When I get that feeling...

The wait is almost over everyone, tomorrow morning we get to see our first Formula 1 race of the year! We've all been whetting our appetites in different ways, whether it's been watching the 2011 season review DVD on loop, playing F1 video games endlessly, or entertaining ourselves with the stream of funny photoshops on the Autosport forums. Indeed seeing the first promos on TV is that long-awaited sign that, finally, what's felt like a very long winter is close to ending. And it will have been very hard to avoid them, especially Sky's offerings as they seek to convince us to part with our hard-earned money to get in on the experience.

There was, however, one trailer that caught my attention like nothing else:

© Sky Sports F1™

For me it's a brilliant example of how editing can create such a sense of atmosphere and anticipation. The hive of activity in the pits, the crowd on their feet to cheer their beloved drivers, all accompanied by that ever-growing undercurrent of engine revs and drum beats into a great crescendo. Then silence, as everyone anticipates the arrival of the five red lights.


It's at this particular moment when I was watching it, that 'the feeling' started to build up.


'The feeling' is a phenomenon that many can never convey. Not in any certain concrete terms, anyway. Some describe a it as a slight fizzing sensation in the pit of their stomach, while others (me included) can end up having to take very deep breaths to try and control the shivers that race through their body. And it almost always occurs when we experience a very exciting or nervous moment in our lives, as it's our body's way of preparing us for the stress that it's about to undergo. It's no wonder that the often stressful nature of following sport is such a sure-fire way of getting these experiences to surface.

But the wonderful thing about 'the feeling' is that although it's an intensely personal experience for each of us, every single human being can experience it. Everyone can feel the rush - waiting for a crucial penalty kick in a football match, waiting for the 100m runners to rise from their starting blocks in the Olympics final, waiting for those five red lights to come on and then disappear on a Grand Prix raceday. For those few agonising seconds every single person watching that moment, no matter what their allegiance, is engrossed in their anticipation to witness some of the greatest athletes in the world perform at the highest level. I don't know about anyone else, but witnessing such achievement gives me a great sense of pride in humanity and really enforces the notion that if we can set our minds on something, and be as committed and passionate as the athletes we idolise, we can do whatever we've dreamed to do. You hear so much about the negative aspects of following sport and indeed there are plenty, but every sports fan is fundamentally united in their devotion and passion for it. It's a bond between all of us that can never, ever be broken.

© www.grandprixweekly.com

So however you're watching the Grand Prix tomorrow and at every other race thereafter, remember that when those five red lights are coming on, there'll be millions of other people around the world feeling exactly the same emotions as you. And for once rivalries and controversies won't matter, because for those few seconds we'll all be united in our passion, in our love, for our sport.

And it'll be absolutely brilliant.