The following is an excerpt from a long time F1 fan’s memoir, “Things More Exciting Than The 2019 French GP”.
It is taken from Chapter 54: Wall Staring.
Enjoy.
***
Today, I spent 2 hours staring at a blank wall.
It was mentally excruciating, physically exhausting and painfully boring.
It’s something I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.
Alas, as difficult as it was, it was still more thrilling than the French GP race.
“No Blue run off stripes here!” I said to myself, 47 minutes in.
For those two hours in front of my kitchen wall I was stimulated, engaged and enthralled at a far deeper level than I was when watching the on track action at Circuit Paul Ricard.
At around the 87 minute mark, I began to experience some discomfort. Similar to that of race winner Lewis Hamilton, who despite beating P2 by nearly +20s, still “struggled”.
I do concede I began to feel resentment towards the wall, however I don’t think I was as angry as Guenther Steiner at his team’s performance over the weekend.
I even started to whinge at the wall like Romain Grosjean does over team radio.
I think I was hallucinating because the wall started to speak to me.
“Enough Is Enough” said the wall, over and over.
It was tempting to walk away from the wall, but from my peripheral’s I could see someone had closed the kitchen door, so there was nowhere for me to go.
I was losing my mind, my knees were weak, I was at my wits end.
The wall had defeated me more comprehensively than Mercedes over Ferrari the last 5 years.
Yet, I’d do it all over if it meant I didn’t have to sit through the French GP again.
***
‘Things More Exciting Than The French GP’ continues with Chapter 55: Sitting In Traffic.
