Beauty of it all

[GPdreamer]

As i read through a great portion of the threads for F1 i see a great and wonderfull ammount of differing thoughts and ideas,opinions/critisism, all of which breath life into the world of F1 as we know it, in this forums' capacity to do so.
As a fan of F1 for the past 23 years, i was first attracted to F1 because of the Cars,and not being the genius at any of the disciplines of engineering that goes into creating A car as complicated as a F1 ride, much less a lawn mower.Over time i have come to understand more about what makes the machines tick, and have my own ideas about what does or doesnt need to be done or added or changed.
I read all kinds of things about how boring F1 is now, for all the various reasons, the Ferrrari/MS bashing, and any other things i may have missed.
But my point is this; I watch the race and can see the beauty and grace of all the cars,from top of the line to the least competitive,I enjoy every race, I dont let whats going on in the world of FIA politics tarnish the miracle of whats happening on the circuit.Sure i have my favorite team/drivers and naturally hope they do well.But IMHO theese cars and drivers are the best in the world,I could never race one of them if given the chance, not design and build one if asked.Is there anybody besides myself that watches and enjoys every moment of the race weekend, just based on pure beauty of it?

[garcon]

Inspirational post, GPdreamer! Welcome to the forum!

Yep, I hear ya. Too often we try to dissect that which we love. We criticise, we discuss, we analyse. In the end it comes down to one simple phrase - I love F1! In fact for me it's simpler than that - I love motor racing!

It seems that it's only when I'm actually there, at the circuit taking it all in, that I completely immerse myself in my love for the sport. All arguments and criticisms go out of the window, I become a wide-eyed eight year old all over again...

[jetsetter]

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments GPdreamer, i enjoy F1 for the event itself & every year i go the the GP in Melbourne just to be a part of the F1 experience & at the end of the weekend it doesn't matter what the race was like i always know that i witnessed the sport at it's pinnacle & always leave Albert Park sad that it's a year until i get to experience it again.

[james_williams]

What a great post.

I agree with you GPDreamer, I love F1 because I just have a complete passion for motorsport.

[swatty]

Glorious post, I think it summarizes how we all feel not just about F1 but motorsport in general. And though we all have favourite drivers and particular opinions I do not believe any of it clouds the sheer joy of the sights/sounds & smells of a day at a racing circuit

[Meroo]

GPdreamer, you are a true F1 fan. These are the sort we need in charge of the sport.

[climb]

Very good way to start your engines at 10/10!
Welcome on board GPdreamer!

[fordtc87]

I am in total agreement. I honestly find it a shame that more people here in the United States don't respect the time and effort that goes into these cars. I set my alarm for Sunday mornings to watch the races live. I attend the USGP and find it fascinating. There is something about seeing Ferraris driving in front of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the different fans with flags and painted faces. It is unlike any other race I have attended.

[Glen]

Yea - very nicely put and very much in tune with my own views - it astonishes me when some folk run-down the look and quality of the modern cars, because they truly are engineering miracles and so chock full of quality that it takes the breath away just to look at them.

[fog_shadow]

Originally posted by GPdreamer
Is there anybody besides myself that watches and enjoys every moment of the race weekend, just based on pure beauty of it?

<raises hand>
aye over here.

i even enjoy watching good pit strategy. there is so much going on during a race, that after the race i need to take a walk and smoke a couple of cigarettes. i do not leave my chair for fear that i may miss out on some of the details. sure i like to see wheel to wheel racing, but that is only a part of what constitutes the thrill of watching a race.

i don't mean to take pot shots at anybody, but since this thread exists and i am responding to it, let me finish of by saying that i find people who moan and ***** about f1 becoming boring only because they don't get to see much wheel to wheel or because Ferrari/MS is winning are incredibly shallow.

shadow

[Inigo Montoya]

Excellent post GPD, and welcome to ten-tenth's!!!

[GPdreamer]

for my own clairification Fog shadow is your use of "wheel to wheel Racing" as a metaphor or in the literal sense ?

[ralf fan]

great post and i must admit i have been one to star a few "F1 is boring at the moment threads."

but you see we have been spoilt with some great championship battles in the early 90's (except 92) and also in the late 90's with Mika and MS. not to mention some of those crazy and fiesty,racey GP's in the 80's.

yeah but when you lok at it from a tec aspect upto 5km covered in 90 secs is quite mind bogling!

[fog_shadow]

Originally posted by GPdreamer
for my own clairification Fog shadow is your use of "wheel to wheel Racing" as a metaphor or in the literal sense ?

since i'm not the one *****ing about it i'm not very sure what the moaners mean exactly,however i take it in the literal sense.

[GPdreamer]

i should add that it goes beyond the technical aspect ,its the pure visual asthetic value in combination with everything else, at any given time during any race there is exciting racing going on, and i guess for me it doesnt always have to be at the front

[climb]

Of course, GPd, we have to consider that, beyond love for pure racing beauty, there exist a sentimental participation that makes most prefer this or that racer/car/team, and there's nothing bad about it!
For instance, I like racing, but it's stronger than me that when Ferrari win I'm happier than when Macs do; no rational reason, just there you go.

[Gt_R]

Great start to this forum GPdreamer.

I agree with you. I love F1 (as well as other series) and i enjoy the races. Of course, having my favourite team/driver win is a pleasant bonus and i'd be disappointed otherwise... but nevertheless, i'm still attracted to the underlying beauty of F1. When the cars get out of the track, the messy politics get out of the window and we all watch F1 in the purest of senses. I enjoy everything about F1, from the technical excellence, beauty and speed of the car in motion, right down to the brilliance of strategy, excitement of racing, and most importantly the masterful ways those guys go about gliding (or wrestling) the car around the track.

In fact, though i started off F1 rather much later than many people here (around the late 80s) i've taped and kept every qual/race since 98 (unfortunately some got mouldy..arghh). Just so that one day, if the itch comes, i can just pop in the tape and relive some recent good races again.

[Mr V]

I also love F1 and Motorsport, but i'd just like to say that the beauty of watching cars going around isn't what keeps guys like us coming back to this site, day after day, whilst we are waiting for the next race.

The thing that brings us back in thoe intervening days is the politics of the sport in general, and in a sport like this, you have to have both.

[steve_r]

Interesting opinions. I also love watching F1, and will continue to do so.

My opinion is that a race with little overtaking or on-track battling for position is a thing of lesser beauty than (for example) some great head-to-head duels such as:
Schumacher v Hill
Senna v Mansell v Prost v Piquet
G Villeneuve v Arnoux
and so on... ( see numerous previous threads on such battles, and the passion that surrounds peoples views on them)

After a race of no overtaking, it feels like a 0-0 football (soccer) game. Some 0-0's are better than others, but often there are few defining/memerable moments worthy of mention.

[300kph]

Welcome GPd...

Nice and pretty neutral start.....
23 years of F1 beauty and grace is not a piece of cake...

you are a para-normal who can enjoy every race...impressive stuff..

[Adam43]

Welcome to ten-tenths GPdreamer. I find it fantastic that you derive such pleasure from these things. I know what you mean about 'beaty' too.

Sometimes it is difficult to take that step back and see it. Perhaps you have to squint sometimes too, but it is there.

[jj2728]

Originally posted by GPdreamer

Is there anybody besides myself that watches and enjoys every moment of the race weekend, just based on pure beauty of it?

hear hear.... .....an excellent first post and i have felt the same way for more than 40 of my 49 years....to this day my pulse rate climbs, i get goosebumps, and a tear or two comes to my eye as the cars line up on the grid, seconds before the start of a grand prix.... i love all motorsport but for me, there is nothing to compare to F1, it has and always will give me a thrill.....

[GP Racer]

Originally posted by GPdreamer
Is there anybody besides myself that watches and enjoys every moment of the race weekend, just based on pure beauty of it?

I'm with you dreamer!

I went to my first GP last year at Indianapolis, and I'm going again this year. Twenty cars roaring down the straight at 200 MPH, engines screaming at 19,000 RPM was sheer joy. All the politics and all the BS was forgotten in a blur of speed and handling. The race was almost secondary to the atmosphere there. The painted faces and the flags everywhere, including my Ferrari flag, were just magnifiscent! Its a sight I won't soon forget. There's nothing quite like it, and I can't wait for June to do it all over again.

Thanks for reminding me, of how great this sport is!

[golem]

Ok, I don't want to rain the parade but I don't want people to mill on this too much either.

While I can appreciate the beauty, it does not excuse the myriad uglyness of the politics. Also, F1 has a hard time comparing to the beauty of MotoGP for instance.

So yes, i do like the beauty but... there's increasingly lovely ladies (or gents, whatever your preference) available and they have character, maybe from less wealthy backgrounds but by goodness they certainly don't snipe at you quite so much.

I think that explains how I might feel.

[jj2728]

Originally posted by golem

Also, F1 has a hard time comparing to the beauty of MotoGP for instance.

i like moto gp, but there is NO comparison between the 2 series, it's akin to comparing apples and oranges...