Photo: Daimler
We've all thought about it, but we're not Nikki Lauda. Watching a Formula 1 Grand Prix these days is the best natural surrogate for a sleeping pill. Even the noise isn't what it used to be, so you don't even have to turn the volume down.
How do you know today's Formula 1 is bad? It's when you find yourself longing for those "thrilling" pit-stop overtakes...
In our case, it's all about frustration: we're frustrated the sport we once liked - no, loved - has turned into a sterile competition where it's all about who has the most money, the most powerful engine or the most aerodynamic little wing.
In Nikki Lauda's case, it's about knowledge. He's a three-time Formula 1 world champion, a legendary driver, the owner of a commercial airline and, generally speaking, a man who's never severed his ties with the motorsport world. As it happens, he's currently non-executive chairman of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, so I'm sure we'll agree he knows what he's talking about.
And yet he had no problem slamming current Formula 1 races. The man who miraculously survived the 1976 Nürburgring crash is quoted to have said: "Racing bikes are very interesting to watch because you can see how the rider struggles with his bike. In F1, unfortunately, the opposite happens: the cars are very easy to drive, they don't even slide." The F1 legend is refering to MotoGP here.
Did he just say "slide"? Do we even remember the moment an F1 race car did anything even remotely similar to a powerslide? These days, if a driver loses control of his car, it's probably too late to do anything about it and he'll just go into an uncontrolled spin.
But even if a man of Nikki Lauda's stature said it, don't expect any actual changes in Formula 1. Safety is the word of the day and this pretty much kills all the fun. Ironically enough, Nikki Lauda's crash might have played some role in this current obsession with increased safety regulations.
In our case, it's all about frustration: we're frustrated the sport we once liked - no, loved - has turned into a sterile competition where it's all about who has the most money, the most powerful engine or the most aerodynamic little wing.
In Nikki Lauda's case, it's about knowledge. He's a three-time Formula 1 world champion, a legendary driver, the owner of a commercial airline and, generally speaking, a man who's never severed his ties with the motorsport world. As it happens, he's currently non-executive chairman of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, so I'm sure we'll agree he knows what he's talking about.
And yet he had no problem slamming current Formula 1 races. The man who miraculously survived the 1976 Nürburgring crash is quoted to have said: "Racing bikes are very interesting to watch because you can see how the rider struggles with his bike. In F1, unfortunately, the opposite happens: the cars are very easy to drive, they don't even slide." The F1 legend is refering to MotoGP here.
Did he just say "slide"? Do we even remember the moment an F1 race car did anything even remotely similar to a powerslide? These days, if a driver loses control of his car, it's probably too late to do anything about it and he'll just go into an uncontrolled spin.
But even if a man of Nikki Lauda's stature said it, don't expect any actual changes in Formula 1. Safety is the word of the day and this pretty much kills all the fun. Ironically enough, Nikki Lauda's crash might have played some role in this current obsession with increased safety regulations.
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