How would *you* make F1 better?.......

Reversed grid is successfully used in some other racing series.

For the price of losing qualifying you gain a ton of excitement during the races: For at least one third to half of the race the leaders have to earn their pay by clawing their way back through the field.

No more fastest qualifying lap, sitting pretty on pole position to drive off into the sunset a la Vettel. But rather the gritty fight Seb had to show during the Abu Dhabi GP this year. With the difference that all front runners have to go through that grueling exercise. Every race.

Reversed grid guarantees non stop action instead of parade laps.

 

Posted this a few pages back and no responses...Thought everyone (from a fans standpoint) would want to see this...

Have all the drivers use a "standard" car to set timed laps (not qualifying), maybe on a friday to see who the fastest driver is. Could even award some pittance of WDC points so that teams who can't score in the races would actually stand a chance at scoring points by hiring the fastest drivers.

 

I quite like that idea, I'd like to see fans getting closer to the action and not getting their hats nailed on with high prices, trouble is Bernie doesn't appear to give a **** , apart from that leave well alone IMO.

 

Never been used in F1. Adding weight to cars to even everything out has been used in other series, so what? Doesn't mean it has a place in F1.

Not to mention, with the SDS, passing someone doesn't take any effort. You also think sprinklers are a good idea...

 

Great argument. That'll reduce this entire thread to a handful of posts.

I thought the point of this thread was to collect new ideas. Silly me.

Indeed I do.

Glad you're paying attention.

 

Ever heard of the ground rules of brainstorming?

After all you're the one who asked the OP question.

 

things change , and there is no reason reverse grid could not work, apart from having to fill in the qualifying day it makes a lot of sense.

You win a race with the best package then you get the chance to prove it by starting LAST the next race.

The ONLY bugbear I see is it may cause untold carnage (they tried reverse grid for V8 supercars here in Aus and the panelbeaters became millionaires overnight )

Still, if you are worried about carnage in F1 then players like RG and PM would be banned and drivers like KK would be lectured on an hourly basis.

Reverse grid does kill incentive for the fastest car but I see it as determining the BEST race driver, not the best qualifier who walks away from the field after the first bend.

I think MS would still have won as many titles if reverse grids were in play and people like Jean Alesi may have won a few more races.

All the great drives and races people remember are the ones where a true champion came from last or near last and won the day, with reverse grid there would be more of these stories.

Just because reverse grid isn't popular with purists (and I thought I was one ) doesn't mean it's not worth a try.

Imagine the first corner at Melbourne with the Marussias and HRTs at the front

I'd love to see all the heavy hitters at the tailend of the field, imagine Ferrari , McClunken , Red Bull, Mercedes, Lotus at the rear all fighting to improve their position on the first lap

 

Smaller wings and less aero, lose the semi auto, KERS, etc. Basically anything that takes control away from the driver.

 

let's all wish for Santa to send Ferrari a revolutionary idea that no-one can copy to give us 3 sec advantage .... THAt would improve F1 for me

 

Rules: Open wheel and there must be a driver present in the car.

Let them do whatever else they want. The fuel type. Weight. Wheelbase. Fuel tank capacity, etc...should be interesting.

 

Thanks m8!
Couldn't agree more with everything you said.

One guy who wouldn't have won his WDC: Damon Hill

Also doubtful whether Vettel would already be at 3 titles.

 

Given the current team of players I doubt this will happen.

Keeping my fingers crossed for 2014 though.

 

Hmm. Got me thinking....... What about two heats consisting of one hour (or appropriate laps) per heat ? The first one counting for more points than the second (by a small margin). In the second heat, the grid is reversed. This way, spectators witness full qualifying, two grid formations and enjoy a slightly longer (time wise) event. Two races in one and a greater chance for the minnows to gain a few hard earned points during the season...

 

...And full rubber cars, like red bull front. regards

 

Sounds a lot like GP2.

I do prefer to have a Grand Prix really grand. As in 2 hours racing over 300km. But I'd be willing to compromise for the chance of reversed grid. The races would be spectacular.

 

Actually that couldn't be further from the truth. Lots and lots of ideas in this thread with how to improve the sport have been used before in F1:

1.) More testing
2.) No engine freeze
3.) No cylinder limit
4.) More power, less aero
5.) Ground effects
6.) Steel brakes
7.) More fan interaction
8.) Cheaper ticket prices
9.) Drop the crappy new circuits
10.) Bring back gravel traps
11.) Tire wars
12.) Refueling

...I could go on. All used before.

It was how to make F1 better...not "what new ideas can make F1 better?"

That's fine but it will never happen because it's ridiculous.

 

Since I've been *****ing about things lately, here is my list:

1.) More fan interaction. I get tired of F1 and it's unparalleled arrogance. These are race cars not top secret government projects. Like NASCAR, F1 fans should be able to buy passes that allow them to go into the pit area during designated times during practice, qualifying and the race. Perhaps 1.5-2 hours before each session starts, you can walk in and look around. Have all the garages roped off (fans would be 10-15ft away) but they would be able to take photos and possibly catch a glimpse of a driver. Fans would be able to buy this package for $70-100 on top of their ticket price, similar to Nascar. This would not only allow F1 to make more money, but fans to get an up close look at the cars and crews working for an hour or so before each session.

Can you rent radio/headset/mini-tv setups like Nascar offers during races? It would be cool to be able to follow one car throughout the race and be able to switch if you wanted as well as hear the radio converstions of the teams if you're at the track.

2.) More testing. Offer optional 3 hour test sessions on the Monday following each GP. These will be open to the public for $20 and will require teams to use their reserve drivers. This would make test drivers relevant again and allow young guys to get some mileage before entering "the big show" thus avoiding more Grosjean disasters. All the equipment is already at the track, so the cost of doing this is minimal. More money for the organizers, more cost-effective testing mileage for the teams. Win/win.

3.) Have an engine formula that has a max of 2.5 liters, naturally aspirated, V configuration, no cylinder limit, no mandatory rev limit and let the teams do whatever they want. The caveat is that the cars must run on natural gas. This is WAY more relevant than anything else right now and would satisfy the greenies. Keep KERS as well. Engines must last 4 races, no gearbox race limit. Lock this engine formula in with a signed directive from all teams for a minimum of 10 years to ensure stability. Equip the cars with push-to-pass buttons for 15 second periods of increased RPM by bypassing the limiter. This would be dangerous and could grenade the engine so it would be a special occasion when used.

4.) Go back to ground effect aerodynamics and allow wider cars again. Keep the current slick tires. Exhaust exits must be in a mandatory top-mount location. With wider cars, ground effects and the same width tires the cars would have great cornering speed yet have less drag. I think a new set of aero regs would really spice the sport up. Obviously this would need to be done in extreme detail but that's the basics of my plan. Lock in the aerodynamic regulations for a minimum of 10 years to ensure stability.

5.) Return to steel brakes and manual H-pattern gearboxes to cut costs and aid in overtaking. These parts are much, much cheaper. Drivers would be more likely to make mistakes and a manual box would seperate the men from the boys.

6.) Get rid of the wood plank on the bottom of the cars. The most exotic cars in the world have a slab of wood on the bottom?! Get real, I want to see SPARKS! Adds to the show.

7.) Ditch DRS.

8.) Bring back gravel traps so there are consequences if drivers run wide.

9.) Never start a race under the safety car for any reason.

10.) Allow 3rd cars to make larger grids. More cars = more action. Only allow the top 5 teams in the previous year's WCC to run them. The third car cannot gain WCC points but CAN gain WDC points.

11.) Allow tobacco advertising again. Would lead to a monumental influx of cash back into F1. I highly doubt HRT, for example, would fold if there was tobacco money for them.

12.) The teams need to get more money, Bernie is getting too big of a slice of the pie, IMO. The teams put on the show.

 

Agreed except for:
3) no gas please, keep fuel, I don't give a hoot about greenies
4) too dangerous
7) quite the opposite: extend the "DRS zone" to the entire track

 

I like a lot of these ideas. Pretty easily doable as well. Though I agree with Andreas in keeping the fuel aspect of it for now. And I would also only lock for 5 years max at a time.

 

Well, me neither, but isn't catering to them one of the main reasons for these new engines/KERS systems?