The direction of F1

Yes in short. I have felt that way for some time. Way before Liberty, it was really in the early 2000's F1 just started to go so far up market, away from its roots, and become more TV oriented. It is now about as commercialized = socially mediatized as possible. It cant possibly be good for the long term. I do believe that its a generation shift - and perhaps I'm just left behind. I know when my dad was around, he lamented the 60's - in the 80's when F1 was Clubby and fun.... so I lament the 70's 80's when F1 was cool and exotic, and super exciting, but still fringe.... today its a finely honed tv product... not much more.

 

Well, when a media company owns the series and vows to make every race a 'Super Bowl', you can't expect intelligence and discernment.
I agree, it's not a new notion, just accelerating today.

 

Well, I probably won't be around in 20 years time, so I cannot say I am worried about F1, but the signs aren't good.
It's becoming more superficial year after year, with less substance.
I suppose also that the proliferation of races makes people more blasé.
I still follow it from a distance, but I certainly don't enjoy it as I once did.

 

+1

 

I completely agree.

There's also an unfortunate trend forming for anyone that doesn't say (insert opinion) instantly gets plastered by "oh, you must be a Drive to Survive fan"...somewhat hilariously thrown about by people that started watching just a year or two before it, or at best during the V8 era. lol.

The focus now seems on who can say the most correct things as well...(as is anything these days, I guess).

 

F1 ahs not been about racing and cars since the first Concorde agreement.

 

100% agree. As an American - I loved that I was the odd ball out liking F-1. Today, its just another tv event to watch.... people who I never traditionally would have thought liked racing - know about it... its like NFL, MLB, and NBA.... not quite like NASCAR but sadly getting close. I loved it when it was exclusive and exotic ... now its just TV. the sad thing is, the 80's is when F1 was amazing and interesting and gossipy... if they could only bring that back.

 

Agreed. I used to like going to the races... Admittedly I usually had paddock or pit access... but now, even that is not fun anymore. Back in the day, you used to be able to hang out at the garage, watch the mechanics work on the car, talk to them, see the drivers come and go. and watch practice and feel a part of that world. Today its all TV, everyone is compartmentalized, and there is no personality anymore.

My typical F-1 Race habit was:
Friday - 8 am paddock, go to either a teams tent - or hospitality for coffee and danish.. ( Marlboro had a fantastic set up in the day ) or like Eni or Shell later on. then walk the pit lane and hang out as the cars were readied for 1st practice. watch practice from pit lane ( 80's) or Paddock club 90s-2000s. find lunch, after lunch go walk around the track, and find a place for afternoon practice/qualifying. after that - walk the fan areas, look at the souvenir stalls etc... back to the car, and head to the hotel.

Saturday - early to the track - 7 ish, beat traffic. grab coffee, something to eat, and walk the pit lane. this was usually a great time to get pics of the drivers and teams working hard. back in the day of engine changes or Quali engines this is when they were working like crazy. 20 min before practice I'd find a place to watch practice out on the track. scout out where to be for 1/2 the race. then grab lunch - and head back to paddock for Qualifying. usually watched from pit lane- or back of team garage. then it was hang time in the paddock - usually by the FOM trailer or by Mclaren or Williams. Ferrari was usually very sealed off when Schumacher was there. he was in and out. in the 80' s it was Ligier time - wine and food were great, they were so welcoming . or even down to Lotus = McLaren, Williams and Ferrari were no fun and not happy to have you there. Brabham was cool! later in the 2000s there was literally nothing much to see. today - forget about paddock access, and when you have it - there is no food / drink unless you are guest of a team...then you never get to the garage - that is off limits, its crazy. and boring. much better on TV.

 

I feel Liberty is trying so hard to add little gimmicks to the series that just take more away from the sport rather than add to it. You and Tom (spirot) are absolutely correct, the mystique that surrounded the sport is what made it special. It's a bit like Mcdonalds suddenly selling Wagyu beef.

I mean right now once again their f'in with the recipe by changing the quali rules...the last thing that needs changing.

Liberty/FIA needs to understand that the cars are the stars...

+1

 

Sadly I think the reality is we need to understand that Liberty thinks $$$ is the star!

 

In the Long Beach Grand Prix days, a bunch of us wore bits and pieces of team clothing (snatched as swag from the last of previous season race in Vegas), and we bluffed our way on Thursday into the indoor garage space where all the teams were unloading. We could see the cops were suspicious of us, so we kept moving...paused to eavesdrop on some drivers chatting...all a great adventure. Later, four of us somehow got onto the track and took a couple of laps in our Giulia Super. Most of LA had no idea what F1 was. The Alfa Romeo Owners bought out a whole grandstand (300+ seats) at the end of the long front straight. And one of the club members knew Chiti and the team came to our Friday night bash in the hotel. And none of this cost a fortune. F1 was a sport back then, not a traveling tv show.

 

Actually I appreciate the sprints for what they are: Head to head racing with no artifices like pit stops necessitated by stupid “tyre management” regulations.

The cars are way too over-regulated, essentially designed by the rule makers with very little latitude. When the “average fan” can’t really discern the differences in the cars he’s going to be more interested in the drivers than the cars. That’s one reason we have this tribalism among drivers’ fans. And it’s all amplified by social media.

At the risk of being that guy, I became interested in F1 way back when we cheered for all the drivers, not just our favorites. As a tifoso I certainly didn’t curse Stirling Moss for beating the Scuderia at Monte Carlo in 1961….and neither did anybody else….just as an example of what I’m getting at.

 

It's definitely going down the tube. I don't mind the social media part of it, that's part of the game in anything today. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and forums like this. They all are outlets for fans to interact. That's a good thing IMO.

But when they shove it down your throat so much you choke on it. Anyone with a sliver of critical thinking can see the hypocrisy F1 is. "Go Green, Make a difference, don't discriminate" BS. Yet fly back and forth all over the world, set up mansions and every venue for the sake of elite appearances, and then host races in every country that has terrible human rights.

23 races a season with im sure more to come. Literally, give us a break.

It's impossible to ignore how much F1/FIA interferes to fake and script the narrative they want. The Netflix show is so appallingly fake its hard to comprehend.

The gimmicks over the years to "improve the show" to feed the people needing instant gratification and that have short attention spans.

It will soon by like Nascar, where now nobody gives a hoot. It started with a "playoffs" which has spiraled to some weird victory system for the races being split into sections, and then a beyond awful knockout system in the "playoffs". There are no real champions anymore in Nascar. I used to watch it up to the mid 2000s and now I might tune in for a road course race here and there. This is the path F1 is taking.

 

It’s as good as it gets with all the camera work , instant replays, slow motion, radio intercepts and so forth.
Granted it’s not life or death daredevils driving anymore but rather technicians .
More passing would improve the sport tremendously.
Still the procession it always has been with the teams in a pecking order .

 

21st Century plague

 

IF they're not careful Murdoch will buy F1.

Bring back Bernie !

 

+1 not much has changed. Top3 teams and processions. What did change is much more expensive tickets for fans and smaller budgets for teams lol. Typical. Screw the fan and provide nothing really 'new' lol. Typical of most large Corporate entities.

 

This was not apparent the minute a true for profit major sports entity took the sport over? Profit is a shock here? Any gimmick to make a profit?? LIberty is not about good racing the end - thats a means to the end which is ONLY PROFIT LOL>

 

The Las Vegas GP is the nadir and nail in the coffin of F1 with those decadent attendance prices. An out and out perversion, prostitution of the sport and rape of its history.

This Malone chap and his minions should be tarred and feathered. From now on I will only watch a GP if I feel like it, likely the most historical ones as there are just too many races which devalues them all.

 

You're right. The cost of attending GP's, especially newer ones, is ******* insane. The Miami GP last year was peak (until Vegas that is...) stupidity...people paying well into the thousands to attend an event they knew nothing about...to the point that people couldn't even name 3 drivers.

 

Yes, in a nutshell. F1 has ceased to be exceptional.