you are from germany right

 

Yep.

And I hate soccer, really.

 

I have been to many GP's throughout Europe over the years and it is now boring money has made it so there's the have's and the have nots as for driving its not about MY ability its the technology which takes away the driver skill theres about 6 drivers maybe 8 currently who are paid by the teams the rest bring there own sponsership to the team hence they get a drive look at the Sato for instance and the rest these guys in a normal situation wouldn't get a drive ANYWHERE. Why would no team employ Anthony Davidson he has to settle for the "3rd car" because he has no sponsorship. The dwarf has ruined it I'm sorry to say and he continues to do so. He has bent over backwards to keep Ferrari and the cheat in the sport for years ignoring there antics and not penalising them. Its all about money not wanting to sound disrespectful but where is the motor racing history in Hungary, Turky, China, Bahrain etc etc and he and F1 cancel Spa this year and he has threatened S'stone and still does. Money my friend is as I say spoiling the sport as it usually does I could go on and on but I'm not going to, you like it you enjoy it thats what its all about but keep the replys adult and don't get personal and if you get a chance listen to the other team bosses not Todt and you'll see what I mean about Ferrari and the cheat being treated differently than the others.

 

Now here's something we agree on - Bernie Ecclestone bought control of formula one and through a combination of a bit of flair and a whole lot of luck it has been his personal plaything for the last 30 years. There is a LOT of bad in this and I entirely agree with you in respect of sponsorship, less talented drivers 'buying' a place, messing around with venues and all of the other political bullshit that goes with it.

Where I think I differ from you is that I still believe that, regardless of all this nonsense surrounding it, there are a great many within F1 who still see it as a sport.

OK - the drivers are prima donnas and always have been - but I think it has to be accepted that the ones at the top of the pile have genuine and impressive talent. I think there are probably drivers at the bottom end who wouldn't be on the grid if it were a true meritocracy, but is there any such thing?

I think there are 2 things that stand out to me that make it impossible for me to agree with your original comments:

1. What the top drivers do is amazing. It must take incredible bravery, determination and athleticism to be able to drive an F1 car on the limit for an hour and a half in such a competetive environment.

2. F1 is about technology and pushing it as far as possible. This is where modern F1 gets difficult because the cars HAVE to be slowed down for safety, but where else can I see cars with this potential being used in anger? As to the technology reducing the impact of the drivers skill - it can't be that simple. Driving an f1 car is probably closer to flying a jet than driving any other car. If F1 didn't exist someone would invent it.

OK get infuriated with F1 - there is a lot to be cross about - but don't dismiss it as a pointless procession or say that there is no real 'driving' involved.

It's sounds to me as if you do have an appreciation for all of this, but are dissapointed with what has been done to the sport - that's fair enough - but some of us still WANT to enjoy it and are prepared to put up with the downsides

PS: sorry if I got a little curt in my earlier posts - it's just that I enjoyed the race on Saturday - despite it's flaws - and I don't want to be told that I shouldn't.

 

I hate to add wood to the fire but saying that driving a F1 car is like flying a jet is stretching it a bit. Yes the amount of lateral force (g) they face are close but the skills involve in flying a jet fighter is way more.

Any one that knows how to drive a manual car should be able to get an F1 car to roll along but pushing it to the limit is another thing. While you can fly solo with say 10-15 hours of flight time but you need way more than that and alot of training on sims before they even let you in the cockpit of a fighter jet.

Well just something off the topic just enjoy the sport if you like and stop worrying about comments. But you are lucky to go and see a F1 race.

 

The similarity I was trying to get at was that the g-forces, reaction times, self-control and precision required to get the most out of an F1 car are closer to flying than driving a normal car.

This is why many land speed record attempts are driven by jet pilots.

Obviously there is a bit more to being a fighter pilot (and being michael shumaker for that matter) than a bit of flight training.

As to comments - no worries - I like a debate

 

I agree with needforspeed on this. The top pilots in F1 are as fit or almost as fit as a jet fighter pilot, the sometimes have to take actions, to react or to make a precise move that's a bit more than flying a jet. We really watch it on tv or (some lucky live ) and we think ohhh that's pretty easy, but it's not...it's a hell to get down those tenth's of a seconded per lap needed to separate you from the rest of the patch or to get you a poleposition. You have to be razor sharp, and 101% concentrated...but anyway...

 

You really piloting a jet is easy? if so why do they need all the equipement to help them? I think flying at Mach 1 is something not alot of people can do.

 

"it's just that I enjoyed the race on Saturday " so I was right about the 5min window on Sat

 

Did i say this?!?!
Also i think 95% of the members on this forum wouldn't even fit in an F1 car