Ecclestone, Di Montezemelo and Todt hold meeting to improve F1

The issues you have mentioned apart from the sound, have been around for years, and the complaints have been around for as long as I have been on here nobody is going to be totally happy with the state of F1.

It is a fine juggling act trying to please all the party's involved with the sport.

It seems to me as if everyone that has had a gripe/issue with F1 is now using the whole rule change as an excuse (under performing teams included), to kick F1 in the nuts when it is already struggling to get up from the floor of the radical new rule changes.

I see it as the cars now are a handful to drive for the drivers, and I like that, besides how can you tell from the TV in fact even at the track if a car is going 0.8secs slower than last years.

There are always going to be complaints about how F1 should be, and I see nothing different this year except an increase in volume in voices complaining and a decrease in engine noise, and Redbull have been shifted down a notch with Merc replacing them...for now.

I try to support the sport or we may lose it completely.

 

There is always that lingering obsession that F1 should be tailored around Ferrari's needs and that rules should be amended to suit Maranello all the time.

Ferrari is only one team who participated in the drafting of the new formula, and now don't like what the fact that some have done a better homework and are ahead.

If Ferrari or Red Bull were winning, Luca de Montezemolo or Mateschitz wouldn't pip a word about lack of noise, fuel limitation or the looks of their cars.

We are at the 3rd GP and some already talk about altering the rules, just after one of the most costly change in years.

 

Question... Do night races use more or less energy than day races?

 

If Ferrari wants to stop embarrassing themselves they need to say goodbye to Alonso. He's a very fast driver - and has incredible savvy when side by side, but he just drags the team down.

I saw it in today's race quite plainly.

Second - take a risk and try to find a new hotshot driver to the grid as your #2/potential #1.

All Alonso cares about it is beating his teammate - at any cost to the team. Pretty clearly demonstrated over the years. That only works for a WDC/WCC when you have a massively faster car on the grid than anyone else.

 

Yup. Everyone notice how Zo always turned down the wick once he got past Massa in seasons past?

 

I wonder if the fans would pack stadiums to see AC/DC in a live show if they turned it down to level 3, perhaps acoustic guitars?

Easy now fellas, let's not get carried away. They need to be finding 85 horsepower for these new sleds.

 

If technology never advanced from the acoustic guitar and pioneers like Dylan didn't embrace the change to electric, their would be no AC/DC to pack stadiums.

'Fans' were appalled by the electric guitar. It was the death of 'real music' apparently...then came Hendrix.

 

Did Hendrix get softer (quieter) as the changes happened? Nope. People wanted it loud, which is freedom, it's maybe inefficient, it's harsh, it's liberating, it's entertaining.

Would you still enjoy F1 if the cars were totally silent? Is it the future? No thanks. Conserving fuel and making the front end of the car dangerous has nothing to do with getting around the circuit the fastest. Maybe Bernie has a stake in Indycar?

 

You have a choice to stop watching, stop attending and stop talking if you don't like the changes and yet here we are.

The sport will continue to change and morph and adapt. That approach will lead to missteps and outright mistakes but its better than non action and letting a sport be a tragic last dinosaur in the modern age.

If you want the glory days buy some DVD's. If you can't stand the direction the sport is taking don't give it your time anymore.

Dylan changed his formula to reflect the world around him. Hendrix began to change his too and so has this sport.

 

What "lingering obsession" is that? Ferrari hasn't won a championship since 2008. I guess rule bending isn't working very well. Anyone want to remember the time before Schumacher when 8th place would have been a good race?

The problem isn't that Ferrari is losing. They've been losing for years and that hasn't made people stop watching F1.

The problem is the new formula does not translate well on TV. That's what scares everyone because that's were the money comes from.

 

Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. People are clearly turning off the TV. If they turn off, there might not be any racing at all. Several teams and engine suppliers are just hanging on now. But their TV revenue and the series goes "kaput".

Sure us fanatics will stick with it. It's the casual watcher that scares the crap out of Bernie because that's where he gets his cash.

 

For those that really remember the glory days perhaps a return to the sport not being dictated by television and its money and the bloat of the sport trimmed back is a good thing. Perhaps the private planes, $300m budgets and 20 trucks a team stopping is a positive?

Teams will leave and so will sponsors, but if they are replaced by teams and sponsors that truly love this sport and still want to race, perhaps that will be a positive step.

Perhaps those who use the sport as their personal piggy bank finally leaving will be the best thing that has happened in many, many years.

Exciting times indeed.

 

Fine with me. Just bring along with you those glorious sounding V8 and V12 engines while your at it. Then you'll get a crowd again.

No one is going to watch a bunch of guys driving what sound like lawn mower motors.

 

Invite Marko and call it "The Losers Ball"

 

There are rumours of a Bernie controlled Grand Prix series. Todt has confirmed 5 big teams have walked away from a FIA budget agreement recently.

Interesting times.

 

Tell more.

 

Turbo engines and the threat of a break-away series. Hmm, where have I seen this before?

Ah yes, the FISA (FIA) vs FOCA (FOM) war.
F1 history repeating itself.

What's next: A GP with only 2 Ferraris, 2 Renaults and 2 Alfas?

 

We do still have historic racing to watch these noisy V10 and V12, for those who are that inclined.
And they have period liveries too, to add to the show.
I am sure you must have them too.

But for those who still want to watch the best racers (?) instead of wealthy gentlemen drivers, F1 is still the "pinnacle", noise or fuel limitation included.

We are all a little bit nostalgic about something, one way or the other, but times change.

Do you remember the furore the first time a rear engine won a GP in modern time? Some people wanted to ban the little Cooper. Looking back, that attitude seems ridiculous now.
I think it will be the same 40 years down the line when people will assess the 2014 Formula Lawn mowers.

And if F1 has to suffer or die of its contradictions, so what? We will watch something else, or go fishing instead.

 

There are also rumours that drivers will return to having incredibly large sideburns and wearing flatcaps on the grid.

 

Well fishing is good enough for Ross Brawn.

 

If Ferrari hasn't won a championship during that time, is it because of the new regulation?
No, is the answer. But why Ferrari should win anyway if Ferrari is not up to it?

Personally, I don't bother to know if people watch GP on TV or not.
If there is no money anymore, the whole business will shrink or collapse like any other enterprise that goes ailing.

Less money, smaller motorhome, less private aircraft, smaller teams, no more large retainers, less PR expenses, wow, F1 will have to follow the rules most business have to endure when the going gets tough.

 

If they wake up in time and uncharactaristicly come up with a rational solution.

 

Forgive me if someone already has suggested this, but doesn't Honda have a HUGE advantage at this point? They get to see what works and what does not this year and then come into 2015? My understanding is (correct me if wrong) that the current engines are frozen spec wise moving forward? Maybe this was a stroke of genius by Macca.

Also different note, I felt pretty bad for Massa after that safety car came out, would've been nice to see him on the podium.

 

I too was in Hockenheim (2006) and remember how far away we were when we first heard the fierce noises.
One of my favorite car moments was when the race was seconds from green light and everyone used earplugs to block out potential harmful noise levels and I thought "I don't care if I go deaf" and took mine out and enjoyed every millisecond of the internal combustion engine warfare! Words fail me, it was unlike anything else I've heard and second only to the noise fighter jets make.

TV sound just doesn't cut it, a proper screaming F1 is just so, so much harder and better in real life! I feel sorry for the future car guys who will miss out on these experiences...

 

Lol