Welcome to this new blog post about (almost) all things sports
related. My name is Colby, and I am a self professed Sportsball superfan (most sports). With this blog, I'm hoping to share with readers insight, information, education, and some juicy tidbits you might not find elsewhere. Tea will, at times, be spilled!
I'm going to start off with some fast and furious education that most aren't well aware of, but is one of the fastest growing sports in the US, where it is already a worldwide phenomenon: Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix (GP) racing! Lets go through a primer of how this sport works, and how you readers can catch the premiere of a brand new race in Vegas this weekend! The sudden surge of interest is thanks to the Netflix series, "Drive to Survive", which is a good primer as well to get involved in the drama that occurs during an F1/GP season. There are 5 seasons now to watch- that's how I got into the zoom-zoom of F1 racing. Here is a link for all things Las Vegas GP: https://tinyurl.com/3dv9crfy .
What to know: in F1, there are 10 teams with 2 cars/drivers for a total of 20 racers on the starting grid. As of 2023, there are 23 GP races around the world, with Vegas GP being the newest one added, so this will be a new street race (Like Monaco GP) for all the teams/drivers- that alone is exciting!
Now the goal is 2-fold for both the teams and drivers: At the end of GP racing season (this month!), there are 2 categories at play: The Constructors Cup, which is team/engineering standings, and the Drivers Cup standings. These are determined by an accumulation of points after each race. On the team side, the first 10 teams score points, last 10 teams, nada, zilch.
What's important about finishing in the top 10, is that there is serious money to be had...I'm talking tens of millions, depending on where a driver/team finishes. At the end of the F1 racing season, the difference between placing first and 10th, is hundreds of millions of dollars! The profit teams make is surprisingly small considering what money is won, that is because of costs- most of which goes into the engineering of the race cars, the drivers, and staff. Teams make money from outside the track, merch, advertising, sponsorships, etc.
I could talk about the geeky, technical side, but I won't go down that rabbit hole. I have a link attached below, plus there are many YouTube videos that can further beef up your knowledge. Here is a helpful F1 rookie viewer primer to get you started: https://tinyurl.com/yaarw44r .
As a F1 newbie fan myself, I will cover one important element of the races: Tyres! (not a typo, that's how they spell it.)
Simply put, there are 3 types of tyres: Soft, Medium, and Hard (Compound). Much like a Grindr hookup, it all depends on the condition of the track, the length of track, and how many laps, as well as weather conditions.
Soft tyre is used for Fast driving, Medium is exactly that, not as fast but more durable, and Hard is used for durability, but not as fast. Tyre degradation is a big deal, as I have learned, so it is extremely important to use which type at what point. Plus to reduce the number of pit stops during a race to change over tyres.
As for the drivers themselves, there is eye candy for everyone! Daddies, Zaddies, Twunks, and plenty of international flavor among the 20! Some are rookies, others are long term vets. Almost all have a strong social media presence, and are hugely popular all around the world (there are 2 GP races here in the US: Miami and Austin, Vegas is the newest one!). This blog comes at a perfect time as it's Vegas GP inaugural weekend! There will be 3 practice runs, then Qualifying (pole position amongst the 20 drivers), and the actual Grand Prix on Saturday night 10pm pst (Yes - night racing!). PS: Lando Norris is Colby’s Crush! You can catch all the zoom zoom action on ESPN+. I would advise listening/learning from the commentators, which provide valuable insight and observations about the teams/drivers and the drama behind the scenes!
I hope you find this F1 primer helpful. While I agree watching cars go round and round seems a bit dull, the unpredictability of what could happen on the track (Crashes, bumping, overtakes, lead changes!), is what makes Formula 1 Grand Prix racing exciting and fun! Last GP race in Sao Paulo had two crashes and five drivers (all okay) DNF (Did Not Finish) the 71 lap course.
Gym bag extras: Breaking news! San Francisco Giants starting pitcher has been one of the three finalists for the Cy Young award! Congrats Webby!
49ers Beat: After a three game losing skid, the San Francisco 49ers made a huge splash at the trade deadline, acquiring Defensive end Chase Young from Washington Commandeers. This reunites Young with Nick Bosa (both #1 picks in their respective drafts). 49ers now have a D-line with Ohio State Buckeye Bookends! I know some of you want to "bookend" with Bosa!
Golden State Warriors Beat: the team is off to one of their best opening starts of the season, at 7-3 , Chef Curry has been cooking! Let's see how things progress in B-Ball!
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