Even though I am an F1 geek, I have never actually been to see a race. However, all this is going to change in 70 days when I go to the Nurburgring with my Dad to watch the German Grand Prix! I am, needless to say, incredibly excited.
Now the reasons for why I haven't been to see a race before are quite simple: one, I didn't have a passport and two, the races are soooo expensive! When watching the Turkish Grand Prix practice the 5Live commentators (who you can follow here and here) were asking why more people didn't come to the newer races. The general view was that there wasn't a tradition of motorsport in these countries. The countries which have the larger audiences, like Britain and Germany, do have a tradition of hosting races and people are more interested in motorsport. In contrast, Turkey, Korea and India (which will be hosting its first race this year - see this article) don't have traditions of motorsport and so aren't as aware that the races are being held, as well as having little interest.
I agree with this argument, however I also believe that fewer people attend these races because of the price of the tickets. I am incredibly fortunate that this year my Dad and I can afford the tickets - however they're still setting us back over £150. In the countries which haven't hosted as many races, it's quite likely that the tickets are simply out of the residents' price range. We can't expect people from poorer countries and areas to pay for tickets which are at least £80. Maybe a better solution would be to perhaps charge less for practice sessions so more people develop an interest for racing to try and establish a tradition of motorsport. That way, more people get involved and are more likely to save money for races in the future. Just my opinions anyway...
In other news, I spoke yesterday of overtaking being too easy. Fernando Alonso has countered these claims himself. You can read the article here.
So, just a quick post today, but I felt I should mark the 70 day countdown to my first F1 race!
