Page 131 - Classics Issue

Barcelona was another great race, a fantastic start other than Kimi and Verstappen coming together in turn one and both leaving with broken front suspension, but that’s racing… we saw Vettel’s Ferrari overtake Bottas’s Mercedes on track and then in the closing stages Hamilton overtake Vettel to win the race. We haven’t seen racing like this for years. The action off track has not been as dramatic, but its effects are being felt already. The new owners, American frm Liberty Media, started by taking a hatchet to the old guard at FOM who in my opinion had almost driven a sport I’ve loved since I was 6 into oblivion. They knew the price of everything, but the value of nothing. Going to an F1 race had become a major chore, not the enjoyable experience it should have been. It almost felt you as if we were walking into an armed robbery scene with your hands above your head holding your wallet in one hand and your car keys in the other while the bouncers check your pass. The term “fan experience” is being talked about a lot now in F1 and in a very positive way and that is exactly what was missing, it’s just a shame it has taken American ownership to put a bit of “have a nice day” culture back into the sport.