Six Questions About the US Formula One Grand Prix
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| Lewis Hamilton |
1. When is the last time we saw a race with only one meaningful pass for the lead that was this enjoyable? Watching eventual winner Lewis Hamilton stalk Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the lead was a sight to behold and well worth the price of admission. Everyone knew it was going to be a Mercedes race, but few expected such a classic dogfight between their drivers.
2. Since when are eighteen cars considered a full field? Where I come from, a full field is thirty-three, although eighteen makes a nice B-main. The field looked pretty thin when spread over COTA's 3.4-mile course. Surely F1 fans would prefer to see twice as many cars even if they cost half as much.
3. Should Sebastian Vettel be made to start last in every race? I think so. After starting 18th due to an engine rebuild, Vettel tore through the field to finish 7th – which, ironically, is precisely where he would have started without the grid penalty. But it's a heckuva lot more fun to watch it happen this way. Too bad F1 doesn't give out Hard Charger awards. Vettel put on a show.
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| Fernando Alonso on the taxpayer subsidized Austin circuit |
4. How will Texas residents replace the 250 million dollars taken from their families to support this race? After trotting out the usual “economic benefits" justification, the state's Major Events Trust Fund committed to a ten-year deal that placed F1's outrageous sanctioning fees directly on the backs of Texas tax victims and their hard pressed families. And speaking of taxing non-race fans into submission…
5. Will Formula One ever regain its status as a legitimate business based on voluntary transactions? F1 becomes more like the NFL every day… simply threaten to take your event to another city and watch as bureaucrats desperately scramble to build a new track (or football stadium) and bribe you to stay. And speaking of the NFL, they'd be smarter to practice their extortion on a larger scale. Instead of bilking one market at a time for a puny hundred million or so, why not demand 50 billion dollars from the federal government or move the whole league to China? But lo, I digress.
6. What modern track looks better on camera than the Circuit of the Americas? The camera positions, cabling and electricity were built into the course as part of the original design, which accounts for the elegant feel and beauty of NBC's camera shots. The modern courses will never have the natural beauty of places like Road America, Spa Francorchamps or the Nurburgring, but as overly-sanitized modern facilities go, COTA is truly the cream of the crop and a world-class race track.
Stephen Cox
Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions
Co-host, Mecum Auto Auctions on NBCSN
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