If you know the drama, the rivalries, the gossip and the news, then it provides much more context and enjoyment to the sport.
That way, when Nico Rosberg locks up his tyres and runs wide when trying to pass Lewis Hamilton in the second corner of the race, you know that's a big deal that's going to cause some controversy because they are heated rivals, instead of just "oh the green and grey car just tried to pass the other green and grey car but screwed up"..
When Daniel Ricciardo is half a second back and trying desperately to get past Fernando Alonso in the last 5 laps of the race to move from 7th to 6th place to get those extra 2 championship points, if you know where they are in the overall standings and that this particular battle on the track really matters, then even though they're not even close to finishing at the front, it's more exciting to watch - and it makes sense that the race director is showing this instead of the race leaders who are all racing multiple seconds apart from each other..
You need some kind of investment and engagement.. Even if you're not rooting for one specific team..
That said, you do kind of have to also accept that some races are dull (like today's Russian Grand Prix) and end up being a convoy of ground planes running perfect laps... That just kind of comes with the territory, and there's not much to do about it..
The next race will be (EDIT: at the Circuit of the Americas, not a street circuit) in Austin TX on the weekend of Nov 2nd, and should actually be more exciting, so maybe give that a watch..
I'd also recommend checking out (either the full thing or some of the highlights) from Bahrain's race this year if you want to see some incredible head-to-head (& exciting) action.
Especially all the circus around the race seems to be an afterthought at best. What I want to be able to experience in such a game/simulation is not just the race itself, but also the things that go on besides the track.
I want to be able to drive out of the box, through the pit, minding the speedlimit and then enter the track to set a time. Simply seeing my car be driven onto the track or even worse just flat out starting on the track takes away the immersion.
Also, after the race on the podium, I'd love be able to experience this as well but the games nowadays deem it enough to simply show the end result, maybe a shot of the people of the podium and that's it.
I think simulations like this one mentioned in the article is an important part if you want to personally immerse yourself in racing, but a lot of the entertainment for the user also comes from the surrounding circus.
I'd love to see a game incorporate all of this. Especially seeing as non of this is too far out or technically not possible. It is just a matter of having or not having it in the game.
Huh? I'm pretty sure it's going to be at the Circuit of the Americas.
This, together with the huge budgets involved at the front of the grid, also produces a sport that features celebrity engineers who command multi-million-dollar salaries and have dramatic contract disputes, etc. This may or may not appeal to you.
Crucially (for me), the teams are very secretive about what they are doing and why, so figuring out the mechanical and aerodynamic approaches that are in play, which ones are winning, which brilliant ideas are languishing on underfunded teams, etc. becomes a very interesting saga of nerdy armchair detective work. Even the parts of the cars that they can’t hide — the bodywork — are sophisticated enough aerodynamically that you can’t necessarily tell what is going on (or copy it for your car) without a relatively detailed understanding of how it works within an overall aerodynamic philosophy. There is a good and growing online community to get into with that.
Then you add the drivers; there are only a couple dozen to know about so its pretty accessible that way, and you get a sense as others here have said about who is under pressure, who has the talent but not the machinery and vice versa, and how they all interact.
Another interesting interaction is between drivers and cars, or driving styles and car characteristics — there are drivers that can uniquely exploit certain car characteristics, or cars that may be designed to suit certain drivers or styles, etc. and those will evolve as drivers move among teams and as the technical regulations change.
I realize typing this out that these things point more to enjoying the sport more than the races themselves. I am a lot less fixated on watching the races than I used to be, but there are still some great moments and I catch what I can. Today’s Russian GP was notably boring for the last couple of years, FWIW. For more instant gratification Moto GP might be a better bet, and most of the technical drama unfolds over there too. I still think F1 is pretty exciting though.
the WEC on the other hand gives teams a lot more latitude in answering the question of "how do you go fast for 24 hours?" and that is very apparent when you look at Audi, Toyota and Porsche. 3 very different cars as far as overall design, engine capacity, engine design, fuel type, hybrid system capacity and design.
A V6 Turbo Diesel with a flywheel hybrid system, a V4 Gas Turbo with a battery hybrid system, and a normally aspirated gasoline v8 with twin Super Capacitor Hybrid systems, that put down 1000HP when all three are engaged.
3 Very different cars, but so incredibly close when it comes to overall performance, and that is with out much Balance of Performance, Push to Pass, or DRS systems, and they actually have tires that last.
I know some people hate this aspect of racing, but I love a good battle of pit strategy and execution. Watching the splits rise and fall as two cars exchange pit stops is fascinating to watch. The 24 hours of Le Mans can and has been decided by if all the other cars can run 4 fuel stints on a set of tires, but you can run a 5th stint once or twice in the course of a race.
There are no pit stops. The riders don't have radios. The pit can only communicate using signs on the straightaway.
Motorcycles tilt, so aerodynamic downforce is not possible. That means there's no such thing as "dirty air" and drafting is effective. The vehicles are smaller, so passing is frequent. The rider is a significant fraction of the vehicle mass, so winning requires skill in shifting weight, balancing, and feeling the bike. All of these factors make it much more seat-of-the-pants than F1.
If you've never seen a MotoGP race before, here's a slightly above-average one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4X4yvTHaRM#t=240 I'd rather link to a typical example than the best, since I don't want to get your hopes up.
For me it's as much about the people involved, the drivers, the engineers, the team managers - all have to be at the top of their game.
The technology is amazing too, bleeding edge race cars being nursed around a track close to the limits of physics by drivers on the limits of human ability.
When you follow Formula 1 race upon race, season upon season, you can't help but fall in the love with the majesty of the "F1 family" travelling the globe and putting on a fantastic display almost every fortnight for the season.
Love, huh! Not an addiction?
If you look at individual races, it might sometimes be a bit boring. The Russian GP yesterday was the most boring race in a very long time.
The first thing to understand is that that F1 is a driving and car building competition. There are two championships going on, the constructors' and the drivers' trophies are separate and sometimes involves a conflict of interest between the driver and the team. Every car is different from each other and the changes between races can be pretty significant.
A second thing to understand is that the competition lasts for the entire year, from March until November. Even though the past years one team has been dominant (Merc this year, Red Bull previous years), there's a big "best of the rest" competition going on.
A third thing to understand is that a Grand Prix lasts for the entire weekend. If things go wrong on Friday, it will have consequences on Sunday. If the weather changes, all bets are off. If you really want to see drivers earning their money, watch some Friday practice sessions. The car setups are off, lots of changes may be made and usually there's quite a lot of interesting background information discussed by the commentators.
Individual F1 races may be a bit boring for the uninitiated but it is the best drivers in the world driving the most sophisticated racing cars ever built. You might have to be a hard core racing geek to get the most out of it... but I am and I definitely enjoy it.
I can't think of any other major yearly league or sport that does that. Imagine if they tried to change the rules in football or baseball like that every season or two?