With exactly 100 sleeps until the 2018 season officially kicks off in Melbourne, Formula 1 fans will be experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms that seem to get worse every year. How do you keep yourself occupied until then?
Read on for the F1 fan’s survival guide for the ever-dreaded off-season!
Play Gran Turismo Sport
I’m going to make the rather bold assumption that many F1 fans are also big motorsports fans – and GT Sport for PS4 is a motorsport fan’s wet dream.
Receiving mixed reviews upon its release due to some major changes being made to the general look and feel of the game, GT Sport is still more than worth a look. The number of cars and circuits is pretty disappointing to hardcore fans of the series, but once you settle in, you will realize that Polyphony’s latest offering is all about quality over quantity. The game is also receiving frequent updates, which include small adjustments (the boring stuff) and new cars and circuits (the fun stuff). One especially fun feature is the livery editor, where you can create completely unique liveries for your cars. Why not recreate some of your favourite F1 liveries?
As the game is mainly an online experience (with a more traditional single player campaign coming out as part of an update later this month), you’ll need a solid internet connection in order to enjoy the game properly. But boy, is it fun. At least until you get punted into the gravel by some British kid named “TeamLH44HashtagBlessed” in the final corner of your 10 lap online race.
Catch up on missed races
Not all of us are able to catch every race of the season – some of us have terrible burdens like family lunches and other commitments to endure. If you managed to see every race live this season, congratulations! But please call your mother. For the mortals out there, you can search the web for repeats of each race – Formula One Management does its best to get rid of these, but generally they stay up long enough for a few views.
There is also a huge amount of content on Formula 1’s official Youtube channel if you’re seeking a quick fix of some well-compiled F1 content. This is especially the case since Liberty Media took over the reins in the last year or so – they seem to be much more up-to-date with modern day digital trends.
Watch F1-related documentaries
A great way to keep yourself busy would be to watch some of the documentaries that have quietly been released in recent years. A great example would be Williams (2017) – pretty much the autobiography of Frank Williams and the team he founded.
This documentary delves into tremendous detail and includes loads of footage that even the most hardcore F1 fans would have never seen before. Candid interviews with team members – past and present – are also included.
Other documentaries worth checking out include: Senna, 1, Afternoon of a Champion, Rush (a movie, but still mostly based on facts), and Grand Prix.
Read F1-related books
Not everyone likes reading. We get it – it’s hard and you have to think and stuff. However, there are a bunch of really good reads out there for the true fans.
For example, Adrian Newey recently released “How to Build a Car” – his autobiography. Just in case you don’t know who that is, it’s the most successful Formula 1 car designer of all time. Newey’s expertise took 3 teams to championship victories – Williams, McLaren and Red Bull – and he thus has some very interesting things to say.