The Formula 1 edit

Article by Finley Ever

Formula One is well known for being a respected, sophisticated, and classy level of motorsports. But there is always that one fan who doesn’t seem to care that you genuinely enjoy watching the sport. They need dates, receipts, and exact reiterations of every fact in Formula One history to believe you’re a real fan, or they’ll make accusations about a fan who they know nothing about. Quite a number of these people have made themselves known in person and online, in most cases targeting the female fans. Now as a fan who has had many firsthand encounters with this minority of people, I have a few tips I like to pull out of my hat that always leaves them without a comeback.

“What’s DRS?”

A quite annoying and repetitive question, but a classic and hilarious response.

Three words: Daniel Ricciardo Supremacy.

Not an accurate response, but a small act of rebellion towards this fan.

Automatically assuming that if you don’t know what DRS is you aren’t a real F1 fan is a blatant misconception. It’s one aspect of a sport with millions of acronyms, nicknames, and inside jokes that the fans can spend years learning, and just because they aren’t sure of this single one doesn’t mean they aren’t a true fan.

If anyone ever pops the DRS question, respond with the Danny Ric line, which is a classic for a reason! But if you are more of a practical answer type of person and you DO actually know what DRS is, feel free to spit the facts! But remember that you don’t owe this fan an answer, so that’s where The Honey Badger comes into play!

“You only watch the sport because the drivers are attractive”

They said it for you right there, they think the drivers are attractive! If they boldly assume it in this way, just say, “So you’re admitting the drivers are attractive! Good for you”. Really makes them question their wording! And if they say something along the line of “You only watch the sport because YOU think the drivers are attractive”, tell the truth, because there’s no point in denying it to prove this person wrong. “Yes, the drivers are conventionally attractive humans, but automatically assuming it’s the only reason I watch the sport is very presumptuous of you.”

Not even mentioning the fact that you can’t even see the drivers when they’re in the car, and also not talking about the insanely high amount of men online constantly talking about how attractive the drivers are and how they’re jealous of certain drivers’ looks. It’s really just double standards at this point.

“You’re just another Drive to Survive fan”

Even if it’s meant as an insult, stripped of the tone and attitude, I see no problem with this statement.

Coming from a Formula One fan who got into the sport through the Netflix documentary, I feel like this shouldn’t be used as an insult. Drive to Survive has brought so many new fans into the sport. It really gives us a glimpse into the drivers’ lives and personalities, which you can’t necessarily get from just watching the sport itself.

While not completely accurate in terms of how things actually played out on track, DTS really has introduced a whole new audience to the Motorsports world. So in this case I would respond, “So what? Not every person is introduced to the sport the same way, but it doesn’t make me any less of a fan.”

“You watch F1? (Insert extremely long and complicated queSTION)”

Unless you’re a driver yourself or a motorsports historian, there are a very slim number of people who can answer questions such as “Who won the 1961 Silverstone Grand Prix?” off the top of their heads. And one thing is for sure, if you can’t answer these difficult questions, that doesn’t make you a bad fan, because there’s no such thing as a bad fan!

Questions like this are designed to make you fail and feel stupid. So unless you truly know the answer by heart, don’t even respond with an answer. Just do one of these two things: reply with the EXACT same question, because chances are they won’t even know the answer to the question they’re asking you. Or say, “Why should I have to know this to be a real F1 fan? And since when does liking a sport for the thrill of it have to require such extensive knowledge?” Because it really is that simple.

If you like a sport, support that sport. No one should ever have to take a SAT-test-equivalent on Formula One history in order to be considered a true fan. It’s not that difficult!

While this article was for people receiving the accusations and comments, if anyone reading this has asked these questions and assumed such things, I hope I’ve given you some food for thought!

We’re all fans of the same sport, and that’s enough.