The F1 Reaction Series

Hi all, it’s Niamh. Today’s post is something completely different than anything we have ever done before and, honestly, I am waiting for Emma to roll her eyes at me. Today’s post is dedicated to the first three months of my journey watching Formula 1. 

I know what you are thinking: Niamh, isn’t Emma not the one who has been watching F1 since she was four years old? Yes, yes she is but one great thing about best friends is you listen to everything the other is passionate about. It took some time but Emma eventually opened up about her love for Formula 1 to me knowing full well I was clueless about cars. Before 2020 I knew the names of some of her favourite drivers and would listen as she described certain events that happened at races. Nodding in agreement happened a lot! In 2020 with lockdown this was more frequent as the season was eventful again, it counted as news and she was always happy talking about the race weekends (except for Grosjean’s crash!). 

One thing you need to know is Emma has said for years that she will someday get to an entire Grand Prix Weekend and I knew for about two years now I’d help make that dream a reality; also she needs someone to tag along and make sure she doesn’t miss a thing! It took me a few lockdowns and took some time to have a lot of spare time but, this year I knew I had to know more about Formula 1 than who drove for what team and what drivers are Emma’s favourite… 

It was time to join in on all the fun!

I made this decision the day Emma posted our post: Formula One Drive To Survive on March 18th…

So ladies and gentlemen sit back and get ready to dive into the mayhem of Niamh learning all she could about F1, marathoning three seasons of Drive to Survive, binge watching a tonne of YouTube Videos, listening to podcasts and becoming best friends with Sky Sports F1 (big shout out to those guys). So without further Ado…

It’s light out and away we go!

T minus Seven Days to Bahrain 

Friday morning is the same like every Friday morning this year so far thanks to Ireland’s extended lockdown: a mug of coffee, doing some blog admin things and listening to new music. Emma’s post on Drive to Survive had received decent traffic, so I decided to do a quick Google search for some reviews to see if her predictions for the season were correct. Of course they were! It was at this moment a light bulb moment occurred and I decided that a new season meant I could jump in and get started on learning about F1; that is exactly what I did. 

To tell the truth I was terrified and excited to tell Emma I was diving in the deep end and watching everything for a short amount of time. Binge watching took three days with final impressions resulting in my thoughts being sent to Emma is at least six very long and detailed messages with; a few voice messages thrown in for good measure. If anyone is solely a Drive to Survive fan or, has come to the sport from the show let me fill you in on three very important things to keep in mind when it comes to DTS and their portrayal of the sport: 

1. It is just a show and as such it is made for entertainment purposes. The show left out some important things that happened last year but, more importantly it left out drivers. A moment of celebration for George Russell announcing he is a part of season 4! *Waves flag in celebration* 

2. If you are like me and enjoy seeing the driver’s personality what Netflix has shown you of certain driver’s is not their true personality. *Looking at you season 3 doing the dirt on Max Verstappen* Just YouTube his interviews or Red Bull videos and you’ll understand my point.

3. As the saying goes for sports here in Ireland ‘Nothing beats being there’ but, when you can’t be there, watching via a TV is the next best thing. So, leave the TV Show aside and dive into watching the races for real. Try it, trust me, you might find you enjoy it as much as I did! 

*Important thing to note from today* I have adopted Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris as my favourites! 

T minus Six Days to Bahrain 

At this moment in time I am not really sure if Emma is ready to throw a party in celebration that I am joining her on the dark side or if she thinks I’m mental trying to achieve all this in less than a week. If you haven’t already guessed I broke the news to her about wanting to learn everything and join her watching this season of F1; she volunteered to help me learn. I continued to watch Drive to Survive, we’re getting through this! 

*Important things to note for today* Note to Netflix, don’t leave out one of Em’s favourite drivers and one of her favourite moments of 2020. I got a play by play of George Russell being pulled up to drive for Mercedes because Lewis Hamilton got Covid. Emma was so proud! 

T minus Five Days to Bahrain

I have finally finished Drive To Survive. Time to study like my life depends on it. See below for my bible from Emma, she wrote out everything I needed to know to understand and follow a race weekend! You guys, she even wrote out the initials of each driver for me so I’d know who was who on the board! Once I can’t look at the notes any longer, I take a break before spending the evening watching F1 YouTube videos.  

*Important things to note for today* What you think you know about some F1 driver’s personalities thanks to Netflix is a lie. Go to YouTube to see more. Examples: Interviews and Team YouTube channel’s Videos. After getting to the end of all the seasons of DTS and after spending some time with each team: I have decided I am a Papaya! 

T minus Four/Three Days to Bahrain

I had a busy two days. The days were broken down to listening to Podcasts, watching YouTube videos and looking over Emma’s notes. Yes I have a hundred and one things to do but, I still found time to listen, watch and read. It’s beginning to sink in! I also voiced my concern to Emma about not knowing who’s helmets are who’s if a shot of the driver comes up without their name beside them. She sent me screen shots of all the driver’s helmets!

*Important things to note from today* Not all material is going to appeal to you. Podcasts I’d recommend are ‘F1 Nation’ and ‘F1: Chequered Flag’. As for YouTube you can’t beat the F1 official YouTube channel and the team’s official channels. You also have written media too, online is full of designated websites, fan blogs and articles. 

T minus Two Days to Bahrain

It’s time to dive right into the Sky Sports coverage of the lead up to the big weekend. Over the course of the day I watch four programmes dedicated to analysis, predictions and interesting facts ahead of race weekend. When I say there was a click moment, I truly mean it and it happened during the analysis show that evening. I understood the technical and mechanical side of things; that was a proud moment. 

*Important things to note* Not all shows are going to hold your attention. If you are a beginner watcher like me, dip in and out of a few shows until you find the right one for you. I found The Inside Line extremely helpful and an interesting watch! It’s a weekly programme, so even when it’s not a race week it is worth keeping an eye out for it. Also The F1 Show, soak in as much of the information and interviews as you can.

T minus One Day to Bahrain 

Can I even call it One Day to Bahrain because today was dedicated to dipping in and out of the press conference with the teams. Of course I enjoyed the kid’s questions to the driver’s the most as you learn a lot about someone from how they answer a child’s question. After a few hours of interviews, it is all over and our attention turns towards Friday! Not going to lie, now I am excited! 

*Important things to note* Keep your TV remote to hand as the different questions coming in via video link are all at different volumes than the mic volumes in the press room. Try to not blast your ears off this early in the week.

Bahrain Race Weekend!

Before we get into the nitty gritty of my thoughts of the weekend, I really need to give a massive Shout out to Sky Sports F1’s commentators. They did a fantastic job welcoming back old fans and welcoming new fans with explaining a lot as the action unfolded over the weekend. I was lucky to have Emma on hand via messaging but I really appreciated them explaining things as I didn’t feel as clueless as I thought I was. I also feel as this was my very first F1 Grand Prix weekend I was spoiled.

F.P.1, F.P.2 & F.P.3: For my very first introduction to free practice it was a solid introduction and I was personally delighted with myself that I was keeping up with all the action… It may have all passed in a blur but the one thing I took away from the Free Practices was the excitement I felt to see my first Quali and race! It also helped that my favourites were doing well during the Free Practices. 

What a first Quali of the season, an engine stop, Mazepin spinning causing yellow flags at a crucial time and the quote that will haunt us all this season “whoever wins doesn’t matter as long as it’s close!”. It was during this quali I was delighted I asked Emma to send me pictures of all the driver’s helmets, with the slight delay between driver’s names coming up when the camera goes on board with them; I don’t think my anxiety could have dealt with trying to figure out who we were with and how certain drivers were doing. 

What a first race of the season. Issues making themselves known from the formation lap with issues for Sergio Perez who, deservingly, got my vote for Driver of the Day with his recovery from an engine issue. Turn 3 with Nikita Mazepin causing a safety car in the first lap while Mick Schumacher, in the other HAAS, ended up spinning a number of laps later; lastly everyone’s favourite topic… Track Limits! I could describe to you the disappointment I felt at the end of the race after Max had to give P1 position back to Lewis Hamilton but I think many of you will have been in the same boat and I’d rather not relive those feelings anytime soon! Overall an exciting first race and the drivers I have adopted as my favourites all did amazing! Now to try waiting two weeks! 

That weird time span until the next race weekend 

After an exciting weekend in Bahrain, I made a list of my weaknesses in understanding certain terms for the cars and decided to dive into learning everything I needed to know. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t do anything half-assed, so it may take a few weeks but, I am confident I will get there. 

With Emma and I each investing in our own PS5’s, I decided to buy F1 2020 for her birthday and bought it for myself to play against her. Also I learn by doing so, the video game is helping immensely! I know people dream of meeting the F1 Drivers but, can someone hook me up with meeting the voice actor of whoever voices Jeff? I owe that man so much…I’m slowly but surely getting better. 

I have quickly gotten in a routine each week of listening to three different F1 Podcasts a week and have kept on top of watching ‘The Inside Line’ and ‘The F1 Show’ on Sky Sports F1 every week too. They’ve all helped with learning new things, keeping you on your toes on what to look out for during each race weekend and keeping you on top of all the news! I am interested to see how much of this I will be able to keep up when I return to work at the end of May. 

For anyone App or Tech savvy? Some of the teams have their own App with extra goodies for you to find that they only post their also, team reports can be easily found on their websites – I read at least three reports after each session. For those of you on Tik Tok… it took until after Imola for my FYP to become saturated with F1 content with F2 and F3 joining the party after Portimao. I’m really not complaining, the community has been extremely welcoming.  

Imola Race Weekend

Well ladies and gentlemen it seems all that listening, watching and playing F1 2020 during the lead up to Imola paid off; I followed along a lot easier than in Bahrain! It was by far my favourite race this season so far! 

Starting off the weekend on Thursday with the Press Conference. This time round I sat through the entire Press Conference and despite the mixed reviews from fans online; I really enjoyed it. Can we have more Max Verstappen and Mick Schmacher pairings in interviews in the future? I really enjoyed the banter between the two; also Sebastian Vettell with Lewis Hamilton. Two stand out ‘what the actual fuck was that question?’ moments but overall a solid press conference. 

F.P.1, F.P.2 and F.P.3:  Say it with me people Track Limits!!! The stewards kept a close eye on track limits all weekend but F.P.3 sticks out in my mind as across the board being insane with many laps not being counted due to track limits. A number of spins, a few crashes and a lot of edge of the seat moments.

Imola, Imola, Imola… I haven’t known such heartache or mixed feelings for a sport since the All Ireland Hurling Final of 2016 but Quali you caused so much mixed feelings! From that opening it may be easy to tell what I’m on about but I was properly gutted and heartbroken for Lando Norris. On the other hand I was so proud and happy for Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricardo and George Russell (even if he felt he could have done better).

“It is raining cats and dogs out there!” A truly Irish description to the opening moments of Imola followed by “YASSS Max” and “can anyone see what is happening in the middle?” My heart was in my mouth for ¾ of this race and I have no idea how my anxiety survived but we made it the full way through. Delighted that Max Verstappen came out on top after that phenomenal start! But, you know what just hits differently? One of your favourites making the podium. Just look at that smile, such an amazing result!

One last thing to mention about Imola and this goes out directly to the Drive To Survive Netflix crew: I know you’ll want to dramatise George Russell and Valtteri Bottas’ crash and exchange of words as more than what it was but please, for the fans, just include what actually happened and not add more tension to that situation. One thing you could include instead is an epic spin montage of all the driver’s spins this season, it would be accurate and just as dramatic as the added drama. 

Portugal Race Weekend 

Upon reflection of the weekend that was Portimao, I agree with the statement that it was a solid race for neutral F1 fans. But Niamh, you have favourites! That I do, dear readers, but for ¾ of the drivers I honestly don’t mind where they place as long as they do their best. Primarily for the fact that, thanks to the press conferences and team footage, I think the majority are such genuine guys. 

The weekend started off like any other for me: Press Conferences! Now I know Sky Sports F1 probably changed the timing and format a little to help with editing and a clearer look but can someone just tell me if it is less questions since we don’t hear the written press? It could be just me but I felt Portugal’s Press Conference was shorter than the first two from previous weekends. Highlight of this one for me was the McLaren Boys being the team not to split up this week. I honestly adore them!

F.P.1, F.P.2 & F.P.3: Welcome to the rollercoaster ride, make sure you strap yourself in tight! Continuing on from Imola, Track Limits were a hot topic as we saw the inclusion on another turn from Saturday morning. A number of off the track moments, a Friday that suggested some drivers may have been holding back and an exciting FP3 that truly made it anyone’s game going into Quali.

How many times can Emma and myself message back and forward to each other “What the actual f***?” The answer is many many times. This was brought on by Daniel Riccardo not making it past Q1. We didn’t have much time to recover as Q2 was hot on its tail. Highlight had to be Sebastian Vettel making it into Q3, we just loved to see it!

*Drum roll please ladies and gentlemen* Zak Brown is back! I started this race day off screaming happily at the screen “Look it’s Zak!!” Much to the confusion of my brother who hasn’t watched F1 for long (he joined me watching F1 Race Days since Imola) and hasn’t watched DTS. Zak is literally one of my favourite people on the grid. 

For a roller coaster ride of a circuit, it was clear to see from the get go, we were spoiled with excitement during the first two races of the season. Portiamo however brought a new aspect of fun for me. Overtaking central, I tried to count how many overtakes took place throughout the race but with so much happening I may have lost count! The middle of the pack is where the majority of the action was and I was here for it! Safety Car and a Red Flag moment caused a restart which added to the tension and the anxiety for me. The middle of the pack held the most exciting moments of this race for me!

Spain Race Weekend 

I have heard the term sandbagging twice this season already from the commentators and from Emma but I truly did not understand the term until this weekend. Trying to decipher where each of the teams truly were on Friday and Saturday was at times confusing. Having said that, what an exciting weekend! My favourite race yet this season! Sure, there was hunting going on in the top four but, was anyone else more impressed by what was happening with the rest of the positions? The battles were more entertaining between P5 and P9 in my opinion. Also this weekend, I may have found F3 and watched ¾ of their weekend too. This helped me by seeing where the battle for position zones were for them and noting it for later to see if the F1 Drivers had the same areas of battle; they did!

Press Conference time! It followed the same format as in Portimao with one big difference, there was a twenty two minute delay on the Sky Sport F1 channel. I wasn’t really sure what programme we were watching from last season as I was trying to figure out if that was meant to happen. Once it finally did start, we got some solid answers to a lot of questions trying to pinpoint if Barcelona would be the place we find out the standings of the cars in mid field and Mazepin was asked about his spinning moments. We found out Yuki loves the food he gets to eat on race weekends, after seeing a photo he posted on his socials afterwards, I couldn’t fault him! The rookies are beginning to sound more comfortable and confident in themselves when answering questions during Press Conferences. While, my favourite questions are still from the little fans! I adore seeing how the drivers tackle answering some of the most absurd and funny questions! 

Not going to lie, this weekend saw personal health issues flare up so a lot of FP1, FP2 & FP3 was watched while in extreme pain. Things I noted from all free practices were the new Turn 10 seems to not have any fans between the drivers. It was great to see some of the teams clock in higher up the grid than in previous races and thinking by the end of FP3 it could be anyone’s game for the majority of positions was exciting!

I have come to the conclusion that I have to mentally prepare myself everytime I sit down to watch Quali. I honestly feel that it is more stressful than ¾ of the battles during Race Day! We had some dramatic moments in this quali, one of which I hope gets shown in DTS Season 4 but we know the track record that a lot of interesting moments don’t end up in the show. I’m talking about Max Verstappen’s Q2 moment of setting the fastest lap of the entire weekend and then just retiring early from the session. Standing ovation for that one Max but you had us all trying to figure out if it caused everyone else to panic? On the other hand Yuki’s radio moment has gotten a lot of media attention over the weekend and reminds us to truly take a breath and think about what we say in disappointing situations. All in all, it was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat Quali!

An exciting beginning of Race Day with Max Verstappen passing Lewis Hamilton from the get go. Although the race progressed with the two Mercedes hunting down Max, with interesting strategies used to optimize pit stops; overall, I personally think the more entertaining hunting was happening in the middle of the pack. My brother and I had more fun watching the table of positions when the camera was following the front three then paying attention to what they were up to probably says alot about my team loyalty but; seriously if you missed the battle make sure you watch back the highlights on F1’s YouTube. Although the result is what it was with Max not finishing 1st which I would have loved to have seen. It really cements the battle that is unfolding week after week between many of the teams and it truly could be anyone’s game P5 to P19. I also have to take a moment to send a virtual hug to Yuki! This weekend really wasn’t his weekend and we hated seeing his engine stop. 

One thing I enjoyed seeing for the first time during this race was the team’s radio correspondence to the FIA! Even if it was a mess up and weren’t meant to hear it, can we please have more moments like that! Blue flag can be the code word! 

Final thoughts and looking towards the rest of the Season

It’s safe to say that I have fully immersed myself into Formula 1 and it has truly grasped my attention. Have I already pinpointed what races for the rest of the Summer Season I’ll be working and what weekends I’ll be off for? You bet I have! The Hungarian Grand Prix looks like the first Grand Prix. I’ll be able to be in the same room and watch it with Emma! 

Saving has started and here’s hoping once the world reopens once more to visitors that; Em and I will get to a Grand Prix weekend in the near future! 

As for my hopes for the rest of the season: I hope Max wins the Championship. I have everything crossed hoping that Daniel, Lando, George, Mick, Carlos and Yuki do their very best and their hard work pays off. As for the rest of the drivers, I’m excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for them! Last but not least, we are only four races in and, with all eyes focused on Monaco, we are a long way from the end of the season and I cannot wait to see what happens next!