I'm back at home having just seen Senna - a film I've been waiting for since it was announced last year. What can I say? Despite having never seen Senna race (well, if I did I don't remember - I was only 2 when he died), like any good F1 fan I know that he was one of the greatest - if not the greatest - drivers of all time. However, I'm sorry to say that I don't know all that much about Senna's career aside from snippets read on the internet. So, the Senna movie was something I desperately wanted to see to learn more about the legend.
We had a bit of trouble getting to see the film, as there was only one cinema in Kent showing it (a travesty really, as I feel the film could be a platform for getting more interested in F1. Still, all to do with money I guess). Finally though, I managed to get tickets for Senna on the day it was released. So today I came back from university (having completed a statistics exam - fun!) and immediately set off with my Mum and Dad to the Bluewater Shopping Centre.
The film started eventually and even from the first few bars of the music I knew it was going to be a special film. The shots of Senna driving his cars from the very start to the untimely end of his career were stunning. I'm so glad that the film was made using real footage, rather than staged clips filmed for the purpose. I don't think any filmmaker would be able to capture the atmosphere of the crowd and Senna's magic when he drove.
The personal story of Senna was something very inspirational. His statements that he always aimed to learn and do his very best was something which I feel we can all aspire to - I relate very much to Senna's sentiments with my academic life. As such, this side to Ayrton makes the film much more accessible to non-F1 fans.
The combination of Senna's absolute raw skill in driving and his frankly inspirational personality were demonstrated and balanced so well in the film as a whole. Although I knew that Senna was rated as one of the greats, it's hard to capture this combination in books and internet articles. The film served to explain to me exactly why Senna was considered to be such a great man - and why his death shocked and saddened so many people.
I was only 2 when Senna had his crash at Imola in 1994. It's one of the events in F1 that I have never dared to find on internet videos - I don't like it when drivers crash and I despise people who watch motor-racing for the accidents. I have, however read about Senna's accident and the controversy which surrounds it. Watching the accidents in the cinema was rather poignant and shocking. You could feel the tension in the audience whenever a driver crashed, as we all knew that the film would be showing Senna's demise.
I have to admit, the accidents shown in the film unsettled me somewhat. The first crash shown with a driver out of the car lying on the ground was perhaps the most shocking I've seen - however the driver survived. Barrichello's crash at Imola in 1994 was the first in a series of crashes shown at Senna's last race. It was so unexpected during the course of the film and you could hear the intake of breath from the audience. Roland Ratzenberger's fatal accident was the next to be shown. It was horrific watching the doctors trying to resuscitate him. I guess if I was watching any other film there would be comfort in knowing that it wasn't real, that the man in the car was little more than an actor who would be able to walk away. Not so in Senna - we know that the moments we're watching are the driver's last, and it's humbling and harrowing at the same time.
It was emotional watching the Imola sequence. The whole audience knew what was about to happen, and the portrayal of Senna as a hero throughout the film made everyone wish that history was different - that Senna had taken Sid Watkins's advice and retired at the peak of his career, or that the race had been cancelled in light of Ratzenberger's death. However, we knew that this wouldn't be the case. It was hard watching Senna's last few days. He was clearly unsettled with the car and was deeply affected by the death of Ratzenberger. You get the impression that Senna was considering his own mortality - something which perhaps wasn't as present in Senna previously (at least, this is the impression I formed when watching the film). Inevitably, Senna got into his car on the 1st of May 1994 and hit the Imola wall in an accident that everyone wishes never happened. This was the hardest thing I've watched in any film.
One more thing I would like to say about Senna is that the film didn't portray Alain Prost in the best light. Now, I can kind of understand this on one level as the film maker was out to portray Senna as the hero. This is understandable - the film is called Senna after all, and so perhaps it was necessary to portray Prost in a more negative light than is true. Whether Prost was as villainous as the film makes out isn't for me to say - there was notable rivalry between the two; we already know this. However, the rivalry is understandable to whatever degree in reality. We see rivalries in modern F1 too, rivalries which mirror Prost and Senna: Hamilton and Alonso and (to an extent last season) Webber and Vettel being some examples of this. The drivers are out for wins and rivalries develop. As fans we may choose which driver we prefer over another and side with them much more - which is perhaps what happened with this film and the Prost/Senna rivalry. The film makers simply chose Senna over Prost. Nevertheless, Prost's portrayal as the 'villain' in the film was countered at the very end when it was revealed that he was a patron to the Ayrton Senna Foundation; so while they were rivals on the track there was undoubtedly respect between the two.
Overall, I think everyone should see Senna - whether you like F1 or not. Hell, if I had the money I'd take each and every one of you to see it, just so you can learn more about the legend. Senna was portrayed as such a generous, talented and inspirational man, and even though I was too young to remember him racing I admire him all the more for seeing this film. After watching the crash and seeing Senna motionless in his car followed footage of his funeral. This was perhaps where it hit me that Senna was much more than a racing driver - he was a hero to the people of Brazil and to people from the rest of the world and when he died there was a great loss to not only motorsport, but to the world.
Showing posts with label Fans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fans. Show all posts
Friday, 3 June 2011
Monday, 23 May 2011
On a Personal Note
Watching the F1 is always a good thing in my eyes. The spectacle and drama of the race coupled with the intellect and strategic calculations of the sport make it so well rounded that it's hard not to find something to enjoy. What I also love is the drivers congratulating each other at the end of the race. Now, this seems like a fairly random point, but bear with me.
As you might have gathered from my 'About Me' description, I'm a bit of a nerd academically. I perform very well at anything academic, but I tend to suffer for it by being a little bit of a geek. Well, a lot of a geek actually but never mind. While getting good results for my degree and previous qualifications is a great boon for me, I do find that it brings with it a whole lot of hostility from my peers. Whenever I do well I don't tend to brag, or even tell anyone to be honest. However, people still ask me how I did and they hate me for doing well.
This is where F1 comes in. Formula 1 racing is incredibly competitive. People from other series of racing compete to get a drive in F1, however only 24 drivers at a time ever make it. When those 24 do make it into the series, they are then fighting to keep their seat, as well as fighting for championship places and the glory of winning. However, you rarely see any genuine hostility. Yes, the media will publish stories of how Alonso hates Hamilton, Webber hates Vettel and Sutil's had a punch up in a nightclub, however at the end of every race the drivers congratulate each other. There doesn't seem to be any animosity between anyone really. The drivers tend to focus on their own performance during a race, and aim for their best result - which is what I do in my academic life. Sadly, not everyone in my life behaves in this way and competitiveness seems to overrule respect for each other.
I would dearly love it if more of my peers got into F1. I feel that them witnessing the respect between the drivers in such a highly charged environment would make them stop and think about their own behaviour towards each other in the academic world. What I guess I'm trying to say is that I view the F1 drivers as role models for my own life. If I can behave with mutual respect for my peers and do well myself then my life is on track (no pun intended). If this is achieved through basing my behaviour on that of Vettel et al. then there's another boon for F1, and another reason to love it all the more.
As you might have gathered from my 'About Me' description, I'm a bit of a nerd academically. I perform very well at anything academic, but I tend to suffer for it by being a little bit of a geek. Well, a lot of a geek actually but never mind. While getting good results for my degree and previous qualifications is a great boon for me, I do find that it brings with it a whole lot of hostility from my peers. Whenever I do well I don't tend to brag, or even tell anyone to be honest. However, people still ask me how I did and they hate me for doing well.
This is where F1 comes in. Formula 1 racing is incredibly competitive. People from other series of racing compete to get a drive in F1, however only 24 drivers at a time ever make it. When those 24 do make it into the series, they are then fighting to keep their seat, as well as fighting for championship places and the glory of winning. However, you rarely see any genuine hostility. Yes, the media will publish stories of how Alonso hates Hamilton, Webber hates Vettel and Sutil's had a punch up in a nightclub, however at the end of every race the drivers congratulate each other. There doesn't seem to be any animosity between anyone really. The drivers tend to focus on their own performance during a race, and aim for their best result - which is what I do in my academic life. Sadly, not everyone in my life behaves in this way and competitiveness seems to overrule respect for each other.
I would dearly love it if more of my peers got into F1. I feel that them witnessing the respect between the drivers in such a highly charged environment would make them stop and think about their own behaviour towards each other in the academic world. What I guess I'm trying to say is that I view the F1 drivers as role models for my own life. If I can behave with mutual respect for my peers and do well myself then my life is on track (no pun intended). If this is achieved through basing my behaviour on that of Vettel et al. then there's another boon for F1, and another reason to love it all the more.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Oh You Fickle F1 Fans...
So, did we all enjoy the F1 yesterday? Lots of overtaking, exciting stuff and my favourite team and driver winning! Fantastic!
What do you mean "too much overtaking"??
Whilst on Twitter this morning I saw a posting by Jon Noble (a reporter for Autosport) which suggested that overtaking has become too easy in F1. You can read the article here. I find it hilarious that apparently F1 fans have gone from brandishing pitchforks and torches shouting "There's not enough overtaking, Bernie!" to apparently shouting "The overtaking's too easy, Bernie!". You'd have though that we're all a fickle lot, but I want to examine what all the fuss is about.
Now, the overtaking debate has been going on for some time now. Last year we had very few overtakes, perhaps even less than the year before, and people as a result began to complain that racing was 'boring' or 'processional' with only pit stops providing the bulk of the passing opportunities. Why is this? Rather than the typical view that 'drivers can't be bothered', the answer is probably a matter of physics. You see, the cars now have such sophisticated aerodynamics packages that they create a wake of turbulent air, meaning that cars behind initially get into the slipstream when 1 second behind, but then are met by turbulent air which pushes them all over the place. As a result, it is very hard to get any close and get past. In order to combat this, the bizarre aero pieces which were stuck here, there and everywhere on the cars in 2009 were banned, leading to a more simple looking car. In 2010 we still faced similar issues, largely due to the downforce being produced by the cars (more turbulent air you see). So, in 2011 Bernie and the gang brought back KERS (the Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and introduced the DRS (Drag Reduction System) to aid drivers behind in overtaking.
In order to understand this a little bit more, let me explain what exactly KERS and DRS are. KERS is a system whereby energy from braking is stored as electricity and is then converted into extra horsepower. The drivers charge their KERS unit over a lap, and have the energy available to them on the following lap. This leads to a system whereby the drivers constantly charge and use the energy available. There is no set place where drivers can use KERS, rather they press one of many buttons on the steering wheel to activate it. Generally, KERS is vital at starts where there is a long run to the first corner and in places where there are long straights generally. This season, Red Bull have been having issues with KERS, having not run it in 2009 like many other teams. KERS is meant to aid overtaking by providing an extra boost to the drivers when they are close to a car in front - or indeed to try and escape the car behind!
Now, the DRS is new. The drivers are able to press a button to open a flap on the rear wing, which reduces the drag caused by being in the turbulent air of the car in front. In contrast to KERS, the DRS is only available at a set point on the track (as decided by Charlie Whiting), and then only when a driver is within one second of the car in front - so no using DRS to escape from an oncoming driver. Turkey showed us just how well the DRS and KERS can be in conjunction with each other - there were loads of battles between drivers, even between team mates (though not Red Bull, much to Christian Horner's relief following on from 2010).
Despite these systems of KERS and DRS giving us exciting racing, people have been debating whether they are such a good thing. People have been arguing that overtaking is now artificial, and not down to driver skill. Rather than drivers having to negotiate their overtaking maneuvers on other drivers, they can simply press two buttons and go past.
However, I don't see it like this. If you get a driver who guards the necessary lines into corners, no amount of speed or drag reduction will allow them past. Drivers must therefore negotiate which line to take, as well as how to defend. Not forgetting that drivers don't automatically pull away from another when they have overtaken (unless they're one of the elite teams), and so the driver who has just overtaken another could find themselves being retaken! Just look as the battle between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton - because the drivers were equally matched in terms of car, several overtakes took place which made for exciting racing.
So if we take this into account I don't think we can complain about the overtaking being too easy - any overtaking is good, regardless of how it comes about. If a driver has the presence of mind to use his KERS and DRS and is able to overtake another, that is down to the driver. We shouldn't see KERS and DRS as some sort of 'push to pass' system, but rather tools which help the drivers to battle with others and give us more of a show. So to all you F1 fans out there who aren't so happy with the new systems - just get over it and enjoy the racing!
What do you mean "too much overtaking"??
Whilst on Twitter this morning I saw a posting by Jon Noble (a reporter for Autosport) which suggested that overtaking has become too easy in F1. You can read the article here. I find it hilarious that apparently F1 fans have gone from brandishing pitchforks and torches shouting "There's not enough overtaking, Bernie!" to apparently shouting "The overtaking's too easy, Bernie!". You'd have though that we're all a fickle lot, but I want to examine what all the fuss is about.
Now, the overtaking debate has been going on for some time now. Last year we had very few overtakes, perhaps even less than the year before, and people as a result began to complain that racing was 'boring' or 'processional' with only pit stops providing the bulk of the passing opportunities. Why is this? Rather than the typical view that 'drivers can't be bothered', the answer is probably a matter of physics. You see, the cars now have such sophisticated aerodynamics packages that they create a wake of turbulent air, meaning that cars behind initially get into the slipstream when 1 second behind, but then are met by turbulent air which pushes them all over the place. As a result, it is very hard to get any close and get past. In order to combat this, the bizarre aero pieces which were stuck here, there and everywhere on the cars in 2009 were banned, leading to a more simple looking car. In 2010 we still faced similar issues, largely due to the downforce being produced by the cars (more turbulent air you see). So, in 2011 Bernie and the gang brought back KERS (the Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and introduced the DRS (Drag Reduction System) to aid drivers behind in overtaking.
In order to understand this a little bit more, let me explain what exactly KERS and DRS are. KERS is a system whereby energy from braking is stored as electricity and is then converted into extra horsepower. The drivers charge their KERS unit over a lap, and have the energy available to them on the following lap. This leads to a system whereby the drivers constantly charge and use the energy available. There is no set place where drivers can use KERS, rather they press one of many buttons on the steering wheel to activate it. Generally, KERS is vital at starts where there is a long run to the first corner and in places where there are long straights generally. This season, Red Bull have been having issues with KERS, having not run it in 2009 like many other teams. KERS is meant to aid overtaking by providing an extra boost to the drivers when they are close to a car in front - or indeed to try and escape the car behind!
Now, the DRS is new. The drivers are able to press a button to open a flap on the rear wing, which reduces the drag caused by being in the turbulent air of the car in front. In contrast to KERS, the DRS is only available at a set point on the track (as decided by Charlie Whiting), and then only when a driver is within one second of the car in front - so no using DRS to escape from an oncoming driver. Turkey showed us just how well the DRS and KERS can be in conjunction with each other - there were loads of battles between drivers, even between team mates (though not Red Bull, much to Christian Horner's relief following on from 2010).
Despite these systems of KERS and DRS giving us exciting racing, people have been debating whether they are such a good thing. People have been arguing that overtaking is now artificial, and not down to driver skill. Rather than drivers having to negotiate their overtaking maneuvers on other drivers, they can simply press two buttons and go past.
However, I don't see it like this. If you get a driver who guards the necessary lines into corners, no amount of speed or drag reduction will allow them past. Drivers must therefore negotiate which line to take, as well as how to defend. Not forgetting that drivers don't automatically pull away from another when they have overtaken (unless they're one of the elite teams), and so the driver who has just overtaken another could find themselves being retaken! Just look as the battle between Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton - because the drivers were equally matched in terms of car, several overtakes took place which made for exciting racing.
So if we take this into account I don't think we can complain about the overtaking being too easy - any overtaking is good, regardless of how it comes about. If a driver has the presence of mind to use his KERS and DRS and is able to overtake another, that is down to the driver. We shouldn't see KERS and DRS as some sort of 'push to pass' system, but rather tools which help the drivers to battle with others and give us more of a show. So to all you F1 fans out there who aren't so happy with the new systems - just get over it and enjoy the racing!
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