F1 is Back

I've been watching Formula 1 since the nineties when Damon Hill was driving for the Williams team and they were still allowed to be sponsored by cigarette brands. I've drifted away and back again a few times over the years but I've always paid it at least some attention. Unfortunately over the years as technology has improved it's got increasingly less interesting to watch. With 2-3 teams dominating the others and very few overtaking opportunities and races were being decided on qualifying performance and pit stop strategy. The only things which were bringing unexpected results where accidents and weather, neither of which happened very often. The FIA obviously noticed this and have been tweaking the rules a lot over the last few years. Now it's started to look like they've got it close to right this year. The teams and the fans were all unsure about the additions of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) and the Drag Reduction System (DRS) but those systems along with the new tyre types is what made today's race in China the most interesting there has been for quite a while. I've heard some people saying the DRS creates false overtaking, but it's not a magic press to overtake button, it still requires skill to know when and where to use it. The DRS is a fine addition as far as I'm concerned.

So toady's race with all the action and pit stops took my back to the feeling of the nineties and reminded me why I started watching F1 in the first place. However that started me thinking. Back then I used to be a supporter of the Williams team but that support has dwindled to nothing over the years. Now I'm just watching without rooting for anyone in particular and I think that need to change. Williams are a bit of a non-team at the moment, generally stuck in the mid field and not making much of an impact. Red Bull would be the obvious choice, they have the current world champion and probably the greatest engineer but that feels like I'd just be picking them because they're winning. Ferrari I've never liked, which is probably Schumacher's fault but the damage is done. McLaren would be a possibility if not for Lewis Hamilton, he gets on my nerves the same way the Schumacher used to. At the moment I'm liking Lotus Renault GP. They've got good drivers and a car which looks to have the power to stay with the big teams. With some work they could be the surprise of the year. They're fourth in the constructors championship after three races, while their drivers are seventh and eighth. Also they've got cool black & gold cars.