Good. Time to revitalize what was once a "sport" and is now a circus show. I used to love F1, now I can't stand it. It's like watching the Macy's parade and listening to BS commentary on the float as it goes by.
I never minded a benevolent king. Problem with Bernie is, that he made a bunch of bad calls. Or didn't make the good ones. I hope his successor reads a page (or more) of the NASCAR book on how to treat fans.
How about they get back to full-on racing...race to win...bring your best technology...bring your guts...stop the whining...stop the prima Donna parade. F1 blows....down...but not out.
You're barking up the wrong tree: The limitation of technology is for safety reasons (FIA) and to save $ (teams). Not that I disagree with you, but this ain't Bernie's fault. If you refer to the driver parade before the race, that's actually one of the few things Bernie does right re: the show. To many fans (me included) this is often the only chance to see the drivers' faces.
I'd still rather see cutting edge technology on actual tracks over any oval racing, especially oval racing with cars Based on 60 year old tech. Regardless of the politics in F1, it remains the highest level of engineered racing machine series on the planet and that's enough for me. Everything else besides the engineers and drivers is just politics and tinsel.
No I mean the actual "race"...the parade...the whining by drivers and teams if someone actually races and fights for position...as far as safety goes I think the Mambie-pambies have the F1 prigs by the short hairs. Yes, Sir Jackie did the sport a service by moving on from a driver dying virtually every race...terrible...but now if a driver farts in the pre-race meeting they probably would bring in a hazmat team to detoxify the area before they can hit the track. I understand that not everything is Bernie's fault...but when you're the big boss you are the person who takes the heat.
I agree with you that F1 is safe enough now and does not need any further safety efforts. Which is one of the reasons I'm most strongly opposed to closed cockpits and find IRL lost its marbles by adding rear wheel bumpers. I also hate the overuse of the SC, particularly for rain. Danger is part of the attraction. Like it or not.
I share your feeling that closed cockpits would be awful, but then again we saw some equally awful incidents with pure luck preventing drivers from losing their heads when cars came flying over the cockpit.
A decapitation would be horrible but it would be an incredibly rare freak accident. Despite many accidents since 1994 nobody ever got a suspension piece through his helmet again. Imagine if in a knee jerk reaction we had covered the wheels after 94?
I am not a Bernie fan, but I have to admit that the F1 circus needs someone like him at the helm. The team principals can't get along, the drivers can't get along, the promoters can't get along.....it takes someone like Bernie to keep them in line with the lure of bigger paydays of which he takes his healthy slice. He is a master negotiator who usually wins and he is easy to dislike because of his financial success earned on the backs of others, but he has always been a tenacious force for the sport. IMHO, when Bernie finally leaves the sport will lose its unifying and one of its great, polarizing personalities just as happened (to a lesser degree) when Briatore, Jordan, Oliver and Stoddart stepped back from the F1 spotlight. Cheers-Colin Firth Ontario Canada
F1 championship needs new and young blood to ride it to the future, an future without rules stranger manipulations, an clear and nice future. regards and happy new year.
Well said. Bernie is one of a kind and can't be duplicated. In situations where a strong leader is replaced the usual move is to a much weaker figure. With the prima donas in F1 that won't be a wise move. Jean Todt would be an interesting choice. An accomplished man who knows F1 and has shown an ability to work quietly at the FIA. Happy New Year all.
I think the reference was to a piece of their own suspension. Not sure how much of a difference it makes though.
