Formula 1? Not really.
The 2007 F1 season has been arguably the greatest we’ve seen for years in terms of racing. At least four drivers all had an equal chance - still have a chance - of taking the Driver’s crown this year. The racing has been sensational, the unpredictability marvellously compelling.
Off-track though, it’s been a shitfest of mud-slinging and name calling that’s torn at the very fabric of the sport and further tarnished - damaged, the credibility of the sport forever.
More than ten years and I’ve not missed a GP in some form or another. I’ve seen races, known results of every GP since about 1995 and never once before this year can I remember being so completely disappointed in the politics and absolutely appalled at the state of some who call themselves ‘fans’.
I’ve read of leaders being forced to the verge of tears trying to defend their teams’ credibility - while others rip shreds from them with razor teeth and searing false accusations. The Sports’ Governing body is out on an all-out witch hunt. Not even a verdict has stopped the endless onslaught of corporate probing, tarnishing reports and political slander.
And then there’s the ‘fans’ that spend the majority of a race doing nothing but wishing that the leading driver crashes, burns or retires, simply so ‘their’ driver can take a win.
ITV presenter Steve Rider, described the appearance of the Italian police at the doors of the McLaren garage on Saturday afternoon as a “cheap shot”. McLaren were even more scathing. “We strongly suspect that the nature and timing of this wholly unnecessary contact, just before the start of qualifying, was to disrupt our preparation for this important session and Thursday’s World Motor Sport Council hearing”.
It’s like a bunch of school kids have taken over the running of the multi-billion dollar industry and set about causing as much trouble as is humanly possible.
Something is missing from F1 this year. And that is the focus on racing. The brawls being decided on track. The talk being transferred to the fastest lap times and podium finishes. Overtaking moves. Qualifying strategies. Instead, its all too easy to wave a piece of paper at someone, or publish a worthless article on which driver could be tied with a spy scandal or which team should be excluded from the Championship.
Where did it go wrong? And why has it been let to go this far?
I really can’t be bothered following all this stuff any more. It just ain’t what it was a year or two ago.
The 2007 season will be remembered. Not for the arrival of the rookie, not for the closest fought championship, not for the excitement - but for political turmoil at a high-cost to the viewer. To the fan. The people that make the sport tick.
I can only hope its a swift turn-around.
