I have grown up watching NASCAR, and I still enjoy watching the races every Sunday, especially if Dale Jr. is winning. However, I have come to enjoy another form of racing lately, thanks to my boyfriend.
Formula 1 racing is a form of open wheeled auto racing that has been around for more than 60 years. This is more of a worldwide race style, unlike NASCAR, but there are still many F1 fans around the United States.
They used to race in the U.S., but now the closest they race is in Canada.
F1 racing dates back to 1946 when it was first defined by the Commission Sportive Internationale and was first named Formula A; however, it technically was around before being officially defined.
CSI is a part of La Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, which is commonly referred to as the FIA.
The current season is the 59th World Championship season. It runs from March to November with 18 Grand Prix races.
Half of the races each season take place in Europe, and they have expanded races to many other countries such as Bahrain and Malaysia. India is supposed to be added to the schedule in 2010.
Teams in this series include Ferrari, BMW Sauber, McLaren-Mercedes, Red Bull-Renault and seven others.
Ferrari seems to continuously be the top team in F1, as they have won the most constructor championships and the most driver championships, as well as many other awards.
Current top drivers include Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes), Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Robert Kibica (BMW Sauber) and many others.
Drivers in this league are from countries all over the world. including Australia, Germany, Poland and Brazil.
Former F1 driver, Juan Pablo Montoya joined the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in 2007. He is currently racing the No. 42 Texaco Dodge under Chip Ganassi Racing. Montoya is the first F1 driver to race NASCAR full time.
I believe it is hard to tell which style I prefer more until I actually get to attend an F1 event.
I find it more interesting with the different nationalities that are a part of this race series. It’s always fun to listen to the interviews after the races and hear all of the different accents of the drivers.
I enjoy the differences in F1 and NASCAR, such as the track styles, the race start and the speed of pit stops.
NASCAR starts from a moving position, where F1 begins from a stopped position. Pit stops in NASCAR average 12 seconds nowadays, and F1 averages seven seconds. Also, technology in F1 is more up-to-date than in NASCAR.
The rules are very different, and I am wanting to follow F1 more than NASCAR. Now, that may be because I am almost forced to watch F1 and not NASCAR, but it has caused me to really enjoy the sport more.
If this is my boyfriend’s plan to get me to like F1 more than NASCAR, I guess it is working.
