Nostalgia is stupid

[webberf1]

I've recently been watching a lot of F1 videos by Finnishdude107 - YouTube who posts mostly onboard vids from the early 2000s era. I like the vids, but the more I read the comments the more I'm dumbstruck by the amount of morons who talk about that era like they were 'the good old days' when there were 'real drivers', 'real cars', 'real racing' and so much better than 2013.

It just made me realise how dumb nostalgia is and how much people love to put on their rose tinted glasses. What I remember from the early 2000s is people constantly complaining about how sh***y, skill-less (with traction/launch control, powerful but very easily driveable engines by F1 standards, and so much downforce the cars were virtually glued to the track at every moment), and boring it was with Schumacher leading most races from start to finish.

I also remember at the time people saying how much better the 90s were. But now I realise at the time of the 90s there were nostalgics bi***ing about how much better the 80s were, and 80s people the 70s and so on.

IMO, F1 at the moment is in a GREAT place, in amongst the best its ever been in its 60+ year history. There are a few downsides, but overall the racing is exciting and unpredictable, the field closer than ever, the driving field consisting of supreme talent, and a championship which will likely again go down to the last round. In the early 2000s i remember my mates bagging me out for watching such a sh***y boring sport. Now they actually want to talk about it because its gotten interesting once more.

[airshifter]

Great thought, and I'd have to say overall I agree. Regardless of the era in the sport some will be unhappy with certain things, but I'd say on a whole that F1 is in a better place now than it was in the 90s.

[BDunnell]

In the early 2000s i remember my mates bagging me out for watching such a sh***y boring sport. Now they actually want to talk about it because its gotten interesting once more.

Not in my experience, I must say.

Nostalgia can be hazardous, as it does often involve the donning of rose-tinted spectacles, but I find it hard to warm to today's falsely unpredictable races, drivers who are either bland or tiresome, derivative circuits and so forth when compared with the era in which I grew up watching F1.

[Big Ben]

Things weren't great but at least there was no DRS.... I can understand boring but I can't understand that.

[Bezza]

I've watched F1 barely missing a race since 1998.

In that time, the most exciting seasons have been 1998-2000, 2007-2008 and 2011-onwards. The Schumacher dominance ruined the early 2000's unfortunately and a lot of the races were processional.

At the moment we do have some "false" racing, but on the whole that is the lesser of two evils. I think DRS could be removed, as long as unpredictable Pirelli tyres and KERS are kept in.

[BDunnell]

I've watched F1 barely missing a race since 1998.

In that time, the most exciting seasons have been 1998-2000, 2007-2008 and 2011-onwards. The Schumacher dominance ruined the early 2000's unfortunately and a lot of the races were processional.

At the moment we do have some "false" racing, but on the whole that is the lesser of two evils. I think DRS could be removed, as long as unpredictable Pirelli tyres and KERS are kept in.

This may be slightly off-topic, but it is, I feel, relevant: do you think it's possible for F1 to be enjoyable without any of these deliberately unpredictable (some might say 'false') factors, or must they be the price paid for not having a deathly dull sport?

[Garry Walker]

. There are a few downsides, but overall the racing is exciting.

Yeah, those DRS passes really make it worthwhile. Don't forget the tyres either, it is supreme watching drivers drive to delta times so as not to destroy their tyres after 3 laps.

[BDunnell]

Yeah, those DRS passes really make it worthwhile. Don't forget the tyres either, it is supreme watching drivers drive to delta times so as not to destroy their tyres after 3 laps.

I don't say it often, but I agree with you completely.

[steveaki13]

Yeah, those DRS passes really make it worthwhile. Don't forget the tyres either, it is supreme watching drivers drive to delta times so as not to destroy their tyres after 3 laps.

I agree fully with you Gary.

I don't say it often, but I agree with you completely.

Me too.

I have only watched F1 since early-mid early 90s (91-93) but I have always loved every season of F1 I have watched honestly.

Some races are always going to be dull but I can say hand on heart I have never watched F1 even in the 2002 & 2004 seasons and felt my love for the sport weign at all.

However 2011 until now for the first time I do begin to grow frustrated at the sports direction. I feel I cant see the wood for the tree's.
i.e - I watch the action and passes that we see week in week out, but I cant relate to them. We never see two drivers race wheel to wheel in a proper battle. One is always at such a disadvantage whether it be worn tyres or victim of DRS. I wonder what I am actually watching.

Say what you like about pre 2011 at any point but mostly we saw drivers able to push hard and race. I mean how often are any of the cars or drivers at full pelt now.

People say its "Great Racing now", but they are probably only going 90% or less sometimes. I mean make them race at 50% and any driver on the grid could win. Does that make it better?

I feel F1 should be about teams developing cars to the best standard they can and handing them over for drivers to push as hard as they can in races (taking out easing off if you are 40 seconds ahead)

Pre 2003 it was more simple as a sport (not engineering). I mean you had Qualifying for 1 hour and a drivers job was to be as fast as possible, as opposed to choosing tyres and then not lapping for strategy purposes. Then while not perfect because of fuel saving, was still about racing more flat out in a race and making lighter fuel work or whatever.

Not racing to delta times.

"The Show" is becoming more important than F1s soul. In many ways.

The trouble is real Motorsport fans can watch F3, Formula Ford, GP 2 or saloon cars and just love pure racing because thats what they are about. Now it seems F1 needs to attract new fans who arent keen on pure motor racing and want artifical racing to claim being a fan.

Not what F1 should be for me.

[tfp]

Not in my experience, I must say.

Nostalgia can be hazardous, as it does often involve the donning of rose-tinted spectacles, but I find it hard to warm to today's falsely unpredictable races, drivers who are either bland or tiresome, derivative circuits and so forth when compared with the era in which I grew up watching F1.

i am with you about what you say about the drivers, with a few obvious exceptions, the drivers are really dull, aren't they? I love watching, for example, alonso, and, di resta on track, but I could fall asleep watching them in interviews.

Yeah, those DRS passes really make it worthwhile. Don't forget the tyres either, it is supreme watching drivers drive to delta times so as not to destroy their tyres after 3 laps.

Im for and against this^. Without tyres that are designed to wear down quickly and turn it into more of a tactical game, wouldn't you expect RBR to win every race since the end of 2010? They have had the quickest car since then after all.
On the other hand, when you get Bunson on the team radio, asking his team if he should push or save his tyres, this does sound a bit stupid when a driver has to ask that question. I'd fear potential F1 fans/newbies asking WTF is this a race or what?