I just tried to watch the Sochi race. I was going to quit at lap 7,kept on until lap 16. The first time I ever quit watching an F1 race is 15 years. I cannot watch anymore of this b.s. ! Mercedes is "sandbagging" like crazy. The sound of the cars is stupid ! If you took all the F1 Drivers and put them in equal Toyota Prius's the racing would be better. the only passing occurs,because the slower driver is on more worn tires. SO The only way to fix the current Formula Fast is : MAKE IT A TOTAL "SPRINT RACE " LIKE MOTO GP. Yes the tires have to last the entire race. Change nothing other than ,one set of tires per race. tweak it the next season. and F1 might be good again.
I would agree that the tyre rules dictate the tactics, and influence too much the results. Tyres should be able to last the whole race (bar raining) instead of shredding half way through the distance.
There's a lot I don't like about the current F1. But I still enjoy watching and I always love supporting Ferrari (have done for nearly 50 years and don't think I'm about to stop anytime soon). The stuff that's wrong is actually not that difficult to fix IMO. Way way way too many rules and regulations. Let teams be creative and let them practice as much as they want. Give more time for contact between teams, drivers cars and fans. Let the guys race and get rid of the gimmicks. Personally while I love the V10's and really dislike the hybrid carp, I think even these engines could be made to work. Just make a few very simple rules and let the teams innovate. The volume of complex rules makes $ the currency of success in F1. Very simple rules will make creativity the currency of success in F1.
I also agree with letting them practice as much as they want. Why are they practicing during races 1-4 ? If I wasn't a Ferrari Tifosi for 15 years I woudn't be so frustrated yet again,year after year. FIA let Mercedes in and Dictate the engine sound,since Mercedes High End Hot Rods sound kinda like muted current F-1 Cars instead of the screaming awesomness of even a street Ferrari with a $5k aftermarket exhaust.
I don't know if your solution is the key, but I agree, the current formula blows. The cars are miserably ugly, the "power units" are beyond lame, and tires are dreadful. Mark
The fuel limits are the biggest issue potentially...... Look at alonso, he was so stymied by fuel, late in the race, he whacked in a 1.41, at a point when that was a pretty hot time for a Ferrari or merc, let alone a mcsplutter, knocking 2 seconds off his consistent lap times, just for one circuit of the track, explaining he was fed up with fuel saving and wanted to have 'a little fun'. What that says to me is that given more fuel, all,cars could be more competitive, providing better racing. Delimit tyres, and we might have something less predictable. It won't change the winners, but at least everyone gets to race hard throughout the gp, not just for the 2 or 3 laps they are allowed to use 100% of their equipments potential
Certainly is for the supposed top tier of racing.... Being profligate with money should be the byword of the teams, and if they can't afford it, go home and let the rest get on with it. I want to know when the most capitalist car builders in the world became so socially aware and politically correct as to accept artificial limits on what they spend their money on?
This is the exact reason why a driver like Keke left f.1..he was tired of being a táxi driver. I can't believe drivers like Keke, Gilles Alesi would stand driving the current formula,were overtaking is a joke,tires are a joke,rules a joke, most circuits are crap,and you have to save fuel....i still watch because i love Ferrari ,but i don't like the current f.1,i just don't-
Sochi is a sterile track without a soul. That said the tire game is tiring (pun intended). Let them race on whatever compound they like. The forced tire change is stupid
Particularly I find tires interesting. They're made to spec now of course, and it's just terrible. The Michelin/Bridgestone battle was so interesting, and the tires actually got meaningful development.
I still fail to see how it's worth it for Pirelli to be in F1 solely. Not getting a good impression IMO.
All of the FIA who thought of these rules are stupid and should be fired asap. Here's what needs to change: 1) Ugly cars festooned with complicated wings that may have some benefit for the aircraft industry but are completely irrelevant aesthetically or for road car use. On top of that these visual monstrosities are the reason why we have cut tires and so many retirements and safety cars keeping the racing artificially close. The grotesque appendages cannot be seen by the drivers when they are seated and it is all too easy to damage them. 2) engine development, which is the one area which would have road car relevance, is way too regulated. This is F1. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen. Let them develop powerful engines. Cars going too fast? Cut back on the aeros. No multi plane front wings , blown diffusers, get rid of the Drs system. Cut downforce by half and make it a driver's championship again, not an engineering one. That is how you reduce costs. Front wings that cost more than most peoples' houses is not the path to success. 3)tires- soft hard inters wets. That's it. No mandatory tire stops. 4) testing allowed the days after the gps since all the equipment is there already. Rant over, carry on..........
+1 Modern day F1 is soft and affected. The lame sound, the sterile tracks lacking frightening corners, the lost three-pedal ballettechnically impressive, but its just not awe-inspiring anymore. I will always support Ferrari, but the sport as I loved it is gone.
With all due respect here, how many darn 'F1 sucks' threads do we need? Sure, the Merc domination is getting very old (Sorry Florian! ) but it's not like we've never seen similar domination before. As I noted somewhere else recently, it almost seems like some kind of 'badge of honor' to constantly post how crap it all is. Again, don't like it? Don't watch it. Simple. Cheers, Ian
Mac dominates the late 1990s, Ferrari dominates the 2000's Red Bull dominates the early 2010's Merc dominates the late 210's What is getting old is domination.
It's not so much that Merc is dominating that I take issue with. It's the formula that has ruined racing. Mark
Well said, sir. I also drifted off trying to watch the race, caught the re-run later and drifted off again. Regarding a dominant team; I love watching a (preferably red)team that can massacre the competition. I hate watching the same team handicapped for the benefit of the weaker players. Is this F1 or tee-ball?