Americans flocked to Formula One at the height of the pandemic, when a Netflix docuseries showcased the series as the sexiest thing in sports. The new audience was rewarded by an epic 2021 title fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. But Verstappen has won 21 of 31 races since and Red Bull has totally dominated the series. Verstappen's 9.5-second win over Fernando Alonso in Canada on Sunday was the closest race so far this season — and that's not going to hold the attention of a fickle American audience very long.
  • JamesMayOwnsMySoul@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    Then they’re not really F1 fans, and they were always going to switch off eventually. F1 managed 70 years without a massive American fanbase and would survive without it now.

  • melonpunk@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I have a friend who wanted to get into F1 this year. He was looking forward to supporting Ricciardo as they both support the same football team, so he was pretty sad to hear that he didn’t have a drive. Four races in and he bowed out saying he might watch the highlights, but overall the races are too boring to watch.

    I can understand his problem, a lot of the skill is not easily seen given how good the field is. F1 doesn’t (often) have drivers slamming into each other and spinning off. F2/3 deliver much more in that space. Albon’s race craft last Sunday was exceptional, an absolute joy to watch, but I guess not if you’re hoping to see some mad cap overtakes and wild moves

  • xHoudek@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Did Ricky Bobby write this article? F1 is so much more interesting when you stop thinking about it as P1 or bust. For example, Albion’s performance in the midfield was super fun to watch on Sunday.

    Obviously if you only care about who wins the championship it will get a little predictable

  • MegaUmbreon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    This cycle happens all the time in F1. A couple of seasons after new rules are introduced, one team dominates and everyone screams “boring, fuck this” and the fanbase drops. Then after the rules have been stable for a while and the field closes up, the championships are closer and everyone loves F1. Rinse repeat.

    Drive to survive coincided with the rules having been largely the same for a while. Merci were still clearly the best team, but there was at least competition from Ferrari and later Red Bull, so they had some decent material.

    For casual fans thinking this, I recommend following F2 if you have the time at the weekends. The two F2 races plus the F1 sessions make for a good weekend of motor racing, and the F2 is normally actually good for racing.

  • Kidney_Thief1988@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    Number of unique individuals on the podium through eight races by season: 2019: 5; 2020: 6; 2021: 6; 2022: 6; 2023: 7. If anything, this is the most interesting season we’ve had in a while.

    • rullstolsroger@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      It is an interesting season if you look at the AM vs Merc vs Ferrari podium fights. But you know at the start of the weekend with high certainty which of the national anthems that are going to play on the podium. The 2021 season was peak excitement in recent years since it had a tight battle for 1st instead of 2nd or 3rd.