Formula One: Sebastian Vettel says to stop complaining about boring races

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has made it clear that he is not a fan of those who complain about the lack of passing during races.

This past Formula One season, the number of overtakes that took place throughout the year dropped drastically from the number of overtakes that took place throughout the 2016 season, and people noticed.

In fact, the overtake total from this past season was just over half of what the overtake total was in the 2016 season despite there being only one more race held in the 2016 season than there was this past season, which featured 20 races (see specific details here).

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, however, believes that people should stop complaining about the lack of overtaking in the sport. He also wants people to accept the fact that some races are simply going to end up being boring, and this should not be a problem since overtakes should be earned.

Here is what Vettel had to say about the subject, according to Autosport.com.

"“Wishes for next year is that everybody calms down. Some races are boring, so what? I don’t see the problem in that. I don’t think we need another record, another record every race, to have more overtaking and more overtaking.“It’s true that [difficulty in] overtaking sometimes, especially if you’re behind and you’re fast and you can’t get past for those reasons, it annoys you. But then again if you make the move there is a massive reward inside the car, sometimes out of the car.“What I want to say is that overtaking should be an achievement and not handed to you. Sometimes just relax and calm down and accept a boring race or a boring two races in a row and then there will be another great race after that and another one.”"

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Vettel is right in that overtaking should not just be handed to you; you should definitely have to work for it. But at the same time, people have a right to be upset over the lack of overtaking. If people didn’t want to see passing, they’d make it a point to tune into qualifying but miss the race. What’s the point in watching the race if you know the final result before it starts?

Plus, racing isn’t as popular as it once was, especially among the younger generations. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: an average teenager is more likely to tell you who the third-string quarterback of the Cleveland Browns (who, by the way, still haven’t won a game since I first made this reference months ago) is than who the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner was. Races with no passing won’t do anything to change this, so people have a right to want more overtaking not only for their own sake but for the sake of the sport’s future and the future of racing in general.

Next: Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all-time?

Will we see the overtake total in the 2018 Formula One season drop even lower than this past season’s total, or will it start to climb back up again? We may not know until the end of next season, which begins on Sunday, March 25th with the Australian Grand Prix, a race that was won by Sebastian Vettel himself this past season en route to a 2nd place finish in the drivers standings.

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