4 Things I Learned About Formula 1 Racing

A few friends recommended the Formula 1: Drive to Survive show on Netflix so I started watching it on my own one afternoon ... and have really gotten into it. 

I think mostly because it's SUCH a departure from my usual interests. But also because there's interesting characters and it's a world that's totally new and foreign to me. So it's super fascinating.

As I'm starting season 3, I started to think of all the new things I've learned about racing from the show ...  
  1. Did you know they are in those race cars for about 90 minutes? So not only is it taxing for the cars and tires, etc, but the drivers need to maintain that perfect focus for more than an HOUR on the track. I can't even imagine it how intense that is. 
  2. It's a rich, white man's sport. Just know that going in. 
  3. There are teams from all over Europe, but it's an English sport, so the official language is English. All the accents are entertaining. 
  4. Drivers must be pretty fit to compete, because their body moves around so much in the car, getting jarred to the right and left. They need to be ready for impact at all times. Plus, they must maintain a certain weight for the dynamics of the car and they get officially weighed at each race. Also, they have to be attractive, to interest advertisers. Some are really cute. 
  5. The cars are homemade by each racing companies like really expensive engineering experiments. It's not like they buy them ready-made. 
  6. The logistics of a race season amazes me. Sixteen races all over the world. They have teams that set up fully-functional offices/garages at every venue, including a cafeteria and meeting rooms. Plus the garages and all the extra car parts/tires, etc. I can't even imagine the shipping containers, etc. that get moved around the world. 
  7. There are only 20 drivers in Formula 1. That's it. So it's super competitive and cut-throat. Plus, the salaries are wide ranging, from millions to just a few hundred-thousand a year. I looked it up. 
It's the kind of sport you either care about, or you know almost nothing about, especially in the US. But now that I'm watching this, it's just a super engrossing dive into this crazy culture.

Anyway, if you're looking for something to watch that's outside the usual, this is a good one.  

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