Countdown to Racing 2023

[EmailAddress]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 07 November 2023 at 11:47

[hot metal]

[BrettMRC]

...followed by an immeadiate safety car...

[Mark-C]

I'm aiming to avoid cynicism for as long as I can this year so ignoring the above post and going for

[Derek Smith]

It seemed as if it was such a short period, and probably was compared to some previous years, but dear me - it's seemed like ages. And still all but two weeks.

[Derek Smith]

EmailAddress said:

Derek Smith said:

It seemed as if it was such a short period, and probably was compared to some previous years, but dear me - it's seemed like ages. And still all but two weeks.

I feel for all those involved with the long Seasons though.

Must be quite a strain physically and emotionally.

Staying in the zone and top of your game for months on end.

I feel for them as well. No, honest. Sort of.

Perhaps fewer races with the current extended season? I'm not in the first flush of youth, but it's not poor memory that's the reason I can't remember all the individual races each season. Going back a bit, each race was an event. My social events were organised around the races. My kids and friends knew that if they wanted a coherent reply, not to phone me on race day 30 mins before the lights and a variable period, depending on who won, after the flag. Now they merge into one, with, ironically, just a dozen standing out; the old number of races.

I know things weren't better in the 'old days', and that the racing over recent years has been the most consistently exciting I can remember, and I go back to the 1966 British as my first race. However, much as I like racing at night, visits to sandy places and such, it is a bit much.

There are too few WEC races a year. There're too many F1 races.

On your point, a good one, about staying on the top of your game for months on end; I get it. The answer is fewer races.

I know it sounds a bit grumpy old man, and harking back to the golden era, when we've got it good now, the time fans who are kids now will look back on as the great golden age of GP racing. But I would like to be able to see every race without alienating my wife and kids.

[Eric Mc]

Derek Smith said:

It seemed as if it was such a short period, and probably was compared to some previous years, but dear me - it's seemed like ages. And still all but two weeks.

In the late 1960s, the first GP of the year used to be in January (South Africa) - and then a long wait until late April or early May (Spain or Monaco).

[PhilAsia]

Eric Mc said:

Derek Smith said:

It seemed as if it was such a short period, and probably was compared to some previous years, but dear me - it's seemed like ages. And still all but two weeks.

In the late 1960s, the first GP of the year used to be in January (South Africa) - and then a long wait until late April or early May (Spain or Monaco).

....it was at a time when it was extremely important to take the time to make a decent cuppa tea...

[Eric Mc]

I think they used to call in to SA on the way back from the Tasman series in Aus and NZ.

[Mark-C]

Eric Mc said:

I think they used to call in to SA on the way back from the Tasman series in Aus and NZ.

They also squeezed in some non-championship races as well which feels equally weird from this distance in time!

[Mark-C]

EmailAddress said:

This is my favorite ever instance of Godwin's Law