Is this the end of F1?

You were probably there, as a young man

 

A lot of folk loved the CanAm.

 

Agreed on that.

There are many FIA rules, which are hurting the sport and sometimes they get changed. Sometimes not.

I do expect some adaptation based on the complaints we're hearing since Melbourne.

Sometimes even the FIA or Bernie's club gets it right: The panning camera on the Williams was top notch. Something we have seen in NASCAR for years and I've said on here that F1 could learn a page from the NASCAR book of entertainment. Well, finally they added that.

 

And MB deserve to dominate as they did their homework and created a great car. That is how Motorsport is supposed to work. It is not an artificial reality TV show ... except when Bernie tries to ruin it.

Congrats MB, very smart turbo charger solution.
Pete

 

Formula 1 2014 Opener FIXED - YouTube

Still in good spirits aren't we?

 

If that is all you can say about it, than you are setting the bar too low imho.

 

The prewar period of German Grand Prix domination is universally considered a Golden Age.

Sometimes you don't know what you've got till its gone.

 

There is a difference this time. The sound has been a fundamental aspect of the appeal of a Formula 1 car. You can't see on TV that a lap is five seconds quicker or slower. But you can hear a screaming, growling engine. It is what sets F1 apart from all those other classes.

Now F1 is barely quicker than GP2 and sounds even worse. These cars should be difficult to drive, and now we see rookies beating their far more experienced teammates.

Add the Tilke-circuits that seem to be able to kill all the drama no matter how loud your car is, and one wonders what is really left. Not much I am afraid.

I think when F1 starts to loose fans, it is not because those fans make a conscious decision to do so, but little by little they loose interest and then one monday, they found out there was a race the sunday before. And they do not care.

Of course, the die hard fans will always remain, but the bills are paid by all those fans that tune in for the spectacle. And yes, that spectacle should come from the races, but also from the cars and their drivers.

huh? It only means that the races will not be as unpredictable a previously thought. And besides, the quality of a season is not measured by it's DNF's is it? We are talking about racing aren't we?

Look at the grandstands in Korea or India where tickets equal a months pay.

Sure, in Belgium the tracksides are packed with people when F1 goes there, but there aren't much less people around during the WEC 1000 KM races.

That is one of the stupidest remarks I have ever read. The people with money in F1 are just as dependend of the fans watching on TV. They better put up a show that is worth watching. TV audiences can turn their backs rather quickly.

That is just odd. In Le Mans, at least the GT class, can keep a race alive for 24 hours. In F1, or at least the Australian GP of 2014, they kept it alive for a about 3 laps. And you are telling me the Australian GP was exciting? You may enjoy the 2014-regs all you want, but don't tell me the Australian GP was exciting.

 

The sound aspect is interesting; it's not just the sound through the TV. The absolute thunder of the ground shaking, ear splitting, air pulsating off your chest in person is what is missing (granted I wasn't in Australia); that people attending the races are reporting. The YouTube generation unfortunately won't ever experience that.
Someone mentioned the nhra; watch it on tv; then go see one live.
Your jaw will be on the ground.
Sadly, that's how F1 used to be.
Kevin

 

Vaning interest we see already in France. Long before the 2014 season. Tastes change over the years.

Hence my comments within parantheses: You have to look at tracks, which normally are filled with fans. Korea and India were empty before the 2014 season.

How many millions of TV audience do they get? Let me know pls on what channel I can find them in the US.

Different strokes for different blokes.

You always liked endurance racing. I never cared much for them. As I said, if you don't like F1, don't watch. Enjoy the motorsport you like. It's that simple.

 

There is still the BOSS and Historics series.

 

I was falling asleep at the track , that has NEVER happened in my 30+ years of going to GPs

 

I LOVE F1, but I will not pay to watch this live again .

I'll just turn the sound off on the TV from now on and play F1 races from the 90s over the speaker system

 

That was probably a combination of old age and the company you were keeping.

 

and the lack of aural Viagra due to the lack of ground shaking noise

But old age is definitely on the cards

Strangely, Giovanni being 30+ years older than me, was alert and excited ..... a bit like "weekend at Bernie's"

 

Wow. I guess airplane travel is no problem for you then if you manage to sleep on the most uncomfortable grandstands F1 provides. I envy you.

 

Talk about hyperbole. I'm willing to make a wager that will NOT happen. Loser tattoos whatever the winner wants? Oh, and loser pays for it.

Noses? Really, people complaining about an aesthetic part when there are other things more important?

Engine noise, that I can agree, BUT it's not the end of F1.

Fuel sensors? ALL the teams use the same fuel sensors. They are failing like some are suggesting. They are inaccurate/accurate within, what, 0.1 - 0.25 %
You can bet your ass Red Bull would not be *****ing if they had an FIA sensor that was actually reading less fuel flow than their own sensors.

The race was pretty exciting to me. New faces on the podium. McLaren back on form. Jenson Button making his way up the field after a poor quali. Both STR's, Williams on the top 10 in the points. Had Massa not been taken out, I'm sure he would have been in the points as well.

Vettel DNF was the cherry on top.

Tell us all about it since you are there.

F1 barely quicker than GP2?? We haven't even had same tracks being used this year to make a comparison and make that statement.

There is no Malaysian GP2 race this year, so you'll have to wait till Bahrain to make a comparison.

Just for comparison, last year at Kuala Lumpur, F1's fastest lap in Qualifying was 1:37.899 by Vettel. GP2's fastest lap was 1:44.280 by Coletti.
In race trim, the gap was even wider, by 10 seconds a lap.
Lets check back after Bahrain to make another comparison.

 

300+ hours on C-130s helps

I sleep for 1.5 hrs on 2 hr flights

They insist on being awake for take-off and landings

Seriously though, I was disinterested in the race for the first time in my life .... and an Aussie was running second !!

 

Actually, compared to the Monza grandstands, the Aussie ones are pure luxury.

 

I have WAY more hours on C-130's on combat hours alone, let alone total flight hours, so I have no problem falling asleep if I wanted to, but fall asleep at a track??? Definitely must be you/an age thing! Heck, on slow days, I used to go out to the Miramar flight line to take a nap on a KC-130 while F-18's lined up on the runway to take off. lol

 

ex-RAAF F-111C avionics nut, flew in many different types of aircraft and once you get use to the hum they ALL put you to sleep

Sitting under a P&W 111 engine doing a TIT calibration I would nod off and the engine fitter running the engine would rev her up to get my attention

F1 cars have never worried me as that range of hairs in the ear have long been dead but the turbo cars of the 80s would near enough make my ears bleed , but these pu55y engines are on a par with formula Ford

 

Personally, I watch several races in a GP. Of course I see the leaders, but I also follow the progress of lesser teams and even keep an eye on the minnows fighting at the back and try to spot a good performance from one of them.
I think people who know a bit about F1 understand that the 11 teams and 22 drivers cannot all expect to be fighting at the front.
If you aren't totally obsessed by the winner, you can even watch some good drives at the back, or see some drivers climbing in the field after a bad performance in qualification.


I see fuel flow regulations as another parameter introduced to make the job harder for the technicians.
Imposing a Fuel flow rate is no more controversial than imposing engine configuration, or engine capacity in my book. But I am surprised that these 3 have been kept together; that doesn't make sense.
To me, and you may not agree, only fuel flow would be necessary and not the others.
It would be interesting to see a 7L V8 atmo pushrod battling against a 4-cylinder turbo 1.5L or an DOHC V12 3.5L, with just a fuel flow rate to respect.

 

The GP2 comparison is so total BS that I don't even bother responding anymore. F1 is the fastest cars around a road track. Period, end of story.

 

Now THAT would be interesting AND relevant to manufacturers justifying their V8s or V12s

 

Btw I think Massa and Williams could be the story of the year like Kimi and Lotus was last year.

What a pity it would be if millions dropped out of watching just because it sounds disappointing.

I remember when Bob Varsha would say at the beginning of each race "crank up the volume!"

You have to ask if people wouldn't laugh if they heard that today.

"It already is -- and it sounds like a bunch of leaf blowers!"