Before I begin, let me just put this out there, doughnuts
are awesome. No I’m not referencing the mildly-addicting breakfast pastry, but the
tendency of racing drivers to celebrate in the wild fashion of spinning their
car in circles with smoke pouring out of the back wheels. It seems like such a
simple, fun trick, but the FIA doesn’t seem to appreciate it as much as we
viewers do, and there are actual arguments against it. But who’s in the right,
and who’s in the wrong? Let’s explore.
Well, the origin of the doughnut is rather surprisingly
unknown. Just as a theory it may have surfaced from drag racing in which
drivers perform burnouts before a race to show off, circuit drivers may have
just taken it one step further by turning while burning, separating them from
their less maneuverable brethren. It may also be from drifting, if you look at
Vettel crossing the line in Abu Dahbi or particularly Jenson Button’s 2009
victory celebrations, they swerve the car back and forth. Drifting is a pretty
fun celebration, although nearly impossible in F1 (anyone who’s played F1s
2011-2013 will know) and with other cars still lapping the circuit, it would be
too dangerous, so they do stationary drifts and nearly drift when crossing the
line to compensate. However, it all boils down to a quote Vettel had yesterday
at Abu Dhabi “It just felt so right.” So there you go, that’s why doughnuts
exist.
In defense of Doughnuts: They are simply a celebration,
quelling a celebration is cruel, since passion is what drives F1 drivers,
mechanics and fans to do what they do, silencing celebrations would kill the
spirit of the sport. Also, no one has ever died or been injured (at least in F1)
from a doughnut so it hasn’t done any harm.
Against Doughnuts: Doughnuts are destructive to the tracks
that people work so hard on year after year. They stain the track sine
doughnuts are currently done in run-off zones and not on the track itself, so the
visuals of the track in particular are damaged. On top of that, it is
potentially dangerous for the driver, since the amount of wear on the tires in
such a short period of time is so much, which could cause a burst and hence the
incurrent loss of control.
So, there are the facts and arguments, but the answer truly
lies in the viewers’ hands, so your opinion is what will decide the argument in
the end, so what do you think? Leave a response in the comments to voice your
side of the story.
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