Monaco is a weird case because while it probably isn’t as safe as a modern track, it’s also such that crashes aren’t as problematic. Jeddah, though, clearly is a problem due to the blind corners.

Another way to think of it is - look at the list of venues that the US is thinking about using for the World Cup in 2026 (one game of which is likely equivalent to an F1 race, give or take).

Probably still have the safety and pit issues that bother F1, though.

One flight from Thunder Bay Ontario a week does not an International Airport make.

It’s like they plunked Watkins Glen down in a place perfectly inconvenient from any major cities. 5 hours and a border from Toronto, 5 hours from Pittsburgh, 5 hours from NYC... it’s great because it’s driving distance from a lot of major markets, but for F1's fly-in fans it’s in a godawful location (unless you want…

It’s not only the spectacle that’s the advantage for street circuits, it’s that you get all the amenities that come from being in major cities.  Montreal (technically not a street circuit in the classic sense, but whatever), Baku, Toronto, etc., all are loved by the teams and sponsors because they’re good for business…

The issue is that most of the fans for those races drive to the tracks. F1's crowd includes a LOT of fly-in fans, and the measures required are going to be different.

Because F1 (or, I suppose, the FIA) has VASTLY changed the standards used to judge whether a track is capable of hosting an F1 event from the last time it hosted F1 in 1980. The track was considered too dangerous even back then, and F1's amenities requirements have grown basically exponentially since.

As for the locations of the DRS zones, they typically get placed on two straights where they’ll give the most opportunity to pass, with F1 making those calls.

Yes, they can get it.  I want to say that there was a race last year that was essentially decided by that fact (I want to say Mexico?)

You need to turn subtitles off.

Also, what about that half-off-road half-tarmac track The Grand Tour was using for a while? That thing was terrible.

Can we go as specific as “open wheelers on the oval in Vegas”, since everyone looked at it and thought “geez, someone’s gonna get killed” and then, well, Whedon got killed?

Yeah, the safety improvements in F1 basically ruined Monaco, since the track didn’t really need safety improvements in the first place.

A hockey bag is the most unique smell on the planet.

I dunno, now that Max has seemingly figured out that he needs to pass Leclerc in the 2nd DRS zone of the lap rather than the 1st I don’t know how much Leclerc can do to stay on his tail.

To truly understand the ongoing tragedy of McLaren, you must understand what a GP2 engine is I think.

I remember being in the UK and seeing their coverage of an NHL playoff multiple OT game. You get the sense that the studio guys had never really experienced a sudden death game like that before and they looked like they were on their last nerve.

I’ve been to multiple GPs, but... I honestly like the experience just as much at home as on a track. It’s hard to get a sense of the big picture from trackside on a street circuit, since you can’t judge who’s closing as easily as you can when you’ve got the interval timings on screen for the full race.

Yeah, they often wind up saying stuff like “I know our more experienced viewers know this, but...” before going into an explanation of what just happened.