You see problems at Williams, Mercedes, Aston Martin, McLaren, Renault and that's just what we see. Could the teams just fold and there's no one to race anymore?
If F1 is going down because governments aren't papering them over. At least we have full races in better eras on Youtube to watch.
The pandemic was able to accelerate crack or weakness in many systems, including F1. Issues with weaker teams were apparent. Now they are forced to be handled, addressed. F1 is attempting to help itself with the new rules/budgets. Only time shows what success will be seen. LIberty is not immune to the issues all of F1 face as well. How strong are they?
{Political commentary removed} F1 was always supposed to be a celebration of the automobile. Politics have been attacking F1 for decades...dictating design rules that have strangled the sport and turned it into a heavily regulated business. Engineer/designers like Porsche, the Maserati brothers, Enzo, Colin Chapman. they went racing with sweat and desire and dreams. They loved racing during an age when people loved cars. I think that time has past.
It is worrying. This season has been ruined by the pandemic and the economic strains that have accompanied the healthcare precautions taken. One can only hope that 2021 will be a full season. All the best, Andrew.
Yes, let's stay optimistic and hope for better times once we emerge from that crisis. The pandemic will force many institutions to take stock and re-adjust their goals; F1 is no exception.
F1 has been in trouble for a long time. They've lost 200 million+ fans since Todt has been in charge, and they've done all the wrong things to keep people watching. 30 million fewer fans every year is pretty massive bleed. The ineffective budget cap will do nothing to help smaller teams because it is still more than they have to spend, and it leaves out things like driver salaries, executive salaries, and engine development. It's a budget cap in name only. Paywalling races means fewer eyes which means less exposure, which means fewer options for advertising which makes the sport much less attractive to new entrants. 'Memba Toyota and Honda? They couldn't find title sponsors. McLaren went without one for years, and the sponsors they do have pay peanuts compared to before. The only teams that are doing well financially have unicorn ventures backing them up. Do you want to know what the future of F1 looks like? Look at WRC and WEC. That's where it is headed.
If Honda was willing to sell engines to teams, AND FIA was willing to allow the old V10s* THEN It could look a lot like the the 1970s again. Low budget (by today's standards) teams flourishing (well, maybe not flourishing but in there trying.) (*) All we need is an engine that is reliable, powerful, and not anywhere close to as expensive as the current engine formula. V10, V12, V8 I don't really care. But get rid of the hybrid crap, the turbos, and the batteries, and the excessive weight.
If cost is a big issue, then replace that expensive thing called a power unit with a simple 3.0 liter V-6, V-8, V-10. But that begs the question, "Is this a racing series or an R&D exercise or even worse an eco-friendly pass time that Greta Thunberg might like? If the answer is either or both of the latter two, then there is little hope that any team other than Ferrari is a long term player, and that might be iffy.
The continious effort to please the Greta's of this world has always been bizarre to me. Apparently they think ecomentalists will be interested in the sport? Do they not understand how they operate? When they've finally killed F1 off, they'll simply focus their efforts on Formula E. Even a formula powered by rainbows and only butterflies shoot out the exhausts will get it, because the race will disturb the habitat of the three eyed badger. Doesn't matter if anyone has ever seen one, that just means there are very few left and we can't upset it's life!
Totally agree. I might add that it's not just F1, it's happening to all of racing for the same reason. The passion for cars is fading away amongst the younger generations and racing's just following suit as a result.
Agree On top of that , close political between Mercedes and FIA destroyed the only thing that could have saved the whole thing : uncertainty
If the new generations are not interested in cars and racing, why worry about the decline in F1 and other series then? As long as there is something for me to watch in my lifetime, I'll be happy. I don't feel the need to "transmit" my tastes and my interests to those coming after me. In future people will probably find their thrills elsewhere.
It's a pitty that Warren Buffet doesn't invest abroad, who could buy all these at banana price right now.
Maybe they should be like those poor dumb rednecks at Nascar and actually run some races That usually solves the revenue problem...
Racing is the most precarious of sports. It is quite often done on the whim of the wealthy. That whim can easily disappear when the interest wanes or the money dries up.
Well then Ferrari can be Constructor's Champion. F1 hasn't been healthy in a long time. You got 20 car field with "B" teams related to the "A" teams which is really 5 guy racing each other.
(A) They don't. They're not even watching, let alone worrying about racing....hell....cars period. I don't know what it looked like on your side of the pond, but, how many "kids" do you see, these days, under the hood (bonnet? ) changing engines, cams, heads, pistons, fuel systems, exhausts, etc to improve performance?........ Hell.......just changing their own plugs, even? On this side, it was going on in every neighborhood. And those that didn't were hanging around watching and learning.....dreaming about the day they would be themselves........ (B) Of course. And that's what they're doing. The percentage of the population that used to follow racing is shrinking. (C) That's fine. (D) Again, (A) & (B) apply. Just not in the future, they're transitioning now....... This is the future of the past.
You're not watching.....that's exactly what's going on with all the dumbing down of the sport. BoPing, spec cars, off the shelf "kit cars", more and more regulations bringing the sport closer to the aforementioned...... (we won't mention "caution" and 'safety car" periods: to bunch the fields and to give time for everyone to pit for the sake of the "show"......'used to be just a NASCAR thing...now it's rampant....) "Actually running some races" is a tad more complicated internationally than here in the U.S. ......
Spot on, F1 has become a sprint to the finish and a manufactured event, not since the 70's has it been about racing. F1 is a global enterprise and has some powerful and influential lobbyists that the "business" will continue, anything with $$ ££ at the end will interest the mega rich. Unfortunately its the viewers that are being mugged.
a) Modern cars don't need you to go under the bonnet. They have inbuilt computers that tell you if anything go wrong, and the course of action to take. There is too much electronics anyway, and the average motorist doesn't have the equipment, and the competence to deal with an issue. I don't know about yours, but my car tells me when a light bulb goes off, if the tyre pressure goes below limit, or if my oil level is too low, also when I should have my car serviced, etc ... I couldn't do all that by myself. I used to strip down my bikes between races in the past, then put them back and tune them. Now I couldn't do that with a modern bike; you need so much equipment! Here, you are not allowed to change bits of your car (cams, exhaust, wheels) to improve performances. You would lose your Type Approval Certificate, your insurance wouldn't be valid, and you risk your car to be impounded by the cops. A vehicle has to stay as it comes from the factory. If you want a "special", buy yourself a Factory Special that is homologated, and don't modify it. b) In my case, I now don't look more than 20 years ahead, so if F1 survives that long, that will do me fine. I don't care if the audience is shrinking; I don't like crowds anyway!