Reposting my response from /b/ for others who may not have seen it:
It isn't as fast as we'd like for sure, but it isn't incredibly slow, so much as we have people in different time zones such that it usually takes a few hours to get a response.
In any case, you aren't missing anything if you miss the pre season tests (which are not televised for the most part anyway.) Getting into the performance speculation and seeing the car development is fun for a lot of people though. You can go on any of the major motorsports news sites and check out the end of day reports if you feel like it. We also post digests of those on
>>>/f1/The first race is the australian grand prix, you are correct. As of last year, Formula 1 had massive restrictive rule changes, that have left the cars with less downforce and with weaker and much less reliable 1.6 liter v6 turbo hybrid engines. Many fans dislike these rule changes and believe that the rules will change in the future, but at present the mercedes engine is far more powerful than the renault, honda, or ferrari unit. As a result of this the chassis makers have obsessed over aerodynamic enhancements that would bridge that gap as in season development of engines is not allowed.
TL;DR a lot of people are very interested in the technical side of the sport and guessing the performance rankings, also lots of drama regarding rule changes.
skim the websites, check our board, see if you like what you see about the tests, if not feel free to come back for the races. You're welcome at
>>>/f1/