Passing down. OFFICIAL

That does not come as a surprise..... It's pretty soul destroying knowing just how rubbish f1 is becoming

 

+1 I enjoy F1 but objectively its not doing well. I will watch this weekend and hope somehow next year we have a more entertaining season.

 

What happened to all the claims that DRS has made overtaking too easy??

 

Imagine how few overtakes if there wasn't any DRS....... It's a bloody shambles at the moment

 

I hate to say it, but one reason that I watch most F1 races is that most of them (Europe, M/E, Russia) are on TV very early in the morning. Thankfully, I get up early, put the coffee on, watch the race and have the rest of the day to do whatever is appropriate. It also doesn't hurt that there is no competition from any other major sport. If the majority of the races were on at 2pm, I would likely miss half of them, because there would be better things to do.

 

Which rules have killed F1?

There are fewer cars to pass this year...20 line up at the start as opposed to 22. And, the McLarens blowing up reduce that even further.

Next, your statistics are accurate...but what they don't tell us is that from 1990 to 2009 the number of passes was less than it is today. The number skyrockets in 2009/2010. 2008 was about 15 passes per race...2010 about 60. DRS and KERS anyone...?

The rules have changed because they were desperate to get out of the slump that was 1995 to 2008 (where the number of passes per race never went above 20). If you think it's bad now, then you don't remember or didn't see what it was.

 

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Great plot, thanks for sharing!
The drop in the last 2 seasons is notable and steep, that cannot be denied.
Can that be attributed to vastly different performance due to new engines? Possible, then it should recover again over the years.

For 2015 I think you have a valid point, first couple of races excl Manor and McLaren largely, one team less and McLaren barely making it to the grid...

 

And yet and yet: despite a 50 % drop in recent years we're still above average over more than thirty or so years !

 

Rose tinted glasses in full effect....

 

And front wing development went ****ing haywire in that period.

 

The Pirelli tires have changed dramatically, also. The recent big passing years were when the tires had a serious cliff. Tires are shot and everyone passes you...get fresh tires and pass a bunch of people back. It's definitely not like that this year...something they say they are going to try to re-implement next year.

 

Did we, true F1 enthusiast, need a website to tell us something we already know?

 

^

 

I don´t think that the amount of passing moves is really a reliable indicator. We had a lot more overtaking this season than for example 2007, but that season was a lot more interesting.

It´s more a matter of quality than quantity.

 

Exactly. I'd rather have 15 passes a race and it be for the top 4 or 5 going at it then have Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel passing 15 cars on the way to the front.

 

Well, all that is required to see that happen is an inverted grid.

 

If you want passing, watch spec racing. If you want technical development - qualifying will seperate faster teams from slower by significant amounts.

 

F-1 has rarely been all about passing. I dont know why people are so hung up on this. lots of passing does not make an exciting race. challenging for the lead can make up an exciting race... but most years as far as I can remember its been one - maybe 2 guys who were winning ...

50's -Fangio, Moss

60's-Clark - Hill - Surtees

early 70's -Stewart, Fittipaldi

Mid to late 70's - Lauda - Hunt - Sheckter - Andretti

early 80'sVilleneuve - Jones - Piquet

Mid 80'sProst - Lauda

Late 80'sPiquet - Mansell -Senna - Prost

early 90'sProst - Senna

90's - 2000's Schumacher - Hakkinnen

etc...

 

Totally.

It's funny also, because you will have some people complain about the exact opposite in Indycar - that there is no one dominant team and too many teams able to win any given race....that it is too close to "spec racing".

Like many things in life, it's hard to make everyone happy.

 

My two biggest problems with Indy car racing - the drivers, its a very poor field, NASCAR Cup is full of talent, with a few exceptions(Patrick, Dilon, Menard). But Indy, I watch all sorts of glaring mistakes, in cars that should be easier to drive than a NASCAR.

My second biggest problem with Indy, the cars a freakin' UGLY! UGLY!!! They are not aesthetically pleasing to watch move around a race track. F1 at least, still has semi-decent looking cars.

I follow F1, as I like to see the different technical developments that the rules still allow. I watch NASCAR as I love to see the teams and drivers duke it out in a somewhat spec series. I do not want the two to be the same. I enjoy watching the Mercedes shoot off into the distance with no passing, just as much as watching cars go side by side in NASCAR, and its nice to have the difference, often I can, watch both in the same day. I do not want to see F1 become NASCAR semi-spec racing with lots of passes.

I wonder what would happen to safety/airborne if F1 did spec the floor of the car to be flat past the front tires. No more high noses or snout noses. This would also allow them to no longer spec the extra large front wings.(The extra large front wings are required in the rule book, to disadvantage aerodynamic design by limiting rear airflow over the car. A downforce imbalance, limits the cornering speed of a car to the imbalanced rear, which also has more mass it needs to sling. The cars already have to have a set floor board profile, and the team's are allowed to be creative on top of that, if that floor board was extended farther up the car, it would limit the ability to get air under the car for use at the rear diffusor.

 

LOL. Ok...name some names and mistakes. There are definitely some nuts out there, but they represent the worst of the field, not the norm.

At least the Indy guys aren't intentionally spinning each other out ; )

"Easier to drive than NASCAR" Again, I LOLed a little. They might actually be more difficult to drive than the current F1 cars. They don't have power steering for one thing. Pack racing on ovals at 220mph with no windshield. Unlike NASCAR, they touch and it is disaster.

Concur.

Indy is just as competitive. Look at all the different race winners and all the teams/drivers still in contention for the title down to the last race.

Just add more mechanical grip and limit aero more IMO.

 

As someone on this board mentioned before...let humans build the car, not computers, and you will probably get lots of passing and beautiful cars too..

 

You mean like Adrian Newey does on his drafting board with French curves, compasses and rulers?