Motorsports on TV: Formula One and Indycar
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Motorsports on TV: Formula One and Indycar

The global reach of television has given auto racing enthusiasts the opportunity to watch both traditional European-based Formula One competition and the long-popular Indy series in the US. Formula One has always taken place on tracks that include most of the features of ordinary motor roads, especially hairpin turns and moderate inclines, while Indy racing was for many years confined to special racetracks formed into an oval with banked curves at each end. However, since 2005, Indy racing has increasingly included some events on road and street circuits and these have come to dominate with only about a third of races now taking place on oval tracks. In this regard, the two motorsports appear to have become more alike, but the contrast between Formula One and Indy racing on the oval track remains.

From a European perspective, sport in the US in general seems to tend towards the fast and spectacular, while Europeans, especially the British, are more interested in longer, slower competitions with intermittent action. The contrast is perhaps most stark when baseball is compared to cricket. That’s how it seems with auto racing, with the oval track in the US allowing near top continuous speed, and Formula One’s hairpin turns and chicanes bringing cars to a near stop, like, for example, at the Monaco Grand Prix. event that is celebrated annually through the narrow streets of the principality.

Indy racing on the oval track certainly presents a unique spectacle. The wide track allows multiple cars to race alongside each other and there are plenty of opportunities to overtake. With the drivers maintaining almost full speed, the race essentially depends on the power of the engine. Everything looks very dangerous, and this is certainly the essence of its appeal. Crashes, when they do occur, often involve multiple vehicles and are sometimes horrendous. Fortunately, with modern safety features, fatalities and serious injuries have been greatly reduced and this is a development shared by Formula One.

Formula One is less visible to the spectator and the television viewer. Only at the beginning of the race can all the cars be seen together. For the rest of the race, cars pass in and out of sight in groups of two, three and four. Without constant commentary, it’s impossible to tell who’s winning, as the passing cars are soon found to be at different times in the race. And while on the oval track the race leader is almost always in sight, in Formula One the TV cameras seem to ignore the lead car and focus on close battles for fourth or ninth place in the hope of recording a rare overtaking. Formula One presents a more difficult challenge for television, a challenge shared by Indy’s street racing. For those who want to shear a show on TV, there is nothing to compare with the oval track.

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