They’re way ahead of you on this…
Now you remind me of it … didn’t make an impression then!
Dunno I find it amusing! 
One of the reasons that the F1 started to become bit more popular in the US is due to ‘Drive to Survive’ I think.
But I agree with that some of the race became somewhat uneventful compared to the past but then it might have been our morbid curiosity as spectators due to lack of safety precaution on the track back then. Also the cars of today are much more technically advanced than the past. Noone runs out of gas or car starts a fire on track or in a pit. 
Which adds to some unexpected excitement ( especially at the end of the race ).
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Having seen several F1 races in Montreal I still think the NASCAR races on the same track a few years ago were more fun to watch. The off track activities were also more enjoyable. More lovely bodies too. The Americans can do something well.
Dunno Nobby. On and off I glanced at the NASCAR street race in Chicago over the weekend and find it they are too slow.
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But then we had Jacques Villeneuve driving like a lunatic in a chevy. Sheer mayhem.
Yeah you are right Kuma. Just had a look on utube. Guess the good days are over.
There are so many contradictions in F1, the list is also endless (so to speak) e.g.
F1 removed the ‘grid girls’ many years ago – although motorcycling retains them. Yet, with the US events, the full-on cheerleader stuff is rolled-out, as part of a much bigger show.
I don’t think anyone wants to see accidents, what they’d rather see is (say) a modern-day Mansell driving a car within inches of a modern-day Senna’s gearbox (as they used to), using slip-streaming and skill (cum bravery) to pass, rather than DRS. Of course, the current F1 cars are so big, and the front-ends so prominent, that they almost daren’t go near each other at times.
As you allude, instead of having outright racing now, they’ve introduced limitations on tyres, with compulsory pitstops (thankfully no more dangerous refuelling) and have VSC/full SC events (grabbing the idea from NASCAR and IndyCar) which can act to equalise and disturb the natural order of a race and, worse, even determine a drivers’ title.
‘Drive to Survive’ plays to the social media-type interest in things nowadays, often creating faux tension and, like Sky who cover things in the UK, crises are made from micro-dramas. It’s also clear some of the drivers don’t favour a world of celebrity, although some like LH obviously do, with his marketing credentials.
As to governance, I find to amazing that in a multi-billion dollar sport, there are debates about the quality of the tracks, track limits, penalties et al, as well as some weird decision-making.
If memory serves, F1 always struggled to gain traction in the US market, as the locals favoured NASCAR and IndyCar, obviously a lot on ovals where all the action could be seen etc. F1 was a bit of an oddity, being confined to converted car parks, with no real USP. Technically it may be superior but the on-track action is often far less than the indigenous offerings (esp NASCAR).
It’ll be interesting whether interest in F1 wanes if the off & on-track celebrity factor wears off, as this hasn’t been a cultural set of values F1 has played-off heavily over the years.
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I think it was after Liberty bought F1 wasn’t it? That was 2017, so not that many years ago.
They stopped season 2018 (post Liberty Acq) – obviously the FIA never got the memo about ‘brand values’!
Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1, shared, *“While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grand Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms.”
This, for one, was certainly a low point of the season indeed.
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Anyhoo 
looking forward to the British Grand Prix this weekend. Anyone going?
Dates for 2024 are announced now. 24 races, 3 of which will be on a Saturday. Starts 2 March and ends 8th Dec.
@IanB61 I won’t be going to Brit GP but will watch live on C4.
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For a second there I thought they’d truly gone insane, then I realised you meant sprint races.
Well, they should just add a few male grid girls. There, it’s inclusive!
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No, the 3 main races are on Saturday, not a sprint. The first 2 due to EID. And the La Vagas one, no doubt for the US TV audience.
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What does that stand for?
Ramadan I think.
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It is the celebration at the end of Ramadam.
Looking at the dates of Ramadam next year, it seems that the website on which I saw the 2024 calendar confused Eid and Ramadam and said Eid was the reason for the Saturday GP. From my quick look, it appears Ramadam starts just after the normal GP weekend, so FIA moved it forward a day and because there was only a week between GP, moved the first one of the year forward a day too. Whilst I am not an adherent of any religion, this reason does seem better than the reason for moving the Las Vagas one, which is all about hoped-for financial rewards for Las Vagas.
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