F1 Most liked posts in thread: F1 - 2013

Though I like F1 now, I'm certain I also would have liked it if I'd been a fan in the '70s despite the huge differences. Here's just one of many reasons I'm sure this is true.

Look at video an F1 grid just before a race start today and it just feels different than the feeling I get looking at this photo. I get a real racing vibe and they're not even moving!

It's not because these were the heroes or hero cars of my youth or whatever because I didn't really watch or follow F1 until the mid-late '90s. Can't be the drivers, you can't see them and there's no motion to show their influence (and it's not a photo finish, it's a race start). I've never been a Tifossi, the Tyrrell only has four wheels and I didn't watch these cars or these races.

A picture paints a thousand words? This one just screams one word at me: RACING!!

Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni in the Ferraris and Jacky Stewart in a Tyrrell at the start of the 1971 French GP:



It's better yet at a larger scale but you might need to be on Twitter to see this ... maybe: https://twitter.com/RACERmag/status/358100853661503490/photo/1

 

Actually, he did ease up enough to grow the gap much more slowly for most of the rest of the race. But I'm not so sure that means he could have run away and lapped the field.

You know part of the slow down "order" was about the team not wanting to stress any aspect of the car more than necessary but my guess is he would have had trouble with tires or fuel if he'd kept his foot in. His pace after those first laps may have been down to running to a strategy which they might have had to change if he'd kept up that early speed.

I think he would have won with a less conservative strategy (w/ another tire change) as well but suspect the math said he could win the way he did without putting as much stress on the car (plus you can't change a fuel burn strategy if you can't refuel). And any option that puts less stress on the car will obviously always be the favorite for nearly everyone on the team other than the driver.

I like the idea that teams and drivers have to think of more than just going fast and have to manage their equipment and work different strategies, but part of me says I'd rather every driver had the option to go all out all the time and figure it out himself without so much direction or even help from the team once the race starts. If that means a driver needs an extra stop for tires and it ruins his race or he runs out of fuel, then he screwed up and has to deal with the consequences. Tough luck, that's part of racing. Learn and do better next time or continue to fail.

 

Thanks. I know I'm not the only fan here so I post things I figure might help others to keep up with what's going on. There's a lot more out there of course, much of which I see (if it's in English) but don't bother to post.