5 Reasons why NASCAR fans should start following Formula 1

5 Reasons why NASCAR Fans should start following Formula 1

An Article By Brian Cotnoir       

So I’ve only really been following Formula 1 since last season.  It’s not that I never had an interest in it, it’s just that Broadcast Coverage in the United States wasn’t always that great.  Well that’s improved—somewhat—over the years.  I really enjoyed watching the Grand Prix races, and since NASCAR has become so G.D. boring it’s provided an interesting outlet for me to get my auto racing fix.  Over the winter, I started doing a lot of research about the history of Formula 1 and I’ve watched almost every race of the 2018 Season so far.  So here are some reasons why I am suggesting for why fans of NASCAR may want to consider the switch to F1

1.) Smaller Fields

Your average field for a Formula 1 race consists of 20 cars from 10 teams.  In my opinion, that—somewhat—levels the playing field.   Each team has two cars, so the most Points scoring positions a team can have is two.  It’s not like in NASCAR where you have teams like Gibbs and Hendrick that have 4 cars entered in every race.  Also, only the Top 10 receive points in Formula 1.  So that puts on a lot of pressure for mid-pack racing.  You don’t have to worry about drivers in F1 costing around being content running in the 15^th position, because they’re getting valuable points.  No, if you’re not in the Top 10, you’re not competing for a Championship.  

2.) More Grandiose Tracks, Fewer Cautions

Monaco Street Circuit in Monte Carlo

So every F1 Track is a road/street course which I know there are many fans of NASCAR that hate road racing but here me out.   So you’ve got some amazing tracks like Austria’s Red Bull Ring, France’s Circuit Paul Ricard, England’s Silverstone, Canada’s Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve and the Street Courses in Monaco and Azerbaijan.   Plus, some of these tracks are so large that if a car happens to breakdown and wrecks if it’s far enough away, they don’t have to deploy a Caution.  There’s usually dozens of places at an F1 race where a driver can pull off, all the drivers are advised to slow down in certain sections of the track, but drivers can still race.  Unless there is a significant wreck on the track, the drivers rarely have to slow down or deploy a safety car.   An F1 Race runs at an average of 2 hours, not bad when you compare to how long a NASCAR race is with all the pre-race and post-race shows.

3.)  Early Morning Race Start Times; Breakfast and Racing

I hate Night Racing.  Like, it drives me nuts having to stay up till 11PM at night to see who’s going to win a race.  I prefer races in the morning.  Since a Majority of F1 races take place in Europe and Asia, I can wake up around 8-9AM on a Sunday to catch the start of the race, and it’s awesome.  I can have my breakfast, watch the race and I still have an entire day to get done whatever I want to get done.   Even when they  come to North America for the Canadian, United States, and Mexican Grand Prix’s, the races are still on early enough in the day.  Oh and Rain Delays?  Unless there’s lighting or excessive torrential downpours, they don’t stop the race; they have two sets of Rain “tyres” and it’s awesome to watch these cars run in the rain.

4.) Actual “Diversity”

Lewis Hamilton, he wins lots of Races

Yeah, there’s been a lot of griping about NASCAR’s lack of Diversity.   Most of the Drivers are White Males from America.   Daniel Suarez is the one Mexican Driver, Bubba Wallace is the one black driver that has a full-time ride, and occasionally you get a Canadian Driver from the NASCAR Pinty’s series who makes an appearance in a start & park car that has no business at the track.  Formula 1 has only ever had 1 Black Driver, Lewis Hamliton, but he’s hands down the Best Driver out there.   Not to mention the race features drivers from Spain, Germany, Finland, Russia, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Mexico, Monaco, France, Denmark, Brazil, and Great Britain, it truly is a global sport…well except for America.  There are no American drivers presently in Formula 1, but there’s an F1 Team based out of North Carolina; Haas F1.

5.)  They’re not trying to sell you something every lap of every race.

Oh My God, it seems like every NASCAR race, they can’t go more than 10 seconds without mentioning A Car Brand, a Motor Oil, a tire brand, or some other big corporate sponsor!   Yes, Formula 1 relies heavily on sponsorship too, but they’re not trying to sell you crap during the races.  You rarely here a driver in F1 talk about their sponsors or thank them in Victory Lane.  They normally just thank their team and the Manufacturer.   Seriously, there are very few Formula 1 fans that can afford a Rolex, or a Ferrari, or a Mercedes.  Probably the one thing on an F1 car that I can afford is a can of Red Bull. 

It’s for these reasons I think most NASCAR fans should give Formula 1 a Chance.