Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel wrong to lash out at race critics

Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel lashed out at the critics of “boring” Formula 1 races following the Canadian Grand Prix. Here is why he was wrong in doing so.

Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel is coming off of his third victory of the 2018 Formula 1 season, as he won the seventh race of the season, the Canadian Grand Prix, at the 14-turn, 2.710-mile (4.361-kilometer) Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada this past Sunday.

Following that race, which was the third consecutive Formula 1 race that featured at least the top two drivers finishing the race in the same positions in which they started and the second consecutive race that featured zero lead changes, many people have criticized the sport for putting on “boring races”.

However, Vettel, who drives for Scuderia Ferrari, lashed out at those critics. Here is what Vettel stated about the matter, according to ESPN.

"“It’s not justified to criticise the racing or criticise the race. I don’t know if it was boring. From my point of view, you’re still busy inside the car. I don’t know why people today are so short-sighted. We’ve had seven races this year, I think some were phenomenal, some were boring.“But next week the World Cup is starting, and I promise you that a lot of the games won’t be exciting, but still people will watch it. Some games will probably be incredible. That’s what we always look forward to, but it can’t just always continue to go up and get better. I don’t know. There’s no reason, so don’t look for an answer.“Don’t write anything. Write about something else. I think we do our job inside the car, and if we can race, we race. But obviously we also do our job inside the car to try and avoid racing, disappear or stay in front and not get overtaken. And some races are just exciting and others are not.”"

While it may be frustrating for Vettel as a Formula 1 driver to hear so many people calling the sport’s races “boring”, he is wrong to call out these critics. Fans watch races because they want to see action, not a follow-the-leader parade like we have seen in each of the last three races now.

Sure, for Vettel, I can guarantee that no race is boring with everything that he has to worry about in the cockpit as the driver of the car. I would say the exact same thing even if I was doing something as simple as driving in a reduced-length race on a Formula 1 video game regardless of whether I was battling for 15th place or leading the race by 15 laps.

However, the fans don’t get to experience what Vettel and each of the other 19 drivers in a Formula 1 race get to experience. The fans get to experience knowing who is going to win the race after the cars fall in line one by one after the start and, if they are fortunate enough, maybe after the first couple of turns. They then get to experience seeing the same cars race past in the same exact positions lap after lap after lap after lap until the checkered flag waves.