Sometimes I am pretty certain most F1 fans are not actually racing fans tbh. There's no way as a racing fan you can tell me with a straight face that F1 is the best motorsport series on the planet if racing is of any real interest. I could name probably a dozen more race series that are far better to watch, MotoGP being at the top of the list for me. F1 is over-managed and has a very bland and sterile appearance to it. Actually perhaps clinical would be the right word for it. God knows there's no real on track action. I always tell people to watch both a F1 race and a MotoGP race at the same circuit and tell me which was the more enjoyable race to watch. F1 fans cried when Sepang dumped F1 and kept GP. I thought, wow if only every other circuit could do the same thing.
Monaco is also probably the shittiest motor race I've ever seen in the modern era. The cars are too large for the circuit. I don't even think there's been a good race at Monaco since perhaps 1984? I mean there have been memorable races since then certainly, but the 80s is generally the last time I thought the cars going around Monaco were even worth a damn to watch.
I'm on a rally forum where some folks seem to be believe you're not a rally fan unless you hate circuit racing. There are also several F1 fans who don't take bike racing seriously and vice versa.
I like all of the above.
I became an F1 fan in early 2010 when I was 8 and started following MotoGP a few months later. Even though MotoGP was!/is awesome, especially during the mid to late 2010s I never stopped watching F1.
F1 racing sucked from like 2013-20 but since 2021 it's been steadily getting better every year. The ground effect cars have accomplished their goal imo.
Yes, they're huge and I'm glad they're making the cars somewhat more compact in 2026.
Monaco is still one of the greatest challenges in F1 even though qualifying is arguably very important. They would need a softer tire so strategy can come into play.
Looking at the circuits where both F1 and GP race:
Qatar: both not very good imo, F1 had some chaos in the middle of the race.
Silverstone: both pretty good
Red Bull Ring: F1 was good, aero and the chicane killed MotoGP racing at this track.
Barcelona: all three races were OKish, nothing special
It was a lot better in days of yore in the formula Cosworth era, when Alan Jones was wont to pass 3 cars in one corner, although I quickly preferred 500 GP bike racing when live broadcasting started in Australia back when Wayne Gardner was contending.
Aero killed F1. We can only hope it doesn’t do the same to GP bike racing.
Honestly watching some old F1 races a large part of the unpredictability was the lack of reliability. Less than 10 cars finishing was common until the late 90s.
Though should be allowed to fail and the governments should bail out the workers, not the corporations.
I don't think really think it's up to the government to bail out workers.
It's called a business venture and if you sign up to work for one you know there's a possibility it won't last forever.
KTMs employees are highly qualified and wouldn't worry too much that those that are laid off will find something new.
Companies are in the red because they've had to fund EV development. The COVID (and some time after) boom was the golden goose in that regard, as it has allowed them to inflate prices of cars dramatically. My friend bought an F150 hybrid in 2021. That same truck is now $20k more in 2025.
I believe the current crisis in the automotive industry is partially a consequence of the covid pandemic.
Government intervention in 2020-21 just delayed the inevitable.
They have to fund EV development with ICE sales and that's only gonna work as long as they are allowed to sell ICEs.
A lot of manufacturers didn't seem very well prepared for the abolition of the EV sale bonus either.
Car companies have also moved to the profit based model, over the volume based model. Which is why many common low end sedans (Think Ford Fiesta, Ford Fusion) have been eliminated from the US market.
The problem is volume models are no longer profitable for most car companies.
Small cars which are getting fewer and fewer in Europe and are pretty much extinct in the states need to be sold in large quantities to make a profit.
Higher production costs, stricter emission regulations and mandatory driver assists increase the price of a new car and you're not gonna sell a lot of Fiestas if they cost 25,000 bucks.
