Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix 2008
I’ve just came across an old article by Jeremy Clarkson in the June 2008 issue of Top Gear magazine. I am a huge fan of Clarkson and I tend to agree with everything he says, but when reading his regular column in TG magazine, I found myself dissagreeing with him.
His latest article was about how passionate football fans are compared with Formula One fans. Clarkson notes how people jump around the room whenever their team scores and how this isn’t the case when Formula One fans watch a grand prix.
I’m not disputing whether football fans are passionate or whether they act in the manner described by Clarkson when watching a match, and I know that, until two or three years ago, Formula One was a bit processional. But, as a long-term Formula One enthusiast, I have to say that I leap out of my seat screaming and shouting with excitement when my favourite driver makes an impressive overtaking move, or when they cross the line to take a race win.
Obviously I can only speak for myself, but I can’t be the only one who screams and shouts at the television. In-fact I am sure I’m not the only one, because when I made the trip to Silverstone for this year’s British Grand Prix, I was blown away by the atmosphere. It was incredible, despite the monsoon weather conditions and the hurricane winds.
There are obviously going to be more passionate football fans in the UK, because the sport is a national institution and, in my opinion, it’s partly because football is much easier to understand. Formula One on the other hand, is far more complex, as it’s as much about strategy and the development race as the on-track action.
I think most people look for a sport that doesn’t require much intelligence to completely understand and enjoy. The fact that a large percentage of football fans get into physical confrontations with their opposition backs that up, because anyone with an ounce of intelligence wouldn’t get into a fight over something so trivial as losing a game.
Maybe that’s a bit offensive, but i can’t come up with another theory as to why they behave that way. Nobody could convince me that beating up your opponent’s supporters, symbolises your passion for the sport and your team. As Joleen and Keith have already pointed out in their comments to this post, you will never see that sort of behaviour at a grand prix, yet we will still scream, jump, whistle, blow our air-horns and wave our flags with as much enthusiasm as a Manchester United fan at a home-game.
I invite anyone who doesn’t agree with me about Formula One fans being passionate to come and watch a race with me. You will be surprised.
I like Top Gear (the programme, not so much the magazine) but I think it’s unwise to take anything Clarkson says too seriously.
F1 fans aren’t passionate? Garbage. Enough Kubica fans made the journey from Poland to Hungary to fill a third of the stadium. Silverstone put up an extra Grandstand this year to fit in all the Hamilton fans. And have you heard the noise they make at Monza?
Football fans may be passionate, but there’s a reason why they don’t allow alcohol in football stadiums any more…
Hi Keith
Thanks for taking the time to read my post. You used some great examples that demonstrate the passion of Formula One fans.
I think your blog is great by the way. I have to admit, I’ve never seen it before, but I had a good look at it this morning and It’s impressive. I’ll be a regular visitor from now on.
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Complete nonsense is what I say. I am as passionate a supporter of F1 as any football fan. I scream for my favourite and shed tears of disappointment when they dont do well or gets messed up by the safety car. We F1 Fans just dont go around beating up the opposition, thats the difference.
more to do with the mentality of the fans, i’ve never seen a fight break out between supporters of Tyrell and Lotus.
And i’m passionate about F1 too, my whole street heard me scream (like a girl no doubt) and throw my wine glass out the window when Sutill was taken out of Monaco.
The reason F1 fans don’t bounce around the walls singing rediculously when their man wins is because after waiting in the heat for all the business between the start and the podium, it’s fairly exhausting.
Perhaps the quip is, why don’t F1 fanatics reach a point where passion becomes hooliganism, the “my fans can beat the piss out of your fans” thing, and if that is the case, is that something you would -want- at a motor race?
F1 Fans not passionate!!! My husband and I are hugging cushions and each other towards the end of a race (we scream like girls but only when Ferrari make a mistake. By the end of a race we feel like we have driven it with the drivers.
I scream and shout and move about, on two legs from start to finish.
A competitive sport where one is trying to outsmart and out-maneuver a clock, other participants, and the field of ‘action’ might stir a similar degree of emotion from the viewers as a competitive sport where one is trying to out-perform other participants via means of sanctioned violence, but they don’t generate the same kind of psychological identification….thus, if your team or your guy does or doesn’t win, you might experience joy or disbelief equally, but the expression of that emotion will differ.