I don’t really play any sports, especially these days. I had a hard time fitting in and working well in social situations so I had no interest in even attempting team sports as a kid. Later on - but back when I still had some friends left - I did enjoy the occasional 5-a-side football, but I was never a sporty kid.
For watching sports, I find I can get into almost anything if I give it a chance. My favourite is the Olympics, and getting hyperinvested into niche sports for a month every 4 years. Otherwise I am a big F1 (and general Motorsports) fan. I used to be really into watching football (soccer) too, but that has sort of cooled into a more casual interest over the last couple of years. I still watch games frequently, but it’s not the same sort of obsession.
I watched almost every Indy Car race when I was a kid but lost interest when Indy and CART split. For some reason, I never got into F1; but I enjoyed the recent Brad Pitt movie quite a bit. I’m sure a lot in the movie was exaggerated for the screen, but I might watch a race or two to see if some of the excitement I felt during the movie is there.
You missed the perfect entry point after the gateway drug of the movie since the last race before the current break (Silverstone) was an absolute banger.
Otherwise F1 is mostly a case of chasing the dragon, at least if you only watch it for the races. A lot of races are going to be average at best, but every now and then you get a fantastic one that in one fell swoop reminds you of exactly why you watch every Sunday.
That being said, the reason F1 is so singularly compelling compared to other motorsports has nothing to do with the on track action. You get access to the drivers and their personalities in a way most other motorsports don’t, which helps you really get invested. You have the development race raging through the season and often shaking up the power rankings of the teams. You have inter-team intrigue, cheating and politics and backroom games. It’s engineering marvel, racing and a soap opera all rolled up into one.
The best gateway into modern F1 - especially given you don’t know the results or anything - is this: don’t look anything up, just watch the 2021 season in order.
If you want more behind the scenes stuff there is also Drive to Survive on Netflix, though I will say that while I thought Season 1 was quite good it went downhill quickly as they started taking big liberties. Last season was somewhat okay though again finally with at least a couple of worthwhile episodes.
To watch or to play?
Good point I edited it. Either
I don’t really play any sports, especially these days. I had a hard time fitting in and working well in social situations so I had no interest in even attempting team sports as a kid. Later on - but back when I still had some friends left - I did enjoy the occasional 5-a-side football, but I was never a sporty kid.
For watching sports, I find I can get into almost anything if I give it a chance. My favourite is the Olympics, and getting hyperinvested into niche sports for a month every 4 years. Otherwise I am a big F1 (and general Motorsports) fan. I used to be really into watching football (soccer) too, but that has sort of cooled into a more casual interest over the last couple of years. I still watch games frequently, but it’s not the same sort of obsession.
I watched almost every Indy Car race when I was a kid but lost interest when Indy and CART split. For some reason, I never got into F1; but I enjoyed the recent Brad Pitt movie quite a bit. I’m sure a lot in the movie was exaggerated for the screen, but I might watch a race or two to see if some of the excitement I felt during the movie is there.
You missed the perfect entry point after the gateway drug of the movie since the last race before the current break (Silverstone) was an absolute banger.
Otherwise F1 is mostly a case of chasing the dragon, at least if you only watch it for the races. A lot of races are going to be average at best, but every now and then you get a fantastic one that in one fell swoop reminds you of exactly why you watch every Sunday.
That being said, the reason F1 is so singularly compelling compared to other motorsports has nothing to do with the on track action. You get access to the drivers and their personalities in a way most other motorsports don’t, which helps you really get invested. You have the development race raging through the season and often shaking up the power rankings of the teams. You have inter-team intrigue, cheating and politics and backroom games. It’s engineering marvel, racing and a soap opera all rolled up into one.
The best gateway into modern F1 - especially given you don’t know the results or anything - is this: don’t look anything up, just watch the 2021 season in order.
If you want more behind the scenes stuff there is also Drive to Survive on Netflix, though I will say that while I thought Season 1 was quite good it went downhill quickly as they started taking big liberties. Last season was somewhat okay though again finally with at least a couple of worthwhile episodes.