Ever compared Italy's land mass, or population to India? I think we blow up European/North American importance these days, and F1 is reflecting that.
So what? It's not about the land mass, it's about the history and passion for f1 (in Italy for example). I bet you don't have that with the Budh circuit... Thijs
The Italians should tell Bernie to fnck off. F1 needs Monza more than Monza needs F1. God I hate Bernie! Pete
Maybe I'm really gay or something because when I go motor racing or to a racing venue I don't even notice women. Actually other people! Pete
Thanks. Following and predicting Bernie's next moves regarding F1 venues is a new hobby for me. Not surprisingly I often get it wrong.
Exposure in emerging markets looks sexy on a prospectus. A lot of what we're seeing in F1 lately is about grooming the sport for the CVC float.
No I haven't! I juge the track as I see it on TV. I must say that I have given up going to GPs many years ago, when the TV coverage became so good that I couldn't justify spending a lot of time and money travelling to different venues . TV coverage is so good these days, with cameras covering most of the track, on-board picture, replays, this, plus the presentation, the commentary, the graphics on the screen, etc... It's a no brainer for me, that I see the race better in the comfort of my home, with better pictures and informations than if I travel to a GP to see just a portion of the track, often in discomfort and lacking information about the proceedings. My family don't object to that either, and I save a fortune every year. I was blessed in attending GPs in the 60s and 70s, at Spa (the old track), the Nurburgring (Nordshleife), Monza, Clermont-Ferrand, Paul Ricard, Dijon, Brands Hatch, Zandwoort and Imola. So I probably saw F1 at its Golden Age with Clark, Gurney, Hill, Stewart, Lauda, Fittilpaldi, Hunt, Villeneuve, etc... ; I would like to think so.
What you have to understand is Impdesigner - AKA Brian, has had a very priviliged view of racing... so his "eye" is more attuned to the feminin form.... when racing is your job, you tend to notice "other stuff"..... Brian - comment????
You have indeed seen the "best" of F-1! I've been to the Hungaroring.. back in the late 80's ... still communist ... and other than hotel and restaurant costing less than $100 US per day... it was not much or impressive to me. I'm sure its changed since then but its never been that much of a popular track to me. now a Street race thru Budapest - that would be spectacular.
You know what the problem is with modern F1? There is not enough death... And when I say death, I mean the risk of dying. Of course I don't want to see Alonso or Vettel (well.. Vettel maybe) die in a horrible crash. What I mean is; nothing happens, even when something happens I never worry about the driver, you know he will be fine. What F1 needs is less safety, that's my point. And you know how to create less safety? Of course! Bring the old tracks back! I dream about a world where F1 drives at the Nordschleife, the Monza oval, the old Hockenheim thru the forest, AVUS, the fields of Reims, an F138 racing over the public roads of Francorchamps, thru the tunnels at Zandvoort and at Anderstorp. And even if someone gets killed, well, that's the risk, if Bernie brings all these circuits back (what never will happen) THEN, Formula 1 becomes exiting again, THEN we will have full grandstands again. I HAVE SPOKEN! Thijs
I hope you are wearing your fireproof suit as the safety police on here will roast you. Personally I'm perfectly fine with the safety of F1 at this point but there are people out there who think covering the wheels or cockpits for safety reasons is a good idea
While I think his point was a little extreme, he does have a point. The cars these days aren't very challenging for the drivers - that is a result of neutering engine power and the Pirellis with which they do not come close to pushing the limits. Ever notice how no one makes a mistake anymore? The drivers are too "in control" because the cars are too tame and pushing the limit can ruin your strategy because of eggshell tires. I think back to races like Malaysia during the V10 era when Alonso had trouble standing up on the podium. Nowadays they look like they could run a 5k after races. Secondly, tracks have become a shadow of what they once were. Most of the historic tracks have been neutered in one way or another with ridiculous concrete runoff and chicanes to slow the cars. Monza and Monaco are exceptions because they can't expand runoff. The "new" tracks don't have any element of risk or danger - this makes them boring to watch. You have to REALLY screw up to have a bad crash at a track like Abu Dhabi. While I don't want to see people seriously hurt or killed, I do think F1 has become too sterile. We haven't had a fatality in nearly two decades, yet there is a constant push for safer cars or reduced power that is completely unnecessary. For instance, the higher cockpit sides that make it harder for fans to see the drivers...or the talk of canopies or covered wheels as Andreas mentioned.
Not necessarily disagreeing with you. F1 is sterile and a tad too safe but I wouldn't change a thing. Not now but also not the next time a driver gets killed. It will happen but whatever the cause I just hope they will abstain from covering the wheels or the cockpit. If they cover those we will have Group C cars and that's the end of F1 and my interest in the sport.
Bring back testing, but limit it instead & maybe hold "testing events" at few certain tracks during the pre-season, like pre-season baseball games Stop with the Mosley-like nonsense & stop changing the rules every season so the costs get driven up DONT do more team equalization formula crap, you got to pay to play IMO! Coverage - where to begin - make it "GREAT" coverage & everywhere ....with multiple feeds and even window-in-window capability, where a user can select a secondary feed from any particular track camera ...hell, even I'd pay up for that! DONT spec the engine type or configurations, allow anything, but categorize each, with limitations to equalize power ability/compromise, and then simply stipulate ever increasingly tighter fuel mileage - and perhaps even pollution limits - so the team can - like they say in horse racing - be allowed to run ....then you'd have the real world technology applications, and even credit teams that are able to come in under the limits! Safety is absolutely fine as it is, and should only ever just keep pace IMO Narrow the cars, shorten them too, and eliminate the about of rubber shedding, so we can have passing again!!! F1 has always been about being the premium & excess in automotive racing, take that away, and it's just ..well, just another series!
^^ Indeed, cut the buget and let things like Tyrell 6-wheelers, March surfboards and Brabham vacuum cleaners happen! Thijs
You don't need the prospect of injury or death to fix F1. An off need not result in harm to have a price. Too many circuits allow for off tracking with little time penalty. Make it either impossible or time consuming to return and we'd see more disciplined driving. Get rid of the designed to fail Perellis and we might see drivers useing a greater percentage of their cars capabilities for more of the race. But if you do be prepared for cries of "BORING!" From the great unwashed.
Have you ever been to Imola? The track is so tiny, it feels more like a local gokart track than a proper F1 venue. And that's just the track. The small pit garage is another issue and then there are no real grand stands for the fans. It is in a lovely park and has all the history, but nobody would want to hold a F1 event there with 100,000 fans anymore. The sport has truly outgrown the location. Same is true for several other places btw. People want to get Hungaroring axed because it is mostly a processional race. If you'd bring back Imola today, it would be the same thing. Plus a pain for the teams and the fans trying to squeeze into the small place.
