Some people just don't 'get' sport. They say it's pointless, facile, that it doesn't matter.
But they are wrong. They are wrong because sport, like so many things in life, is much more than the sum of its parts. Sport matters because it means something to people.
So it is with Formula 1, which outwardly seems simply a collection of rich blokes shipping expensive cars around the world to drive around in circles as fast as they can for a few hours every other weekend.
Ben Anderson is GP Racing's Editor, Autosport track tester and tame racing driver. He holds an undergraduate degree in journalism studies from the University of Sheffield and joined the title in March 2008, after eight months working in local newspaper journalism for award-winning weekly the Surrey Mirror. He worked on Autosport's national desk before moving up to F1 in '14. He has raced karts and cars since the age of 11 and has tested or raced more than 100 different examples during his career so far.
Why star drivers are key to F1
With the help of the F1 paddock, BEN ANDERSON examines why having the best drivers in motorsport is the backbone of a strong product in the second 'What is Formula 1?' instalment
Has F1 forgotten the key to good racing?
Anybody who watches motorsport wants to see entertaining racing. But is the essence of what makes wheel-to-wheel combat special being forgotten in the modern age?
How much speed does F1 really need?
In the latest part of our 'What is F1?' series, we investigate the argument over how fast Formula 1 cars should be, with the help of key paddock figures
Is too much technology bad for F1?
Formula 1's reputation for technical excellence is key to its appeal for many, but is also a factor in a lot of its problems. In the latest in our What is F1? series, we explore that juxtaposition with paddock figures on both sides of the argument
Why F1 has to put business first
The latest part of our 'What is F1?' series focuses on the costs of Formula 1 and whether its business model is irrevocably broken
Driving club racing's Revolution The Revolution prototype racer that has been created by Radical co-founder Phil Abbott aims to bridge the gap between club racing and LMP3 competition. And, as Autosport finds out, it provides drivers with a great challenge behind the wheel National
The Deja vu moment that reveals Bottas' true Hamilton deficit Valtteri Bottas made a winning start to the 2020 Formula 1 season, but he now trails Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by five points in the standings. This follows a race in Hungary that again exposed a troubling blow to Bottas's title hopes F1
The rules anomaly that saved Hamilton from harsher punishment OPINION: Mercedes was aggrieved that Lewis Hamilton was demoted three places on the grid for the Austrian GP within an hour of the race start, but it could have been a lot worse had the rules been applied differently F1
Formula 1's great Lotus landmarks - Lotus 79 As Formula 1 turns 70, Autosport is marking the occasion with a series of track test features in Lotus machinery that dominated the world championship in the '60s and '70s. In the final instalment of the series, Ben Anderson tries the Lotus 79 F1
How Formula E's top team is benefitting from Penske know-how From race-engineering winning cars in IndyCar and sportscars for Penske to masterminding Dragon's superb start to life in Formula E, Nigel Beresford's 35 years of motorsport expertise have played a key role in DS Techeetah's continued success Engineering
The high-tech materials helping Renault in its F1 rise The Renault F1 team is at the vanguard of innovative solutions pushing development of the V6 turbo hybrid engine rules, embracing the full potential of material science in its bid to get back to the top F1
How Hamilton's undeserved ban peril highlights F1's rule dilemmas OPINION: Before the Sochi stewards decided to rescind the penalty points included in Lewis Hamilton's Russian GP sanctions, he was on the verge of a race ban. Sense prevailed, but it highlighted problems in policing modern Formula 1 F1
The Sochi tech tweaks amid the midfield arms race The intensity of Formula 1's midfield battle shows no signs of abating, with each team in the fight developing their 2020 machinery to find an advantage. With Sochi proving a more familiar venue than Mugello, it was the perfect venue for a technical tussle F1
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Is F1 too boring for the modern world?
No excuse for F1 sleepwalking into the future
