy arguing over fees, looking for the next obscure government to fund a huge race, dreaming up the next gimmick to put in the regs,so probably haven't noticed him on the grid...

[Graz]

F1 continues to do its best to force me away after 35 or so years watching it. This is the first season I haven;t made any effort to watch the races. Sad.

In answer to the question, the big interest for me is McLaren-Honda - how are they progressing each race, when will they get a point, can they get near a podium by end of season? On the off track side, how long will Alonso and Denis tollerate each other, how long before Boullier gets sick of Denis and his pomposity and thinly veiled snipes.

[Mike Harte]

My only interest now is this forum. Having closely followed F1 since the early 1960s, I actually stopped watching the races when the BBC handed SKY the franchise to broadcast the races. It was at that point that I realised that BCE and FOM no longer cared whether I watched or not. To be totally honest, my passion had been waning over a number of years, and I find that F1 is too artificial nowadays; I don't want to see a show ( I can watch any number of cr*p TV programmes if that was my desire), I want to see man and machine trying to beat all the rest of the combatants.

[Paradise City]

I..I..don't...know.

I await in hope that a bit of authentic racing breaks out? It's more arduous a wait than an all night stake-out these days.

I suppose I keep tabs on Raikkonen, the struggles of Mclaren, Williams and how the backmarkers fare.

I think TV had at long last taken its toll on the sport, it's configured for entertainment and even in those terms they kinda get it wrong. It's not the raw sport it was in the 80's.

[S griffin]

Yesterday I did the Autosport survey on F1 and I can't wait to see the results. Sensible questions and I was happy to have my say

[Razor]

To keep track of Williams but call it rose tinted glasses but a lot of the motorsport we've grown up on has been lost. Most racing these days haven't evolved or grown to a new levels or potentials. We've lost more than what we have gained.

[Mekola]

My biggest interest in F1 is promotion from drivers of GP2 / FR35 / SuperFormula and, of course, the smaller teams.

[Razzzor]

Mostly out of habit. I mean it's still a good watch and I enjoy it, but certainly not to the extent I did in the past such as when Schumacher was racing and I'd be counting down the hours. This current era of Mercedes domination is making for some very boring races. It's hard to root on Hamilton to winning races with Nico second, I'm not a fan of either.

Even the commentators were talking about how great the Monaco race was, and yet it was just follow the leader, with Lewis 15s in the lead, it couldn't have been much more boring. That was until the SC of course, that spiced things up slightly.

Personally I'm much more interested in Gp2 and Indycar at the moment, since it has drivers I support and far superior racing.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

This is not what you want to know, but for me a question is "Why do I still follow the sport?" Currently that is down a great deal to inertia. F1 for me is a lot like a really good childhood friend. We seem to be growing further and further apart the older we get, but the memories old and potential for them to maybe happen again keep me here for now.

In the spirit of the question here are a few things in mostly random order...

* Technology. I like to see what I hope might be the best allowed by any rule set in a major series. Cars are the stars.
* Competition. I like that for the most part these are giants (Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, etc.) battling with some scrappy others (Williams) who occasionally upset the normal order of things.
* Good racing (when it happens.)
* While as mentioned above, Technology is big for me, I am not oblivious to the drivers and other personalities. Sometimes a heroic effort by a driver who rises above the capabilities of his chariot is a great thing to watch. Or seeing the impacts of someone like a Chapman or Newey.
* Racing on historic tracks

Things I don't care as much about...

* The glitz and glamour does little for me.
* How screwed up the sport is. This ranges from the nefarious nature of BE to the collapse of smaller teams who are trying to play a game that is stacked against them and everything in between.
* The high cost of being a spectator (don't care to spend that much money to see an event in person)
* I generally don't care much for generic tracks in exotic locations that don't get much local support.
* The endless "tweaks" that attempt to fix things all while ignoring the large problems that nobody has the guts to really deal with.
* The fact that I actually have a hard time recommending the sport to anyone due to the reasons above.

Richard

I think my local race is good value for money at a great facility..
I don't find much wrong to be honest...

[JeremySmith]

To answer the original question..
The current engine technology fascinates me.
The arrival of new young talent and how well they are doing in such a short amount of time..

[chunder]

A few years ago I watched F1 out of habit like others.

Now I cannot even manage that.

I used to watch the practice sessions, and I dont do that.

The only bit I enjoy at all is qualifying.

I guess there is somethign aout mdoern F1 that simply leaves me cold, the drivers are drones a lot of the time, the cars are dull despite being technologically fabulous and the tracks have little character. Even Monaco is slightly diluted.

[Aysedasi]

Habit for me too. I like watching motor racing. But I only watch the race. I record it and then fast-forward through all the chat to watch the race (or the highlights, depending what's on offer). But I can't say that any of the things mentioned in the opening post cause me to watch F1.

[F J Nedos]

So much these days is geared towards the importance of qualifying. Therefore, I always look forward to the first corner of the first lap - hoping for a prang, importantly though without anyone being hurt.

Or a wet race, once again without anyone being hurt. Its here where driver skill is more important than the design of a front wing and the eng....oops power unit.