I’ve never been a fan of F1. How could I be really? There is just something about F1 that alienates me as an earnest driving enthusiast. I’ve driven lots of door slammers in auto-x situations… and as different as many of them have been, the experience that they have all offered has been at least on some level comparable to my every day drive to work. Only two or three times have I been behind the wheel of an open wheel car… and as interesting and novel as the idea of a REAL RACE CAR is… I hated the experience.
I like slow cars.
And that’s why… I’ve never really been a fan of F1. At no point when watching an F1 race, can I picture myself behind the wheel. I can’t imagine what that speed feels like… and I do really even care to try.
Beyond that point though, is the fact that F1 races don’t even really look like races. A gap of six seconds separating first and second place (the smallest gap so far in 2009 by my memory) is hardly interesting. And although that’s much better than recent years… it’s still one reason why I’d actually rather watch NASCAR.
I mean… it was fun to watch Usain Bolt let up and coast across the finish line. But that’s was a little different with a field of 9 other guys finishing within a tenth of a second of each other behind an obvious leader. Coasting and cruising does not make things interesting more than once. And besides, even if only six seconds separate 1st and 2nd in Formula one… there’s always a minute or two spread amongst the whole field.
But my point tonight, is that F1 is finally interesting to watch again: Michael Schumacher is back. And though I never ever cheered for Schumacher in 2006 or the many years prior, I will certainly be cheering for him now. As the king of Formula One, from the era that lead me into motorsports I’ve always had respect. Despite that though… I always found it pretty hard to really like the guy who was so obviously better than everyone else. Repetition is not exciting.
When he retired in 2006 I was actually relieved that someone else would actually have a chance to win. But now… as F1 crumbles with the product on the track deteriorating as I have mentioned (even if it’s better than 3 years ago), and Honda and BMW pulling out… I’m so hopeful that Schumacher can perform as we remember, and show all these guys who seem to have it so wrong, how things are supposed to be.
I got a text mid-day today from a strong Schumacher fan who was hopeful that Schumacher might even get a podium finish this year…
He won’t just get a podium finish. I’m sure he’ll manage a win. In fact… I wouldn’t even put the entire championship past him… if it wasn’t a mathematical impossibility with only seven races left. He was just that good. And besides, this isn’t basketball or hockey. We can expect more from Michael than we got from Wayne or the other Michael upon coming OUT of retirement. As much as we like to think it, drivers are not athlete’s like other athelete’s are athlete’s. Driver’s are athlete’s like golfer’s are athlete’s, and that’s is to say that they rank somewhere below ping pong players and slightly above curlers.
Schumacher could be returning in his prime. For all we know… he left because he was entirely bored with his dominance. And now, with only 7 races left, and a 70 point deficient to his proper title, I’m hopeful that he’ll have a point to remind us all of.
And that’s why I’m going to actually watch Formula One again. OTB Ferrari or not.