Common Sense Please!

Ah Luca, your timing is impeccable. Like last year, when F1 was trying to remove the afterthoughts of spy-gate, you put your foot in it, bringing it up for no reason. Once more, your shoddy timing has only helped galvanize the distain for Ferrari that the likes of ITV fed in its infancy.

Luca di Montezemolo came out and said that the Singapore race was humiliating for Formula One. Of course, people only see what they want to see and have been quick to link it to simply because Ferrari had an abysmal race. Seriously, Luca, if you are going to complain about the state of things, don’t do it after a disaster for your own team.

Looking past the Ferrari aspect, he is right. If it wasn’t for the safety car period, it was looking to be nothing short of a snore-bore race, and not the first this year. The most interesting races this year have come via wet weather or safety car been called into action. So is the situation humiliating for Formula One? I say yes.

Formula One is quickly becoming a boring sport. Take out the external factors and there hasn’t been any memorable races, with most decided by the time the first pit-stop comes around. There is nothing there to keep fans on tenterhooks from start to finish, unless you are a diehard fan.

I’ve watched Formula One since 1994. Sitting down on Sunday to watch a race is as close to religion as I figure I’ll ever get. Whether it meant waking up in the dead of the night or hurrying home early from Dublin after a night of drinking for lunch time, I’d do it. Watching it live was the way to go. Even after my favourite driver, Michael Schumacher retired, I moved on with the sport, finding new people to follow. This is the first year I’ve really questioned why I should bother to keep watching.

Having the ability to watch Nascar this year has opened my eyes more to it. Of course, people will slander Nascar, claiming it isn’t good racing and what skills do you need to go around in circles. Unfortunately, the world is full of ignorance and motorsport is no different. At least when I watch a Nascar race, as I commented in my previous piece, I’m likely to get a good race. I don’t get that with Formula One anymore. We can only hope that the changes next year will inspire better racing.

The sport is in need of a major overhaul, not just in the technical department – or it stands even to lose its diehard fans. Unfortunately, I worry that when people try to point out the failings of the sport, those with no common sense will drone it in favour of shouts for their favourite driver.