Sunday, May 28, 2006

Formula 1

Sandy hosted a brunch featuring blintzes, crepes, and lots and lots of fresh strawberries. After stuffing ourselves, we settled into watching the Monte Carlo Formula 1 race.

I'm not that knowledgeable about Formula 1 or car racing in general - my only experience with that comes from various video games. ;) However, unlike the Daytona or Indianapolis style races where the cars are on an oval track, this race was through city streets with lots of turns and hairpins. So it was quite interesting to watch. One of the top competitors, Michael Schumacher, was accused of blocking the course during a qualifying round, and was penalized by starting at the back. Meanwhile the reigning champ Fernando Alonso started at the pole position and kept it throughout the race.

Sandy helped out by printing up a chart of the drivers, a map of the race course labeled with the various turns and average speeds the cars take through them, and a glossary of racing terms, like what a chicane is or what the blue flag is for, etc. This was extremely helpful!

I know Formula 1 is extremely popular in the rest of the world, and I can see why. The race was fun to watch and the series travels all over to various exotic locations for the races.

No comments: