The Formula One cars are a technological wonder. They weigh about 1,300 pounds - including the driver - and would weigh less if they didn't have ballast added to the bottom of the car. What I didn't realize is how fast these things are. Yes, I read about it ahead of time, and I had seen it briefly on TV. And I read stats on the speed - they can go from 0 to 100mph to 0 in less than five seconds.
Photographing the cars was a huge challenge. I took about 300 pictures and very few have the cars in-frame and in-focus. By the time you pick up your camera, they're past you. When they pass directly in front of you, they're just a blur.
The sound was deafening. The engine makes a high-pitch whine / whir (due to revving to 18,000 rpm's, compared to a street car around 6,000 rpm) that is intolerable without earplugs. You can feel it in your chest every time they pass, and my beer can would rattle around on the seat next to me. Every shift would elicit a booming sound, like an explosion, and flames would shoot out of the back of the car. The first time I heard it, I thought there had been an accident. The cars were mind-boggling powerful. And it was awe inspiring. I can see why people are captivated by the sport. I can definitely see myself returning to the next Asian race in Singapore in September.
The Formula One cars are a technological wonder. They weigh about 1,300 pounds - including the driver - and would weigh less if they didn't have ballast added to the bottom of the car. What I didn't realize is how fast these things are. Yes, I read about it ahead of time, and I had seen it briefly on TV. And I read stats on the speed - they can go from 0 to 100mph to 0 in less than five seconds.
Photographing the cars was a huge challenge. I took about 300 pictures and very few have the cars in-frame and in-focus. By the time you pick up your camera, they're past you. When they pass directly in front of you, they're just a blur.
The sound was deafening. The engine makes a high-pitch whine / whir (due to revving to 18,000 rpm's, compared to a street car around 6,000 rpm) that is intolerable without earplugs. You can feel it in your chest every time they pass, and my beer can would rattle around on the seat next to me. Every shift would elicit a booming sound, like an explosion, and flames would shoot out of the back of the car. The first time I heard it, I thought there had been an accident. The cars were mind-boggling powerful. And it was awe inspiring. I can see why people are captivated by the sport. I can definitely see myself returning to the next Asian race in Singapore in September.
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