There’s something about that first morning expresso from your local, particularly for a coffee lover. There’s a tapestry of want, need, anticipation, all woven with the senses of smell and taste. The conversation over ordering, the sound of heaven’s nectar being produced, the joy and quelled delight in supping followed by the afterglow while grasping a warm but empty cup; it’s a most wonderful repetitive experience.
It’s a not too dissimilar process to a F1 Grand Prix weekend for motorsport buffs. The week leading up to a round, the banter, conjecture, opinions and views build a platform for the mighty race. ‘There’s no such thing as a bad Grand Prix, they are all good,’ says Terry Marshall and it’s hard to argue otherwise.
We’re spoiled with 24 Grand Prix in a season from mid-March through to the beginning of December; hence it could be perceived as poor form begrudging those in the Northern Hemisphere and their August holidays while we crave the suns heat and an end to the long thee-week break between races.
Yet compare that with Shane van Gisbergen’s 36 NASCAR Cup Series weekends from mid-February through to the beginning of November. Well, nothing compares with the dance card of a NASCAR driver who will often double up with competing in the Xfinity Series (NASCAR second-tier category).
While the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship has 34 races, these are spread over 13 weekends which is quite tame in comparison. How many of their drivers are paid a full year’s salary for 13 appearances?
The NTT IndyCar Series is quite short with 17 races between the beginning of March and the end of August giving drivers six-months of the year for an off-season.
Maybe its no wonder that F1 and NASCAR are at the top of their game. They know what fans want, plenty of racing.
Meanwhile, it’s another long dull winters day as we wait for the Dutch Grand Prix twiddling our thumbs and scrolling social media with a coffee to keep our sanity in check.
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