All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

I will be fascinated to know if I can hear the cars from the RV park. We're only about 18 miles across the bay from the circuit, and just a couple of miles from Dan Andersen's office/kart track.

 

Really good look at the farce the was IndyCar's attempt to get a Canadian TV deal:

https://norrismcdonald.ca/indycar-to-blame-for-canadian-tv-schmozzle/

 

Formula One: Drive to Survive is some superior 4K viewing on Netflix. Only watched the first episode, but damn the visuals are incredible. We'll see where the story takes it over the next few episodes.

 

Totally agree. I've also only seen the first one but it's beautifully done. As someone who follows the sport closely it's great to see the behind the scenes stuff because they're always been wildly protective of that sort of thing.

 

Man you really got to feel for Ricciardo, who just seems starcrossed at him home race.

 

Oh yeah, out before the first corner without any major contact with anyone else. Dominant win by Bottas, great to see after the way he took a back seat to Hamilton last year.

 

If I’m NASCAR, I beg and plead for Netflix to send The Drive to Survive crew to document the season. I’m three episodes in and have never been more excited, or knowledgeable, about an F1 season.

 

The last third of Saturday's IndyCar Grand Prix had more action and excitement than the entire F1 season has had to date.

 

My wife has noticed I've done less screaming at the television this season. Mainly because I want the announcers to tell me about stuff I DON'T ALREADY KNOW and show me somebody other than the leader. I shouldn't be sitting on my couch, noticing things five laps before Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear did.

Why are they doing what they're doing on the track and in the pits? Tell me.

I learned more about the details of the aero package watching the one-day open test than I learned in 40 years of watching ABC. And Paul Tracy saw 10 laps before it actually happened that Pagenaud could catch Dixon in the wet without any overtaking time remaining, because Dixon's handling went away under the previous green-flag stint. NBC caught a huge amount of passing throughout the field, and if they didn't get it live, they immediately replayed it.

And the one "wife" reaction shot -- ABC's trademark -- came in a replay after the race was over.

So nice to experience the race each week from the experts' perspective instead of two guys who sniped at each other's careers in jest for two hours.