I have always advocated this but the genie is out of the bottle With no wings the engineers will have to delve into their box of tricks to come up with some other downforce weaponry and with NO wings the speeds will be higher on the long straights but HUGELY slower on the corners . They should return to 3 litre engines NA with as many cylinders as they want (V12 would be nice ) And the cockpits should be for NORMAL people to fit in, not undersized jockeys with big heads
correct, the rare and expensive elements used in the Mercedes and Ferrari engines was getting well out of hand, although at the time they banned them I think the Merc BBQs were happening ?
Can't get rid of KERS. Like it or not F1 does need to stay at least current and the petrol engine is not the future. My suggestions: 1. Get rid of Bernie. Like Ferrari moving on MS, it is time to look to the future and Bernie is not the man for that. The replacement for Bernie needs to be paid a respectful managing directory salary. F1 as a company needs to be not for profit organisation and all profits from F1 events are distributed to: A. Race meeting organisers/hosts. Why just rape them like we current do?. Would it not be better if F1 gave back to that community and helped them improve the track, etc. Instead of cr@pping all over Silverstone for example, F1 should be working WITH Silverstone to improve the situation not demanding they do this and that and er, some other person has to fund it. Another example: Instead of sucking Melbourne dry F1 should be giving that city money so even motorracing haters cannot deny it is good for their community. B. International (road) driver training programs. In the end more lives will be saved if we properly train the drivers. This does not even happen in educated countries like Australia. C. Fixed starting money for the teams. Only increases to counter inflation. D. ALL countries in the world get a equal amount for race driver training programs so that ALL potential future F1 drivers have the same chance, not just a rich or well connected sperm and/or egg. E. Manufacturers involved in F1 get an equal amount to develop green technologies for their road cars. 2. More needs to be made of the history of F1 and chasing new tracks just for the dollar is not the right strategy. We all talk about F1 as being 62 years old and believe it or not, that history is really damn important. Before F1 there was great top level motorsport but they kept changing the name and thus it did not build the history that we needed. Few remember before F1 because of this (which as a side, is a damn shame). 3. Sponsorship needs to be wound back considerably because it directly affects the quality of racing. I believe a lot of the current over reaction to racing incidents comes from the concerns over sponsors not getting the coverage they need. Who cares?, they need to understand they are sponsoring a racing team not a billboard. Therefore I propose all teams can have at most 2 sponsors and those sponsors can only contribute $10M US tops. What this will do is refocus the teams on the fact that racing is what is important and they will have to sack the "fat" that is costing the teams too much money without delivering, ie: only 1 PR person will be required per team, the corporate wank feists will we wound down considerably and all that money simply wasted will stop. 4. F1 "racing" rules need to follow 100% the same rules as all other series. It is rediculous that the pininacle of motorsport has a different set of rules. We could cut about 50% of the special F1 rules and return to the same basic rules that club racing right up to F1 actually need. This makes debates over incidents considerably easier and cheaper, as straight away there will be less cr@p about racing incidents because its returned to being simple. It should be all about blue, yellow, etc. flags and if you leave the track you have to get a marshals approval to return ... just like club racing (if you don't like that, don't leave the track). 5. Relax the rules. This enforcing engine, etc. designs to be so close to identical is already destroying the foundation of F1. Top quality racing happens more often when there are differences in the contending cars, ie. one car will be strong on one part of the circuit while the other car will be strong on a different part. This aids passing and also means we get to see a great demonstration of driving ability as the one that can make the most of his cars strengths but also maintain his position against stronger cars will deservedly win. Currently if you have a slightly fast car you win. To counter the fact that a single team might get a huge advantage with a new design ALL garages are to be open to all F1 pit crews so ideas are freely shared around (until track sessions start as that would be dangerous). 6. Ban grid girls. Just like all forms of football/ball sports/any sport should ban cheers girls, so should F1 ban the unbelievably sexiest use of girls in being nothing but pathetic "I'm only here to be looked at BS" grid girls. It is 2012 and it is time this cr@p was removed from sport. If you want to stare at girls, etc. there are plenty of places for that, not top level sport. What hope do we have of getting serious female drivers with that ***** still limiting mens/fathers views of women? 7. The only down force a car can produce is from it's wings, which have to fit in a fixed size rectagular box ... otherwise do what you like with them. Cars, minus wings, will be wind tunnel tested before the first race and no down (or up) force on either axle is permitted. No changes to body work permitted throughout the season. Another cost saving. 8. Pitstops are free, but only 4 people can work on the car. This means they will return to being slow things and we can return to racing on the track. This also means the teams do not have to fly so many people around the world, saving cost. 9. Testing. For every race event there is a parallel test session at the track (when not sure, week before?). This session is open to the public at 1/8th (?) of the normal ticket prices and gives the not so well off a chance to witness F1 action. Pete
On an even more serious note; An ideal F1 series to me would have the constructors own the series like the NFL. Points down to last position. Give them a drum of fuel; Go with it. No limits. No more artificial aero rules and changes each year. No more restrictions on active suspension, traction control; Have at it. Let the best truly be the best. No-one is going to like this; Add weight cumulative for each win, second, third. Just a couple of pounds. Even the field. Its all about entertainment and promotion of the Manufacturers (Teams). Many bemoaned DRS but it added a new level of entertainment. Close racing is entertaining. More close racing is more entertaining.
Well what if they mandated the nose shape and anything aft of that could be inline with current rules? I actually have to say the past 2 seasons have been incredibly better, especially this season. Seeing all the different constructors / drivers win and/or compete reminds me of the early MotoGP seasons. Going to non-grooved tires was a great move. The cars look so much better...that's a big thing for me.
What about a sprint race for qualifying instead of current ( I do like current...), have the grid line up reverse order of last finished race, more racing less just driving around the track, award points for qualifying order, like 1/3 or race points. I'd love to see all drivers in the same car...wouldn't it be cool to have everyone do a few laps in the HRT or the Murussia? Let's really see who the best driver is, not something that would need to be part of the actual race, but just fun for fans and to drive awareness and excitement of sport and racers. bragging rights if you will Would like to see more retirements, miss the days where engines blew and racers were penalized for overshooting a corner, now it's just spin and get back on track, I'd rather have mandated aero and let them go buck wild on engine's rather than vice versa.
right answer "for sure". Seriously, less aero, ban these ugly multi-tiered front wings, testing at venues the day after a GP (perhaps after every other race?).
I think if you get rid of the FIA F-1 teams will kill the sport. I dont know how many of you have actually dealt with FOM and Teams, but its ruthless, they are so greedy and really dont care about anyone else. This is why Ecclestone is so important. Has he ruined traditionally F-1 - YES, however if you go back to 1979 - 1982 you will see what happens when the teams fight among each other ... F-1 almost imploded... with all the money in the sport now.. it would be gone like CART racing in a year. You have to have FIA/ FOM ... and a single strong guy like bernie ... I think Michele Lattandeu Bernie's right hand guy is the replacement... he knows where all the bodies are and could keep the teams in line... IF CVC appoints a business guy... the sport will self destruct in a matter of years. The past 2 years has been much closer and this year especially very un predictable for the first 7 races... but in the end the top teams figure it out. What made F-1 so good in the 70's was that you had a long term standard formula... 3 L normally aspirated or supercharged 1.5 L very open aero rules etc... I think we need to go back to that kind of formula that promotes creative thought and solutions. F-1 cars should be the ultimate in auto engineering... a 458 has more engineering in it that a current F-1 car... Aero excepted... ABS, Stability control, gearbox, Power steering, active aero, etc... all this is now common place in the road car market... Just think what F-1 could do if alowed. They have to alow current MFG's to sell customer cars. perhaps they are not exact to the race team cars, but ones that meet the general specs ... that way teams that spend on the technology can reap a finanical return on the investment... that's the problem today... the profit margins are squeezed by all the development, as you are effectively capped on revenue - advertizing, TV from FOM = total revenue. when you take out driver salary, car development... the margin for profit is getting slim ( still 15-20%)... but depending on the investment the ROI is small. To keep it from being a spec series where everyone drives a Mclaren or Red Bull or Ferrari... you limit how many chassis a mfg can produce .. and if you build a car - you have to race a car as well. If its ok for engines why not for chassis? in the 70's this really did not mean much other than you always had a full grid, and that the back markers could occasionally play a role, passing etc... and that is what makes it exciting to watch. Nobody wants to see someone runaway and hide a la Schumacher in the Ferrari years... 2002 particularly. But no matter what you do you will have one or two teams that will get it right and be at the top... it's just survival of the fittest.
Again, thanks for the comments. Pretty much all long on ideas, mostly that'll be expensive. Not so many ideas on how to pay for the whole thing. It's not so easy after all, is it? We're all over the map - More restrictions, less restrictions, more aero, less aero etc etc. And we're nothing more than armchair QB's - Can you imagine how hard (impossible?) it would be to reach a consensus if we had skin in the game? Tom - I agree with much of what you've said outside of allowing customer cars. While many bemoan it becoming a spec series as long as you've gotta do your own car it remains a constructors championship. That, to me at least, is a *huge* part of it's appeal. I guess one could argue that HRT (RIP) and the other minnows would be better off buying, say, a couple of year old Cans than trying to do their own thing. But that strikes at the heart of the whole thing to me; They're no longer constructors. Teams have always come and gone. Some have come and stayed and eventually made their way to the pointy end - It is, and should always remain, very very hard to win in F1. Cheers, Ian
Wouldn't be hard at all, make the rules and demand teams follow them. Simple. You don't like it, leave. (They won't).
Who's making the rules? Here (again) is JT's new plan - FWIW, I agree with Moretti - he's the one ace in the hole that may do good..... Many oars in the water, and I still think a consensus between 'em is gonna prove very difficult, but at least it's gonna be a simple majority. Cheers, Ian
Take the shifter off of the steering wheel and put it back on the floor. Let's see who can really drive...
And get rid of qualifying. Reverse the grid based on the finishing order of the previous race. And make the cars even more narrow with narrower tires to aid passing And ban carbon brakes to elongate the braking/passing zones. And allow a third car for top teams rather than having 2-3 teams at the back with zero chance of points, much less wins. And for a wacky ideas, mandate the longest a driver could drive for any one team is four years.
An ability to stir the cogs manually makes you a better driver? I beg to differ. Makes you slower, but not "better" IMO. With respect, if that's what you want, then as Florian suggested historic F1's are things to go & watch. "Pinnacle of technology?" - They're pretty well hobbled as it is; No VVT, no variable inlet or exhaust geometry. In 2014, no variable vane turbo's. And you're only allowed one of 'em. Road cars are *way* more advanced (at least, as Tom noted, outside of the aero stuff.) As, IIRC, Ross noted a while back, "what's been learnt cannot be unlearnt". Going back thru the thread - I kinda like The Mayors ban on tunnel use. Won't happen (they've all got way too much invested) but could be a step in the right direction. I stick with the premise that "it ain't easy!" Cheers, Ian
This is (supposedly) the pinnacle of the sport, not a friggin' circus show! You practice, you qualify and you race based upon those results - Nothing whatsoever wrong there IMO. Suggested by the late, great Gilles *many* years back when the same discussion arose. I could go with that. Suggested by me among others many times. Nope - F1 needs the minnows IMO. Some of 'em progress, some wither & die - Always been that way and I hope it will continue. While a "joke" to some I get almost as much enjoyment over battles at the back and midfield as those at the front. Caterham *just* overhauled Marussia for 10th at the last race for example. Great stuff IMO. Hmmm.... Interesting idea. Kinda like that one too..... Cheers, Ian
FastIan, No comments on my post, I'm disappointed that I've provided a solution to the longevity and sustainability of F1 and no discussion. I am serious that F1 should be a no profit organisation and it would work now. It should give back not take away. Without this considerable direction change the bubble has to burst! Pete
TBH, I'm still kinda digesting your (FWIW, excellent IMO) ideas - Was hoping someone else may jump in also.... This thread certainly isn't "all about me!" What it has done is illustrate the huge range of thought that even us "enthusiastic amateurs" have on the matter. Throw in team principals, promoters, the FIA and FOM and it gets even more divisive. All part of the fun I guess. Cheers, Ian
