F1 is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary: a sport that has turned cars into legends and men into heroes, often willing to risk their lives for the passion of racing at high speeds. Yet today, I don’t want to talk about them but about us—the fans, the enthusiasts who deeply love this sport.
While in football, the world’s most-watched sport, technological and tactical innovations are now accepted even by the most conservative fans, the same cannot be said for Formula 1. This discipline is forced to innovate constantly, not only to enhance the spectacle but also to advance the technological progress of the automotive industry, with tangible benefits for everyday life.
Many claim that today’s Formula 1 has lost the charm of the past, but is that really the case? Certainly, modern F1 is not without flaws, but it’s not entirely dispensable, as some nostalgic fans would have you believe. Today we have more spectacle, more overtaking (yes, even thanks to DRS!), greater attention to safety—perhaps even too much—and advanced technology that has turned this sport into a laboratory for the future.
F1 of the past: heroism and simplicity, but also clear limitations
In the past, Formula 1 was characterized by constant risk. Drivers put their lives on the line in fragile cars on circuits with often inadequate safety standards, especially in the 1970s. The spectacle was limited: few overtakes, races that often turned into processions of over 300 km, and not all Grands Prix were broadcast on TV. Fans had to rely on newspapers to learn the results the following day.
Memorable events, such as the famous duel between Rene Arnoux and Gilles Villeneuve, were the exception rather than the rule. The overtakes of that era, comparable today to “Skills & Goals” compilations of footballers on YouTube, represented the best moments of otherwise monotonous races. Even in the 2000s, overtaking was still an issue, and it wasn’t until the introduction of DRS in 2011 that significant changes were seen.
Even the quality of TV images of the time didn’t do justice to the speed of the cars. Not to mention the second-tier cars, often subjected to multiple laps of lapping in a race due to technical and economic limitations.
The calendar and circuits: evolution and controversies
Another frequent criticism of modern Formula 1 concerns the “extra-large” calendar. From the 16 Grands Prix of 40 years ago, we’ve now reached 24. However, in F1’s early years, calendars were even more limited, starting with just 7 or 8 races and gradually growing.
The hatred for street circuits is another recurring theme. Yet motorsport is also linked to cities, as shown by the 1980s tracks in America, such as Long Beach, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Detroit, and Dallas, or Adelaide in Australia. Sure, many of these circuits were geometric and filled with 90° turns, with questionable safety standards, but they still represented an important part of F1 history.
F1 – Nostalgia effect or progress?
The nostalgia effect affects all of us, myself included. It’s easy to idealize the past, especially in areas like video games or sports. However, upon clear reflection, it’s evident that today’s Formula 1 has made great strides in many aspects: safety, spectacle, accessibility, and technology. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s not “all bad” either.
Formula 1 of the past had its charm, but today’s version is a necessary evolution, looking to the future without forgetting its glorious past.
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