Formula 1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023
May. 3rd, 2023 09:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99I didn't have "the BBC radio commentary team writes Fernando Alonso/Taylor Swift RPF live on air" on my bingo card.
On the other hand, it was probably the highlight of the race.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix frequently has no racing (street circuit, cars too wide to allow passing, DRS zone chicken is the only sporting thing going on) but normally the Baku Chaos Bonanza makes up for that. This time there was no chaos, so the race was duller than dishwater.
When the highlights of the race are wondering why the Alpha Tauri was so fragile compared to every other car that hit the wall and how long Hulkenberg's tyres would last (answer = not long enough), you know it's not a good race.
I may, however, have had a moment of personal illumination. Something about the way one of the BBC articles was phrased made me realise that the new sprint format (which is rubbish) is designed to do away with practise to try to provide more excitement at the actual race because the strategy teams will have less data to predict performance with. Ross Brawn has had to come up with something to fill the time. I still think the sprints are rubbish, but at least I now appreciate the bounds he's working within.
On the other hand, it was probably the highlight of the race.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix frequently has no racing (street circuit, cars too wide to allow passing, DRS zone chicken is the only sporting thing going on) but normally the Baku Chaos Bonanza makes up for that. This time there was no chaos, so the race was duller than dishwater.
When the highlights of the race are wondering why the Alpha Tauri was so fragile compared to every other car that hit the wall and how long Hulkenberg's tyres would last (answer = not long enough), you know it's not a good race.
I may, however, have had a moment of personal illumination. Something about the way one of the BBC articles was phrased made me realise that the new sprint format (which is rubbish) is designed to do away with practise to try to provide more excitement at the actual race because the strategy teams will have less data to predict performance with. Ross Brawn has had to come up with something to fill the time. I still think the sprints are rubbish, but at least I now appreciate the bounds he's working within.
