So, we're back at Japan again, and I was just watching HAMs pole lap from the outside, normal view. I have totally the same perception as in last year, but now I think I've figured it out: basically, as opposed to many newer tracks, we've much more cameras here in japan (maybe monaco is similar), and almost all of them are stationary, and, most importantly, they use zooming in and out very very conservatively.
This in effect contributes to the perception of speed: just compare this to those recordings of planes landing (eg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF9n7ShkOJ0) where they use huge optical zooms. The same is done to a lesser extent on many tracks, where we've a frontal view of cars on a 1000+ meters straight, then a very zoomed in and -out perspective as they take the corner.
Also, I haven't counted it, but there are a lot of cuts from one camera to another, like every 2-3 seconds. This is also a huge factor. 3:4 vs 16:9, the sound, the field of view of are also a contributing factor, but I definitively think that it's mainly the zooming which destroys the speed perception on many tracks.
Edit: look at from around 3:18 to 3:40, you'll see what I'm talking about. Also, It's not that they don't zoom in and out, but they know when to use it (eg. they zoom in at the apex, then out on corner exit)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSihuXuD4As
