| Author | Message | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 732 Registered: 10-2002 |
Right on Jack. No wonder PC sims like GP4 only need to use one generic car shape with different BMPs to cover the field. | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 331 Registered: 11-2002 |
Absolutely Jack ... Pete | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 682 Registered: 3-2002 |
I give the FIA credit for trying to shake up "the show". It's unfortunate, but it's also human nature to become bored with the status quo. Why do you think the divorce rate in the USA is 50%? But I digress. Whenever I look back at photos or videos of late 60's, 70's or early 80's racing, I get a chill. Not just the danger, though that was an element, but just the variety of it all. A single still photo from then is as interesting or more to me than an entire race today. Too much in the sport today has become homogenous. Cars are all identical, drivers are less inclined to display personality, you catch my drift... | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 723 Registered: 10-2002 |
PSK, good point about the fastest car and qualifying. I still like to see the single drives by each driver as it lets me compare cars and drivers, but the game about the fuel does distort the picture, you're right about that. However I do think you're giving at least the American audience (and I believe parts of this to be true for the Europeans, especially the Germans) too much credit: The flag waving has IMHO dramatically increased since MS started winning championships for Ferrari. Chauvinism may be what it is, but I still see a lot more MS/Ferrari support because they're winning than because they are who or what they are. I'm at least honest: I love Irvine for good or bad.  As far as new rules are concerned: I'd like to see the ban on moving aerodynamic parts lifted. True those 68 racers were dangerous, but technology has advanced big time and a non moveable wing is simply outdated. At least it should be linked to the steering. 'Even' a 360 has such parts, so why not in F1? It would open a new field for the engineers to play around. | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 328 Registered: 11-2002 |
Good analogy Andreas with the Moon reference. I also believed that there were some dodgy in Ferraris way decisions to favourise their chances, thus Bernie definitely was on MS and Ferraris side ... because he thought that Ferrari winning would increase the audience and make him more money. He was wrong and the interest was in watching them try to win ... not winning. I do not believe that the number of Ferrari fans has increased due to them finally winning ... Ferrari fans can handle the losses and stick with the team through thick and thin, and the unknowledgable followers only know a few names and Ferrari has always been one of them ... so nothing has changed. As for these rules, yes they are the same for everybody but a true racer like Ron Dennis can no longer proudly say that his cars are the fastest (although too early in the season to make such claims, as you say) ... as somebody will say that you only have won due to strange joke of qualifying, etc. If qualifying was as it used to be and his McLarens were getting pole and second and then winning the races then he quite rightly can say he HAD the FASTEST cars due to qualifying and the best cars and strategy as they won the races. Now all he can say is that they have a good car and played the strategy right because we do not know any more which car is the fastest due to unknown fuel loads ... thus contrived and a bit of the sport is lost! Motorracing is not about being fair, etc. it is about making the most of the rules and destroying the opposition because you ARE the best driver and/or your engineers are sneakly clever and found a loop hole in the rules , even at club level. Yep agree regarding the Lotus and Brabham but the Lotus did have moving aerodynamic aids in that outside body was for aerodynamics and connected to the wheels (via a different spring system) but close to the edge of the rules. I think they should have let it race as natural competitiveness of the opposition would have found something else and caught up OR it would have failed. Brabham's car on the other hand spat debri out the back of the car and also would have required that two different types of cars were required, a fan car and a high speed car ... in the end if they had let it race somebody would have come up with a more sensible system and we may have learnt something ... or not? F1 in my opinion has too many rules now and not enough radical thinking ... which is what it used to be about. Lets free it up so designers can create ground breakers like we used to have and the engineers, like myself, can find it interesting as well as the true racers. Heh when I built my racing cars I did not just make what everybody else did and settle for boring simple stuff ... I tried to be clever and find an advantage so I could screw the opposition (and we were alll best of mates and all trying to do the same) that is the heart of the sport ... not playing fair like poofters. Pete | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 721 Registered: 10-2002 |
Kinda like the moon landings. After Apollo 11 and MS Ferrari WC title, the interest quickly vained. However I don't agree with your statement about the favoratism: Especially Bernie (and others) tried really hard to make Ferrari win, when they couldn't or were close to. For some time every FIA decision seemed to go their way. Also I'm not really sure the new rules are intended to slow down Ferrari. They try to keep the show entertaining, but in all honesty the rules are the same for everyone and the fact, that Ferrari is struggling has probably less to do with the new rules (don't tell me now, that MS couldn't handle a bit of traffic at the start in front of him, he is a 5 times WC and should be able to deal with that or he would suddenly fall into the 'Damon Hill wins only when in the lead' group). E.g. I thought it was a tad unfair to ban the vacuum cleaner from Brabham and the double chassis from Lotus. Although on the edge of legality, that's where direct intervention prevented those teams from winning (ok, the Lotus was maybe a bit too complex for the team itself). I bet a few races from now this will all blow over and we'll be back to where we were last season. | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 325 Registered: 11-2002 |
Yep, I suffered through 21 years too, and now that they are (were ) winning ... everything has been changed to MAKE them lose. Funny how this was never done for McLaren and Williams ... smells funny to me. Lets face it the TV show got boring, but here is the reason why and it is not the rules fault: 1. MS went to the ever struggling Ferrari team. 2. This caused huge interest for the spectators. 3. Show becomes extremely interesting ... 4. MS finally pulled it off ... after many agonizing and frustrating years, but great TV. 5. Now the show (!) has become normal again and all the spectators that joined the band wagon suddenly find NORMAL motorracing boring! On top of this Bernie naively wanted Ferrari to win, but this shows how he did not understand that the exiting thing was watching Ferrari try to win ... not actually winning. Thus he has got his wish ... and surprise, surprise it is just as boring as watching McLaren win over and over and over and over and over and over like it was in the 90s. Thus why can we not just enjoy watching MS drive the car like we used to watch Aryton ... nearly always won just the same ... the answer is they are trying to make the sport appeal to TOO wider audience and this will eventually fail! You cannot make ever sport suit everybody ... after all I cannot stand Rugby League and Australian rules ... and no matter what minor rule changes they made they are both still stupid time wasting games, to ME ... just like motorracing is to others. What a good season we have missed out on, as as expected the competition have improved from the pathetic dismal showing of last year (thanks to Michelin) and we would have had a great McLaren versus Ferrari battle ... instead of this engineed show. No wonder Ron Dennis was so pissed with the new rules ... effectively taken the wind out of his sails and made his success look contrived. Pete | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 720 Registered: 10-2002 |
Not that I'd really like to see Ferrari loosing a lot, but I get your point. It has become a bit of a lame thing to be a Ferrari fan. You go e.g. to Indy and all you see are Ferrari flags and I bet half of those are only there because the cars are winning right now. They'd change to Williams or McLaren in a heart beat if the situation were different. ...I suffered through 21 years of near misses, I have seen the other side of the coin. | ||
| BretM (Bretm)
Advanced Member Username: Bretm Post Number: 3347 Registered: 2-2001 |
I hope Ferrari starts losing, losing a lot. Then they will become less popular again (relatively) and in due time we'll see who really stands by Maranello. We Ferrari becoming the perennial powerhouse it seems that everyone loves to jump on the bandwagon. Then maybe I'll get a 355 sooner than I thought... | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 718 Registered: 10-2002 |
Unfortunately that wasn't the first and therefore 'rare' mistake: MS made two mistakes in Melbourne: Wrong tire choice and off into the curbs. Although I agree that Ferrari is still the best team, I wouldn't call it 'by far'. And that IMHO is a good thing. Keeps things interesting. | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 4228 Registered: 12-2000 |
No worries mates (y'all in Texas) | ||
| cory richards (12banger)
New member Username: 12banger Post Number: 6 Registered: 2-2003 |
MS made a rare driving mistake at malaysia in the first turn of the first lap, otherwise he would have probably easily been able to overtake the leaders and challenge for the win. He's human. Ferrari is still, by far, the best team, with the best cars and drivers...Let's see who's on top by Silverstone. CR | ||
| Andreas Forrer (Tifosi12)
Member Username: Tifosi12 Post Number: 713 Registered: 10-2002 |
What was the statistics of Interlagos again? The one who wins this race normally wins the Championship, unless it is Coulthard? In 94 MS won his first title and the Interlagos GP (it was the first one that year). So it is not all bad memories for him. I wouldn't despair at all if he doesn't score again. Ferrari will find its form once they're back in Europe. No worries. | ||
| PSk (Psk)
Member Username: Psk Post Number: 322 Registered: 11-2002 |
... at Brazil or the Italians will lose the plot and Ferrari team politics will go crazy again. It is already starting with many asking MS to retire, infact insisting ... and the supposed mechanic firing which MS denies! Brazil is not a good track for MS, and he has heaps of pressure on him now ... but if he does not do well this season may just start to unravel. Very, very hard to play catch up in F1 and that is where Ferrari is. They still have a good car, but have definitely not made the most of it this year ... infact I think the new rules have caught them napping ... plus MS's mistake at Malaysia sure did not help. Thus this race will be a nervous one from this MS and Ferrari supporter, especially as the first few corners are tricky ... Pete |