I haven't written in this community that I like so much but between pandemic, work, family and especially the fact that the object of my inspiration (my son) seems more interested in becoming a "gamer" than a soccer player, something that I confess here before all of you, I am very disappointed, but well, children make their own decisions and it is our duty to guide them so that these are the right ones.
But this time I am writing about something else, the passion of the other man of the house, my husband, who is none other than a fanatic to death of Formula 1 racing, an activity he has been following since his mother's womb according to his exaggerated words. I don't deny that it's quite an attractive sport but after a few laps I tend to get bored out of my mind and sleep gets the better of me.
Not long ago changing channels on TV I stopped at a car event where the protagonists were some beautiful colorful high-tech racing cars, they had the particularity of being powered by electric energy so none of them were emitting polluting gases and therefore respect the new world standards against global warming.
I immediately called my husband: "love look, an electric F1 race", thinking that he would be interested in watching it given his fanaticism for racing cars. At first he found it appealing, even though the drivers and circuits were unknown, if there are engines roaring for him it is like being at the sweetest of concerts.
But as soon as the cars started that symphony turned into an auditory nightmare, the electric motors sound like dentists' drills raised to the tenth power, some of the most unpleasant sounds ever created by human beings. No matter how much the narrators and commentators increased the sound of their voices, the decibels of that electric pack of hounds were allowed to seep into the transmission, which made the mute button on the remote control the best ally of the fan at home.
After three laps around the track, my husband told me that without audio it was not worth watching the race and immediately changed the channel with a face of obvious disappointment. When I saw him I said: "you should get used to it, that's the future of Formula 1 in the next few years". As soon as I said that comment the poor man let out a snort like a sigh, looked me in the eye and said: "when the first electric car comes out on an F1 track that's when my passion for racing will die".
As it is customary for men to exaggerate everything, I assumed that at any moment it will pass, then he showed me a video, it was the start of an F1 Grand Prix he attended in Brazil before we met, he put it on full volume and I must admit that the roar of the cars was impressive, while the fans were enraptured with the deafening roar of these asphalt devouring machines, no doubt, he is not exaggerating, there is a remarkable difference compared to the unbearable drills of dentists.
F1 is more than just cars circling a track, it involves an interplay between technology and human skill that is spiced up by that detail that drives the fans crazy: the sound of the engines. He told me that a Mercedes car does not sound the same as a Ferrari, that if the public does not feel the purr of the Italian engine or the elegant roar of the German machine it is as if you were not there living that emotion and that the saddest thing is that electric cars all sound the same, so the F1 fan's experience will be somewhat unentertaining if these cars take the top category by storm (as expected).
It is a fact that fossil fuels are the number one public enemy of the planet due to their effects on the temperature of our blue globe, evidently motor events must adapt to this new era of clean energy, where at the moment electric batteries are winning the race to replace gasoline. Surely the electric alternative is not the only one for F1, there are other fuels that seem more effective for this competition than lithium batteries, for example the IndyCar uses a compound based on ethanol (alcohol) produced from corn, (if it overcomes the ethical dilemma of dedicating food to generate fuel then this could be a good option).
In any case it is good to adapt these events to the new times, F1 has always been at the forefront of technological changes and the process of transition to clean energy is an imminent event, for this reason the fans will know how to adapt their tastes and how to encourage a show that moves millions of people (and dollars) around the world. For now, my husband will take advantage of these times to adapt his ear and taste for when the future crosses the checkered flag.
