How embarrassing for F1

Ericsson may be buying a ride at Sauber next year.

 

Travesty that Ericsson and Maldonado seem immune to the heave ho despite being utterly crap!

 

This is the bad thing in F1. Someone has the money, enter in the sport, have a couple of crashes, a lot of DNF and then he can call himself a formula one driver.

**** happens all the time!

 

Well, Sutil and Gutierez haven't exactly been outstanding this year, have they? The car itself was not a great success.

Gutierez came with some sponsorship from Pemex, I think, but Sutil is on his own, I believe.

Ericson bring some money with him, so do the maths ...

It's a step back for Sauber to have 2 paying drivers, but times are hard and the team is in trouble.

 

If F1 were a sport and not a business this might be a surprise.

 

I'm really starting to get turned off to F1. The "pinnacle" of F1 cannot develop their engines during the season, hardly any testing is allowed, my friend is at Austin now and says the cars sound like s_ _t, even Matt LeBlac in an interview at Austin said they're so quiet he doesn't need earplugs. Small teams complaining. It's an expensive sport, if you can't afford it why go into it? So now the top teams have to go down to their level? Unacceptable. You don't go into a Bentley dealership on a Russian Lada budget.

 

Is that not a repeat from a post from another thread?

Hughhhhhhh

 

David, you're the best. I'd love to buy you a drink sometime. Hell, I'd take you to dinner and listen to you quip on everything.

-F

 

how true....

 

Totally agree.

Unfortunately..

 

You buy the dinner I'll buy the drinks.
Let me know next time you're in the Sunshine State.


There have always been pay drivers in F1. We used to call them Sportsmen or Playboys. The difference is that now they're crowding out talented underfunded pilots.

 

Whatever you think of Maldonado, remember that he HAS won a Grand Prix......

 

Agree, the same thing happens in politics.

 

Let's not go anywhere near there.
Things are tense enough here without getting into P&R

 

Rolling chicanes, you could argue are another gimmick, only the other way round, as in hindrance not aid

 

I'm not sure that Gutierez is even a real race car driver after watching him in the austin race.

Sauber better find some $$ elsewhere or they are going to have a worse 2015.

 

i dislike the guy immensely but that race he won he drove brilliantly.

 

Remember when Ronnie Peterson was a pay driver? True story. Today's problem is, however, that pay drivers are not quite on Peterson's talent level.

 

Anyone can come a pay driver today. Just get a bit more fitter. The cars these days are designed to drive as slow as possible with proper tyre management and fuel management. Pinnacle myarse..

 

Even Niki Lauda was a pay driver initially.

I cannot see why pay driver means bad driver for some.

Some driver are good enough in lower categories to attract a sponsor that follows them for most of their career; what is so wrong with that?

 

What F1 needs to do is find a way to have complete privateer teams again. That means lowering the costs, getting rid of giant wastes of infrastructure, getting rid of stupid expensive corporate wagons serving quiche' at the proper temperature... stuff like that.

Have an engine buying program like Ford had in the 70's and also let people tinker with it. Let them have different intakes, exhausts, software modifications, etc. But they can't open the engines.

Get rid of all wind tunnels. Develop a standard aerodynamic software that everyone uses. If it's wrong, its wrong for everyone.

Reduce wing sizes and get rid of moving wings. Limit in car adjustment to brake balance -- that's it.

Bring back testing. Let engineers engineer.

I really don't care if they use the best technology anymore. Let them use the best innovation for what they can AFFORD.

 

I like the sound of that !

 

Then you should visit Monaco...Every second year they have the Historic GP two week before the main event

 

You want to limit the scope of innovation yet say "let the engineers engineer"
How does that work?

 

I do like historic GP, believe me!

There has never been a better case for historic racing than now; technology is slowly destroying motor racing.