Why do F1 fans think that their type of racing is better than American racing?

Question

Personally, I think Formula One is dead BORING. I watch NASCAR Nextel Cup and NHRA drag racing. F1 IS 'follow the leader' and car manufacturer sponsorship...and rather than call it 'manufacturer' they use 'constructor'. And where's the passing in F1..certainly not on the track. And an F1 racecar does not even sound like a racecar!! Besides, F1 gets no real promotion here in the States, and when they DO show an F1 race on television, it's on at some ungodly hour like 2:30 in the morning...

To I AM ROCK...obviously you don't know ONE D@MN THING about NASCAR race cars. Formula One is just a bunch of 'oh so polite' no-passing, follow-the-leader, boring racing that makes me want to GO TO SLEEP...if you F1 fans are entitled to your opinion then I am just as entitled to mine...

To ANNITA...NASCAR drivers are capable of racing on road courses. They have two ROAD COURSES on the Nextel Cup circuit. Infineon and Watkins Glen. And yes, NASCAR drivers have won on road courses...

Answer 1

Here is something for the F1 lovers on why F1 isn't the best thing since...well, since anything:

1) F1 cars have traction control, just like my street car. Actually, open wheel racing cars all use traction control. Stock cars don't. Takes more to drive without traction control than with it, especially at Infineon or Watkins Glen, but even on the oval tracks that F1 fans think suck, because they don't know any different. Each track has it's own personality. And if you're going to insult anything, get the type of track right, because there are no circle tracks. They are oval, tri-oval (oval with a bend in one of the straightaways), triangle (Pocono is a 3-turn triangle), quad-oval (think tri-oval, but with a small front stretch in the bend, see Texas Motor Speedway as an example), or road course (mentioned earlier, Infineon and Watkins Glen).
2) Can you say "Follow the Leader", because that is what F1 resembles. Most tracks I have seen on the occassions I have been able to see F1 races aren't condusive for passing...anywhere except near the start/finish line.
3) America doesn't care about foreign sports because they really don't care about us. We have the most exciting sports in North America and the world hates us for it.
4) I'd rather watch cars that look more like something I drive than something that looks like it should be flying away.
5) I hate seeing 4 cars that look EXACTLY the same on the track, and how do you see what number they are?
6) Race length. F1 races seem real short and most of what I have seen makes it look like they don't even break a sweat. I bet no F1 driver could even FINISH all 400 laps of the Coca-Cola 600. I bet they would either crash out early when they feel like their race should be done, or they finish like 50 laps down because they get nervous when the car starts tightening up on them and they can't figure out where the handling is going. Just plaster ROOKIE to the back of their cars, forget the stripe.
7) And finally, it's nice when the Championship isn't clinched with 1/4 of the season left.

Now do any F1 fans have any REAL rebuttals to this answer, or is it going to be "because they drive in circles" all the time? If Americans can't think for following NASCAR, you all can't think for coming up with a good reason NASCAR sucks (because it doesn't).

Answer 2

I am a Formula 1 fan, I have been a Formula 1 fan since the age of 6 (the infamous 1997 season) and I am telling you that, if you know how to taste this sport, it gets you hooked to it as soon as you watch it for the first time.

And don't say F1 plays "follow the leader"; overtaking happens, but here you find the best drivers in the world and they don't yield very easily. They always defend their position like the determined men they are.
Nascar has 2 road courses in 30 races, right? F1 has 17 and 3/4 road courses (part of the Indy oval is used the opposite way) in 18 races.
Americans don't follow F1 because it only has 3 races on the American continent, plus up this year, there haven't been any American drivers since 1993 (Michael Andretti). And the motorsports in the US refuse to go under the jurisdiction of the FIA. Why? Because they don't bare being led by Europeans.

Why can some Americans accept F1 and become fans of it, and some can't accept it at all? They reject it completely and claim that what they have is better. Why?

And not all F1 fans are, as another answerer stated, "people with an IQ of 130, which are in college..." I happen to know a lot about F1 just because I watch the races very carefully. But who says a F1 fan has to be smart? What attracted me to F1 is the speed of those things, the high-pitched sound (I like the sound of American V8's, but I simply adore the sound of the F1 engines), the way in which F1 drivers are able to control their cars on the track...

Answer 3

Oh, I just can't resist beginning with the oval tracks too - personally for me the fact that almost all of the tracks are ovals (ok, usually tri-ovals) is enough to make Formula 1 a much more interesting sport than Nascar which is often compared to "taxis turning left for 500 miles". That's my answer to the asker.
But anyway, since Kaotik29 wanted other reasons, I will give them to him:

It is pointless to argue which race is more difficult. If you judge which is better based on the difficulty, then we have our winner - F1! Even Jeff Gordon (you watch Nascar so you know who he is, and I bet you realize that his opinion is more qualified than yours) said when he drove Montoya's F1 car in 2003 that he was shocked at the speed, braking, and handling of the vehicle and that driving one is on a whole different difficulty level. So don't point traction control as an argument (your argument #1) because it is just a small piece of the whole picture and it doesn't make F1 easier for the drivers than Nascar.

Even the most "ordinary" track in F1 puts in its turs and twists up to 5 or 6 G's of stress on the driver's body. So if you doubt that F1 drivers would finish a Nascar race (your argument #6), DON'T.

The fact that drivers actually need skills in order to pass someone (your argument #2) doesn't make that sport uninteresting - on the contrary, it makes it more thrilling.

With your argument #3 you just killed me!!! You just insulted 530 million viewers, fans of F1 ! It is ridiculous to claim that those people love F1 because they hate North America or USA ?!!? Just face the fact - Nascar has 75 million fans around the world but though a great ammount that is still less than the F1 fans and it proves only one - F1 is more interesting to grab the attention of more people!

I just won't comment #4 and #5 - they are your own opinion and everyone has the right to have one. I just stated mine.

Answer 4

F1 is an exciting sport for 4 reasons:

1) Each race is different and held in international circuits.

2) Head-to-head racing and pit stops between 2 similar-spec F1 cars is very exciting.

3) It's an engineering sport. Engineers are continously trying to find ways to improve performance and aerodynamics within the regulatory limits. Although some teams with a lower budget may be disadvantaged, it is also a question of how efficiently that budget is used. The top teams include Ferrari, Mclaren, and Renault. The car's performance and reliability can change drastically in mid-season. Examples include BMW's decline when they introduced their highly unorthodox "hammer-head" design, Mclaren's performance boost which catapulted them to many pole positions (albeit loss of reliability during closing minutes of the race), and Ferrari/Bridgestone comeback this year from a very dismal start to the season.

4) There are various driver personalities, each one trying to make the best out of the cars they are given. A few examples include:

a) The calculating and diplomatic (and sometimes controversial) ex-champion/living legend, Michael Schumacher. b) Soft-spoken precision driver Raikkonen, aka ice-man, who almost won the crown if it weren't for the few engine blow-ups. c) The other precision driver, Fernando Alonso, who dethroned a living legend. d) JPM (left for NASCAR!), who had the potential to become an F1 champion but lived under the shadow of the ice-man. e) Newcomer Scott Speed, the only American on the F1 roster (most recent american was michael andretti, way back in 1993), starting with a mediocre team and trying to work his way up the ranks.

Answer 5

I get reminded of Nascar when I eat my corn flakes in the morning. That's the type of comparison I make. Nascar vehicles only have an American engine. F1 has prestigious & exotic car brands, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, Porsche etc. Nascar knows like only 1 engine. However, I find both boring. Just seeing cars driving in straight lines. I however find the backstage of F1 and Nascar super, the girls, the event, that's far greater than the racing. What I find exciting to look at because it's real action all the time, is rally. Now those guys know how to drive!

Answer 6

@Kaotik29

1.) Do you need traction control on a highway........... no !!!

2.) In F1 you need skills to pass another car, in Nascar all you have to do is step on a pedal !!!

3.) F1 have fans and races in the whole world, Nascar ONLY in USA !!!!

4.) That is the point........... F1 is high technology, not like Nascar when only improvement of a car is more hp !!!!

5.) In Nascar ALL cars are the same only with different colors !!!

6.) You are wright about that, they would fall asleep of boring driving in the circle!!!!

7.) Whit two races till the end of the season is between first and second in the Championship ZERO points differences!!!




I'm not saying that Nascar sucks, I like all Motor sports, but you CAN'T COMPARE Nascar TO FORMULA 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 7

I suspect F1 (Formula One) fans don't have "an IQ of 130, are currently in college, know proper English and spelling, and are working on an associate's degree in psychology."
Personally, my IQ is quite low, my English language skills are poor, I have trouble with sentence structure, punctuation and spelling and it's doubtful I'll ever gain an associate's degree in psychology, but I do understand the nuances of Formula One racing.
I've watched in awe as drivers such as the late Ayrton Senna went through the daunting Eau Rouge on full throttle and I've stood on the outside of Ste Devote and Casino Square in Monaco and listened to the wonderful sounds from the cars as Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Riccardo Patrese went (up) through several rapid gear changes; it was like listening to a Mahler symphony or a Paganinni violin concerto..
Oops, I'm rhapsodizing a bit here, something I really shouldn't do. Still, someone such as your good self, one with an IQ of 130, will surely forgive me.
Lastly, I even understand that the proper term is 'constructor' because each team constructs its own chassis.
Perhaps it's not too late for me to improve my English skills; in the meantime I'll treasure the two points for this rather verbose answer. My cat will be equally grateful when I give her a favourite/favorite treat.

Answer 8

All racing take skill. I just say a Bush race & it had 10 crashes.No driver wants to crash because the money comes out of the car owners pocket. Plus if you have to many accident you lose your ride. I love NASCAR. I have watched F1 but the only place I see them race is on city streets. Most people drive like them at rush hour.A few F1 drivers are coming to NASCAR for the money.Even the F1 drivers have said it is harder to drive for NASCAR then F1. I live for racing, I can not get enought.

Answer 9

Typical American. Don't get it. Don't like it!
You didn't invent it so you don't think it's any good.
You see. If you had ever been outside of the US, you would know that it's pretty much the only place in the world that gives a darn about Nascar.
Everyone else follows F1. It's been around for a lot longer and globally has many more fans than Nascar.
You probably think football (that's soccer to you) is boring too.

Answer 10

My friend, there are such things in F1 that escape the limits of those of such short understanding that you wouldn't understand such simple things as a pit stop in terms of strategy and timing in the very same way you dare to call football a sport you play with the hands.

Don't bother having opinions on something you don't understand, or at least think a bit before asking such questions because the answers can be overwhelming to those like you.

Do you recall the name Montoya?
Why do you think is back with you again?
For being so good?