Back in December, I confessed that I’d never seen a Formula 1 race. But, after all the turmoil of last season’s finale, my interest was piqued. Plus, the 2022 season meant new cars, new liveries, and new team lineups — a fresh start, like getting into Evangelion with the Rebuild movies. I decided, then and there, to watch the 2022 Formula 1 season.
For the first race of the year, that didn’t go so hot. It turns out my $20 over-the-air TV antenna doesn’t pick up any sports channels, and I don’t subscribe to any live TV streaming bundles. I’m told the Ferraris won, which is good, because I like their liveries.
I thought I’d have the same issue with this past weekend’s race in Saudi Arabia, since I was out of town to visit family, but I was served a miracle in a cardboard takeout box: The server/waiter/person singlehandedly running front-of-house in my local Burgeritto joint turned out to be a Jalop, and every screen in the restaurant was showing the race. I was in.
This wasn’t even planned. I was just grabbing lunch with friends, while buying various electronic components from those friends, and we all just happened to be interested in seeing the race. One of our little group, hopped up on four seasons of Drive to Survive and half a season of live F1 viewing, was ready to explain which team was which and what driver was who. The ideal viewing experience, really.
Admittedly, it would’ve been a little better with audio, but the effect persisted. Wheel-to-wheel racing at incredible speeds, with team-wide strategies and tire management and track width concerns and porpoising. I may not know what a “DRS Zone” is, or why it drew the ire of so many of you this past weekend, but now I want to learn. I’m invested. I want the Alfa Romeos to win, because I like their liveries.
So, I ask you all, where should I go next? I know I need a more reliable way to watch the races themselves, but where do you go for your background information? What’s important to know, and what minutiae should be ignored? I am but your humble pupil, teach me the ways of the cars.