Thread by @adamhjk

@webframp Ok! Basics first. F1 is a constructors sport. Each team must build its own car, from scratch. They can use listed parts, outsource some, but the design and build has to be done in house by the team.

@webframp That means the team often can build the car around the driver. They give feedback on how it feels and behaves, and the teams change and adapt over time. It also means each teams car is unique to the team.

@webframp The cars themselves have no driver aides allowed. No power steering. No traction control. If you’ve ever driven a rear wheel drive sports car with no assists, I’ll tell you: it’s difficult. You have to pay maximum attention all the time. They’re absolute monster cars.

@webframp So each team builds two, according to the regulations. They then out two drivers inside them. So that’s the first bit of sport - every driver on the grid has another driver, in an identical machine, that they need to race every weekend. Between each other, it’s a pure driver race

@webframp The margin between the best car on the grid (Mercedes) and the worst (Williams) is measured in tenths of a second. Built by hand. The margins are razor thin. It’s supremely difficult technically. Layer in reliability, and there’s tons of angles just in the cars themselves.

@webframp That brings us to the first championship, the constructors. Each race awards points, which translate to💰. Tally up the points for your two cars, and that’s what your team gets for the race. Winning means you (maybe) built the best car. It’s a real achievement.

@webframp But the real drama in the constructors is the middle of the grid. It’s brutally hard to get better. Every step forward risks going backwards. Every track is unique. Every driver is different. Teams also race for prestige. Mercedes over Ferrari!

@webframp This year, the drama is Ferrari dropping way down the order. They cheated fuel flow last year. McLaren, Racing Point and Renault are neck and neck for third place. Every second means millions of dollars. It’s compressed business competition as sporting angle.

@webframp Hundreds of people working in the factory, in design, mechanics, strategy, simulation. All pointed at winning that prize money.

@webframp Each of those teams has a “principal”, who runs the team. They’re personalities in their own right, who are part of the drama of it. It’s great.

@webframp The other aspect is, of course the drivers. These are the best of the best of the best. Most trained from karts starting at 8 years old. The cars put incredible stress on your body. They’re in elite shape.

@webframp The level of control required to plant a car through one lap without crashing is insane. Remember, no driver aides allowed. Small variations of throttle, breaking, grip, timing, feel. Every tenth of a second is worth millions of dollars.

@webframp Your entire team put every minute of their work life into you getting it right, every time, in the most difficult situation. Hesitate and you’re done. Over do it and you’re cooked. Getting is right is a zen mastery lesson at 200mph.

@webframp And every time, you’re measured against another person, in identical machinery. And every once in a while, a driver can take a car and get more out of it than they should. George Russell has done this the last two years. Max Verstappen. Fernando Alonso. Lewis Hamilton.

@webframp Only 20 seats available. Every young driver on the planet wants one. To keep it you have to perform, every time. And nobody can. Cars break. Drivers make mistakes. Each one is heartbreaking - opportunity, cost, revenue. All on them. Huge pressure.

@webframp Lewis Hamilton is probably the GOAT because he finds that place more than anyone. He drove a pair of wet tires into slicks a few weeks back. It was a master class. But the drama of it is, again, in the middle. Who can rise up? Who can meet the challenge?

@webframp And every race is a reset. Every Sunday is another shot. When the lights go out, it’s just them, the work of hundreds of people, and the fastest cars on the planet. Racing for money. For a career. For their livelihoods. It’s peak drama.

@webframp To really see it, you have to watch a full season. Ideally with practice and commentary too. Which is a big investment (at least four hours+ of content on a race weekend). Or read the F1 news. Jump start with the Netflix show Drive to Survive.

@webframp That drama unfolds in real time. You watch those stories all year long. It’s fucking great, man. :)

@webframp Oh! So the drivers also have a championship. With prize money! If you’re in a great car, you’re expected to perform. If you don’t, you loose your shot.

@webframp The team, the cars, the drivers. The circuits. Throw in weather, incredible risks, and huge personalities - it’s truly an amazing thing. That it exists is insane.

@webframp Imagine watching VC backed startups try and perform every weekend, with their revenue on the line. That’s what F1 is. Elite athletes backed by elite technical talent vying for a fixed pool of prize money.

@webframp More on drivers. No assists at all. So you’re driving at 200mph, and to get the best exit you change the brake bias, gear ratio, and engine timing. In a tenth or two, while doing multiple G. Every time. For an hour. Never getting it wrong. It’s bonkers to watch.

@webframp It looks smooth and placid on tv - it is anything but in real life. Loud, hot, demanding, hair trigger decisions. Perfect focus. Perfect training. Perfect teamwork. That’s what it takes. Every weekend. For years.

@webframp Then they wreck the car! And the best mechanics on the planet put it back together in 10 minutes. Or they do a pit stop in under two seconds. It’s precision teamwork.