We often talk about phantasmagorical grandstands, Star Trek-style podiums, show-like special effects when the cars cross the finish line, but F1 is also made up of fields, of enthusiasts who go to watch the races spending little, making do as best they can.
A world that has less and less space but that instead resists, it is important, the very symbol of passion. And that is why, as they say in jargon “we receive and gladly publish the letter of our reader Andrea
Dear Director,
I would like to share with you some thoughts almost a week after a memorable Italian GP.
Sunday morning, after the ritual checks to enter the circuit, at 8am or a little later, my son and I entered “The Temple of Speed” for the first time, as we found written on a sign.
The plan is to position ourselves in the area of the first variant, where it is permitted by our basic ‘circular meadow’ ticket.
Walking we have the opportunity to admire the grandeur of the Monza park: an extraordinary place. As we get closer to the destination, following the indicated routes and crossing paths between the trees, our attention is drawn to the industrious work of other fans, who arrived at the circuit well before us. Apparently they do not seem interested in the activities that are starting on the track, perhaps because they concern the ‘minor formulas’. They are all busy ‘making firewood’, as was done in times gone by. Even if the scene seems very strange to us, we do not get distracted and, map in hand, here we are at our destination: the inside of the first variant. The panorama that opens up in front of us ignites two feelings: disappointment and amazement. Disappointment: other spectators were better and faster than us and the first seats are already taken. Amazement: we finally understand what the firewood was for. Experienced fans knew that at that point of the circuit the grass is lower than the level of the track and that to observe well you had to stand on a support. That’s what the twigs and trunks were for: to create a sort of ‘rise’ to be able to see the race decently. The works carried out are remarkable and effective, well fixed to the fence. It seems to us a good job done by experienced fans. It’s hard to believe that this is the first time it’s happened. Thinking about it, a question arises: but couldn’t the organizers, knowing about the problem, have fixed the area (perhaps it would have been enough to bring back a bit of earth) to avoid this hard work for the fans? Doesn’t the image of fans making up for what isn’t on the track clash with the representation of F1 as the height of efficiency, modernity and technology? It’s difficult to compare a bundle of dry branches, held together by a few cable ties, with the carbon fiber that the single-seaters are made of. The fact is that here the old practice of ‘making firewood’ becomes an essential skill for the good fan who wants to see the GP. Who knows why such an efficient organization has not thought of the first variant for the holders of the ‘circular lawn’ ticket.
Back to us. Realizing that there is no room at the variant, we continue towards the Biassono curve. In a few minutes we are there, happy to find two small spaces to sit, even on the first step of the grandstand. Satisfied with the result and having gathered information from other fans about the great crowds in other points of the circuit, we decide that it is more than reasonable to stop there: we are seated, there is shade, we can see a few dozen meters of the track and we are very close to the track. We also notice the presence, more or less in front of us, of a large luminous screen, currently busy replicating, in various forms, the logo of one of the sponsors, a logo that, moreover, occupies a very large space on all the billboards outside the curve.
In short, there is everything you need to see the GP, finally ‘live’. Just enjoy the side races and wait until 3pm. This is what we do even if already from the F2 race we notice that the display in front of us continues in its sponsorship task, without offering any information to the ‘lawn ticket’ fans positioned in this part of the circuit. The hope is that as soon as it’s F1’s turn, things will change.
Finally, the moment of the race arrives. From the formation lap to the very first stages, we and the other fans are totally captivated by what we see happening on the track. The cars, if possible, are even more incredible than the F2s we saw previously. Good! The race is getting into full swing, but right now it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand what is happening. Little can be deduced from the very few seconds in which the cars pass our curve. Some, like in the old days, make an effort to manually establish the gap that divides the first three. The younger ones search on the Internet, but the sites need time to update. Others write to some friend at home using an instant messaging program.
Finally, there are those who look for the live streaming of the race on TV. The paradox that occurs is twofold: instead of seeing what happens on the track, you are glued to the phone and, unfortunately, the information that comes from there is always overtaken by the events of the race. It makes us think: what if a corner of that big screen, without taking away all the space from the sponsor, had been dedicated to the publication of the rankings in real time, perhaps with the gaps? A simple list. It wouldn’t have been bad at all because it would have allowed us to make sense of what we were seeing on the track. Of course, given the ‘basic’ ticket purchased, you don’t expect a big screen with the live video of the race, but at least it would have been reasonable to make the rankings accessible. It’s difficult to imagine that this situation was conceived this way, so the basic ticket doesn’t provide for being able to understand more of the race than what can be seen with the naked eye.
In short, it is certainly nice to have the opportunity to see the Grand Prix with a ‘grass’ ticket, but the two small episodes mentioned could be improved without much effort. I believe that greater sensitivity also towards the ‘popular soul’ of F1, that of the grass, on Sunday would have made us work less hard and better understand the race that we wanted to see. That was what we were looking for: to enjoy an extraordinary and unexpected sporting result. The beautiful experience of the invasion of the track does nothing but confirm the ‘popular’ passion that characterizes this sport. We are led to believe that this soul should be preserved, even if some signs lead us to think that F1 is dedicating great interest to those with medium or high economic availability, neglecting its popular base a little. No one imagines a distortion of this stratification of the public, which is very evident (from the stands above the pits to those in front of the pits, etc… We think it would take very little to make the experience of the ‘circular lawn’ even more engaging by also including these spectators and allowing them to better enjoy an event out of the ordinary like an F1 GP especially in the temple of speed.
Best regards
Andrea
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