Well can I suggest that, Bernie gets his gold ,silver & bronze medals , put's them round his neck and jumps into the nearest lake! It really is time to sweep the decks of the two old fools ruining F1.
I think (I hope!) Gilles27 was being facetious. If that sort of "grading" happens, forget WWF, F1 becomes the new figure-skating championship!
more news: Here's the stories in the Telegraph and the Times: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/3526578/Eddie-Jordan-rubbishes-Bernie-Ecclestones-Formula-One-scoring-plans-Formula-One.html http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/formula_1/article5241284.ece It would be interesting to see how many rule change proposals have been made by Bernie or Max over the last 5 years and how many have actually come to anything. It seems that every week there are new stories about what's going to change in F1, we all debate it for a few days and then the story disappears. I like the idea of having judges award points after the races for racecraft etc. I think it should be taken a step further and they should have a panel of judges who speak to each driver after the race and give them feedback on their performance. This could replace the boring press conference. They should have an ex-drivers wife (bit of glamour!), an ex-team owner (knowledgable but bitter that he never made it as a driver), Bernie, and Simon Cowell on the panel. Then the public can phone in to vote for their favourite driver. Maybe we should have one driver 'evicted' after each race and the winner is the driver who is left at the end of the season? I think there's a show in there somewhere.* *Message to Max and Bernie: I was joking! Please don't do this!
The problem with F1 today is that it is a profit driven enterprise and everything else is secondary. Illusions of cutting costs while changing gears (rules) year over year hurts every team and moreso the minnows, midfielders and back markers. First and foremost to stop runaway costs is rules stability that has a 5 and 10 year plan with no major changes to those plans outside of the 5 and ten year mark. Rules stability would allow the smaller teams to eventually catch up to the better funded teams and would allow for better spectacle for the spectators and a better return for those investing big bux in the sport. In the end, none of this will happen. FIA will take 50% of the profits and distribute the remaining 50% to the teams. Kind of funny that FIA produces nothing yet wants 50% of profits. It milks classic tracks dry and gives new venues to governments willing to pony up for the loss of hosting an F1 venue. The very base of this business model is destructive....as I am certain that the FIA as an administrative body could make due with 1% of profits...as an administrative body, which it is not. FIA have gone from rules enforcement to profit vehicle, and this is why all the teams should walk away from it.
I don't think the FIA are taking 50% of the profits. I think it is the F1 Commercial rights holder. This is a company called CVC who bought the commercial rights from Bernie a few years ago. They borrowed a huge amount ($2.3bn) to pay for the rights. This has left them and the FIA in a very vulnerable position as if the F1 teams demand more than 50% of the profits then CVC would not be able to service the loans. All is explained in more detail in these 2 articles: http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=36584 http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=36652
Exactly. On the plus side Bernie has grown F1 to worldwide proportions where it used to be a Eurocentric sport. F1 does need to jell a set of rules so that backmark teams can be somewhat competitive without being swallowed up in costs OR allow 3 cars per team so the front of the field has competition. One equalizer that has proven to work in all fields of motorsports is weight. I know this contradicts the persuit of excellence veiw but it may serve to level the playfield. Winner of each race adds 5 kilos to be carried for the remainder of the season. Second 3 kilos, Third 1. Just throwing out an idea. The sport does need an effective governing body. Something they dont have now. The FIA has failed in its primary responsibility. And in a Max/Bernie way of doing things now that they have grown the sport wordwide and a surplus of venues exist they should be sent packing. Thanks for your contribution now hit the road.
They add weights in BTCC racing, it is always real tight racing very very good in fact, and I think which is a bit odd, the winner of the last race, oh they have 3 in a meeting, he has to spin a wheel for his grid position to start in the top ten. Oh but they don't carry the weight for the rest of the season, starts from scratch next meeting. Correcto
Ever hear the definition of a "Seagull Manager"? He flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.
Bernie gets the gold medal for being an azz clown; he's lost the plot, and I'm losing interest. 10-6-4-3-2-1 pts system is fine-I'd give 1 pt for pole and 1 point for fastest lap. A driver who dominates the weekend will walk away with a cool 12 points; keep the medals in the Olympics. Reduce aeros-eliminate aero appendages and raise the ride height of the cars. Get rid of KERS. On one side of their mouths they talk about going green with new technology ($$$$); on the other side they talk about reducing costs....
KERS is the best thing that has happened for the image of F1 in the eyes of the general public. Hami as a "black" WDC is close. KERS reinforces the position that F1 is on the leading edge of technological automotive development therefore has relevance in today's Green world. Thus giving F1 a Teflon coating to attacks directed against its wastefulness. Do you honestly think Bernie and Co. could give a rats behind about energy efficiency for any other reason ? I don't care what his reasoning is as long as the results are there; Efficiency.
When you look at it from an "image" analysis I agree; from a "reducing F1 costs" perspective it is a joke. Developing new technologies at this level is never cheap. As for Hammy being "black", that's great for all the "black" F1 fans here in N. America-too bad we don't have a race. Besides, Bernie looks like he has other things to be worried about.... http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jwBIgRf754O5fAVx3wMQBRLn3ulQ
Here is a bit more detail on the business side of F1: http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=36657
Thinking about all the potential changes to the scoring system, for me it really boils to this: No more changes to the results of a race after the flag drops. I don't care whether they give points, medals or crack cocaine to the winners. Just do not change the results. Never. Ever. No more Spa 2008 and no more Fuji 2008.
So...that gives a green flag to cutting all chicanes and such in the last 3 laps. That's a -great- idea....
Not quite: You can hand out penalties left and right for that: Give them drive through penalties (I realize the current rule prohibit that, but that could be changed) or give them penalties on the next race's grid. Deduct constructor's championship points, hand out fines, threaten them with withdrawing the super license. But for the love of God do not change the results of the race! I believe even Mad Max and Bernie realized how much the Spa and Fuji decisions pissed of the average F1 fans (I'm stressing average because on a Ferrari website, the fans on average are not without bias) and that such manipulations hurt the credibility and popularity of the sport.
Dead right!!!!!Andreas +10000000, And here's a little picture reminder of Massa Mr Tillman!!, doing the said thing before T boning Lewis, resulting in a mere drive through, don't even get me started on the LH pass on Kimi at SPA. Image Unavailable, Please Login
You mean the one where team McLaren asked the stewards TWICE during the race whether they were ok with Hami giving the position back and they got an affirmative confirmation back TWICE?
Lewis was given a penalty of 25 sec added to his final time, in lieu of a drive-through. (Depending on the track, a drive-through can take longer than 25 sec.) Adding 25 sec to Lewis's time put him in third place ---- *two* other cars finished within 25 sec of Hamilton crossing the finish line. (If the race had been one lap longer, Heidfeld would probably have won, and like as not Lewis would have wound up behind a bunch of other people who changed to full wets.) But one of those cars within 25 sec of Lewis's finish was "can't drive in the rain" Massa ... on inters. If Lewis is such a rain god, why didn't he just finish further ahead?