AHH. our boys in the winter have it so tough

[racer10]

Tis time for the boys of summer to give it somewhat of a rest. If it seems that Melbourne wasnt long ago thats because: It wasnt. I must say that the schedule our boys have is quite childish. What is it now 18 races? Hardly what I would call a "FULL" season. But now its time to relax for the winter. Our boys have it so rough. They only get- what is it now? Oh,yes, 4 months to recooperate from the terrible lifestyle all this racing brings. Relaxing in Monaco, or on a beach somewhere for sure, while some underpaid, underespected test driver dawns the suit and helmet in an attempt to make our punished stars look good the next season. I am sure Mika is tending to the baby, or at least the maid is. Oh, it must be tough. I would like to see these guys work a real job for only a week. To see the looks on their faces. Up at 5:00 am, to a job they hate, and are underpaid for. Well anyways, all this making fun of our boys is quite tiresome, and frankly, I am hungry. But the next time I hear one of our boys complaining how bad it is, I think I am gonna explode with sympathy. Later Race Fans.

[FEUsmart]

Yeah, of course you're right, I forgot that F1 drivers don't have to work hard to get into the top level of the sport these days - they just do well in an entry level series, and get automatic entry to F1, don't they?

[Dino]

What is the purpose of this thread???
I hope its a joke, because to me it seems like pure nonsense. It is clear that you are not aware of what really goes on in Formula 1.

During their "4 month vacation", most of that time is spent testing the car, training, doing public relations/sponsorship work, making appearances, or travelling to different venues. During the 4 month off season, drivers will usually take between 2 weeks to a month, tops, to "relax on a beach," which doesn't strike me as an unususally long vacation. Pre-season testing is often the most mundane and grueling part of an F1 driver's career.
During the season, constant travelling to different time zones can be extremely draining, and the drivers are testing constantly, training constantly, performing public relations work constantly. During a Grand Prix weekend, drivers wake up at around 6:00 AM, go to the track, and are there all day. Most drivers remain at the track until late hours, talking setup and strategy with the team, and doing interviews, TV, etc. When I went to Indy this year, on the night before the race, HHF and Jarno Trulli attended a Lucent Technologies sponsorship dinner which was held at my hotel. The dinner went late into the night, even though the two drivers had the pressure of the race on their mind, and would need to get up early. Marc Gene, who happened to be staying at the hotel, was constantly in the swimming pool working out when he wasn't at the track.
And I won't even begin to discuss the amount of mental pressure these drivers are under to perform. Just look at how Schumacher, thought to be a hard, emotionless german, broke down in tears after winning Monza this year.

I guess, according to you, these drivers are simply Rock and Roll Stars who spend all their time on the beach, and then when its time for a Grand Prix, they hop on their private jets and spend two hours racing on sunday. Just because you are not necessarily aware of things going on behind the scenes, doesn't mean that they do not happen.

BTW, I don't think any driver would have a problem doing your job. Besides, how hard is it to bag groceries anyway?


Dino

[FEUsmart]

Sorry, my reply to the first message was supposed to be a bit sarcastic - I'm certainly one of the last people to think that racing drivers at any level have an easy ride of it. I was also going to make the comment about how any racing driver would be able to do a 'normal' job, whereas a 'normal' person would almost certianly not be able to withstand the pressures of a Grand Prix weekend from a driver's p.o.v ...But I thought it might sound a bit rude!!

[White Van Man]

racer10, to put it simply, you're talking ********...

[Dino]

FEUsmart,

I understood your sarcasm completely, and agree with you totally. My post was directed at Racer10.

Sorry for the misunderstanding!

White Van Man,

Well put!

Dino