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re: Are F1 drivers athletes?

Posted on 2/4/24 at 12:25 am to
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
25672 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 12:25 am to
quote:

The sound of that V-10 is glorious.


Except at idle when they sound like a UPS truck in need of a tuneup.
Posted by AUFANATL
Member since Dec 2007
3894 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 12:39 am to
quote:

I agree that you need physical stamina and a certain level of strength but those don't necessarily make you an athlete.


Dude I died on this hill and there's no arguing with F1 fans who seem to have an inferiority complex about every other sport.

I think most reasonable people know racing requires a certain level of fitness and athleticism. But let's be honest, the sport is mostly about engineering. Max Verstappen isn't winning 90% of the races because he can do more pushups than the other drivers or because his heartrate goes back to normal faster. He's winning because he has the best car and the best team of engineers in the garage. And yes, technical skill and reflexes play a big part (read: ordinary people can't do this), but it's still more about the car.

Do you think if Michael Jordan swapped shoes with another player or Mike Trout used a different bat the results would be noticeably different? If you made Max Verstappen and Valteri Bottas switch teams the standings would look completely different. Hell, Verstappen could have avoided exercise completely last year and he still probably would have won the championship in that car.
Posted by redstick13
Lower Saxony
Member since Feb 2007
38531 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 12:42 am to
So do you think Pablo Sandoval is an athlete because he can hit a round ball with a round bat?
Posted by TCO
Member since Jul 2022
2486 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 1:13 am to
quote:

I think most reasonable people know racing requires a certain level of fitness and athleticism.


“Racing” is not all the same. The athleticism of F1, WEC, WRC, etc is insanely higher than nascar, NHRA, etc.

Lewis Hamilton = athlete

Tony Stewart/John Force = not athletes
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
25672 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 2:01 am to
quote:

I think most reasonable people know racing requires a certain level of fitness and athleticism. But let's be honest, the sport is mostly about engineering. Max Verstappen isn't winning 90% of the races because he can do more pushups than the other drivers or because his heartrate goes back to normal faster. He's winning because he has the best car and the best team of engineers in the garage. And yes, technical skill and reflexes play a big part (read: ordinary people can't do this), but it's still more about the car.


This is a massive red herring. Anyone who is even a casual fan of F1 knows that if Schumacher had stayed with Jordon he wouldn't have won 7 WDCs and likely wouldn't have won a single race unless it was an oddball where rain, pit stop strategy, safety cars etc jumbled up the order in some random fashion. The car is a huge part of the winning equation. That however has frickall to do with whether F1 drivers are athletes.

If someone only defines an athlete as a professional stick and ball sports player that's fine, moronic but fine. People who are supposed to know sports often show their ignorance. I remember one of the pundits that did a long form ESPN show back 20+ years ago opined that cycling was not a team sport: they just get on their bike and ride as fast as possible. Anyone remotely acquainted with bicycle road racing just sat and laughed, people who are acquainted with F1 are laughing at you too.
Posted by WaydownSouth
Stratton Oakmont
Member since Nov 2018
8167 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 5:35 am to
They are athletes the same way golfers and baseball players are athletes.

Their sport just doesn’t require being in good physical shape to be good (Prince Fielder, John Daily, etc).
Posted by liz18lsu
Naples, FL
Member since Feb 2009
17303 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 5:37 am to
Of course they are

quote:

An athlete is a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs.
Posted by BuckyCheese
Member since Jan 2015
49406 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:02 am to
quote:

You don't have to be athletic to drive a race car. You need skill.




You don't need to be athletic to throw a football...

Does this guy look athletic?

Posted by KiwiHead
Auckland, NZ
Member since Jul 2014
27561 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:15 am to
To withstand the g-forces alone takes someone who is in top physical condition. Couple that with their reaction time and the answer is yes. Are they going to challenge Usain Bolt in the 40 or do what Christian McCaffrey does on a football field? Probably not
Posted by MoarKilometers
Member since Apr 2015
17943 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:21 am to
quote:

Crazy fricker went back to racing with no fricking legs. He actually won the Italian Superturismo Championship in the mid 2000's (repeated for emphasis) with no fricking legs.

This is actually a great example of why they're not athletes. Would the top athletes in any other sport lose to an athlete with no legs It's not that's there isn't a physical component to f1 racing, it's just the machine is doing the overwhelming bulk of the work.
Posted by LNCHBOX
70448
Member since Jun 2009
84124 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:30 am to
quote:

I agree that you need physical stamina and a certain level of strength but those don't necessarily make you an athlete.


You're a dumbass. Let em guess, big fat NFL lineman is an athlete in your mind but F1 drivers aren't for .... reasons
Posted by LNCHBOX
70448
Member since Jun 2009
84124 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:33 am to
quote:

it's just the machine is doing the overwhelming bulk of the work.


The machine does absolutely no work without a driver capable of.controlling it for an entire race. Do some of y'all think before posting?
Posted by IAmNERD
Member since May 2017
19247 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:35 am to
quote:

Richard Hammond drives an F1 car

Man the sound that V10 makes is so awesome.
Posted by kciDAtaE
Member since Apr 2017
15766 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:41 am to
Are horse jockeys athletes?
Posted by crazy4lsu
Member since May 2005
36311 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 7:50 am to
quote:

Do you think if Michael Jordan swapped shoes with another player or Mike Trout used a different bat the results would be noticeably different?


You are making two different arguments, conflating the two, and then pretending like you are making some profound point.

FWIW, you could tell immediately that someone like Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen were going to be elite drivers as soon as they made the paddock. You don't need to be in the best cars to see that.
Posted by tss22h8
30.4 N 90.9 W
Member since Jan 2007
18657 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 8:40 am to
F1 / Indy / NASCAR drivers are just that. Drivers. They're not athletes.
Posted by VABuckeye
Naples, FL
Member since Dec 2007
35563 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 8:53 am to
quote:

Their sport just doesn’t require being in good physical shape to be good


Wrong. F1 requires a high level of fitness. The fact that you compared F1 drivers to fat athletes shows you're way off base here.
Posted by TigerCoon
Member since Nov 2005
18866 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 8:53 am to
in the sense that pool and darts players are athletes
Posted by SteelerBravesDawg
Member since Sep 2020
34685 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 8:58 am to
quote:

I agree that you need physical stamina and a certain level of strength but those don't necessarily make you an athlete

Posted by SteelerBravesDawg
Member since Sep 2020
34685 posts
Posted on 2/4/24 at 9:00 am to
quote:

Dude I died on this hill and there's no arguing with F1 fans who seem to have an inferiority complex about every other sport.

I think most reasonable people know racing requires a certain level of fitness and athleticism. But let's be honest, the sport is mostly about engineering. Max Verstappen isn't winning 90% of the races because he can do more pushups than the other drivers or because his heartrate goes back to normal faster. He's winning because he has the best car and the best team of engineers in the garage. And yes, technical skill and reflexes play a big part (read: ordinary people can't do this), but it's still more about the car.

Do you think if Michael Jordan swapped shoes with another player or Mike Trout used a different bat the results would be noticeably different? If you made Max Verstappen and Valteri Bottas switch teams the standings would look completely different. Hell, Verstappen could have avoided exercise completely last year and he still probably would have won the championship in that car.


Yikes.

Holy red herring.
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