RACING LINES
Damien Smith
Modern F1 cars draw in younger fans – but are too complex for continued racing
The most tiresome catchphrase in motorsport? ‘It’s not as good as it used to be.’ Inevitably true in some respects, it’s also false in at least as many and always utterly pointless to dwell on. The world keeps spinning, and while it’s both enjoyable and important to reflect on and indulge in the past (I admit that I’m as guilty as anyone), it’s also vital to live for today and squeeze every drop from the here and now.
Car shows used to be bigger, better and unmissable, and the same is true of their motorsport equivalents. But so what? They still matter and still bring us together. In January, I heard plenty lament how small Autosport International at Birmingham’s NEC was compared with how it used to be. Wasted oxygen. Post-Covid, the show is undergoing a process of rejuvenation, like most things. It isn’t easy and will take time. But under new management, it has survived against the odds and will only improve if those within the sport get behind it. No longer relevant? Well, let’s make it so.