F1 on a road to nowhere...?

[Raptor22]

I've watched f1 since 1980. Its gone from an exciting, nail biting, seat of the pants entertainment to an absolute snore fest. Well actually It became a snore fest when Michael Schumacher simply dominated the sport from 1995 to 2006. Sure there were protagonists that took the fight to him but each time there was real racing, someone wh came off econd best complianed and rules were changed on "safety" grounds.
So now we have the safest cars in the formula racing, but they're not allowed to be raced by the drivers because someone may get hurt.
We have a situation where new drivers can;t really test an F1 car because testing is banned.
We now also have rules that prescribe how you can overtake and even a dvice to help you make it stick (DRS).

IMO F1 has become an absolute sham.
I see many problems that need to be addressed but also a distinct lack of appetite by all parties to address those issues directly.

Cost:
The budget cap with unrestricted development was the best proposal we've seen in F1 for decades. It had the potential to lower the cost of entry for new teams (providing new young drovers with seats). It could have resulted in more interesting technical development like we saw in the 70's and 80's. All that was required was to not spend more than 50 million Euro per year (Admittedly that amount was probably too low) and prove it.

Technical regulations:
These are so tight there almost no room left for relevant technical innovation. Intead the most interesting developments involve wings that flex (been doing that in Aviation since the Wright bros) front exit exhaust (come on that no real innovation) and the return of exhaust blwon diffusers.

Sporting regualtions:

These are so tight all the racing is going to take place in qualifying with the race being a two hour waving at the crowd parade.

F1 really needs to take a few steps backwards and reverse some really assanine decisions taken on the grounds of "safety".

If my 6 year old nephew feels that Scalextric is more interesting then I think F1 has a serious problem. NOt enough young blood from both the spectators saide as well as on the drivers side.

I may spend more time watching LMS next year. He digs those and Uncle has a really nice collection for those 24hr races when he sleeps over.

[xpensive]

I had a flashback on grandprix.com the other day, in an article about Peter Gethin with a link to a six minute video from his only win, the 1971 Monza GP, which also happened to be the very first formula one races I can recall watching on TV.

It brought tears to my eyes, I s**t you not, six cars slipstreaming, passing and re-passing for two hours at 250 km/h.
Differently looking and easy identifieable cars, V8s, V12s and flat-12s, holy crap, I suddenly realaized that I had all but forgotten what F1 racing was?

[timbo]

I had a flashback on grandprix.com the other day, in an article about Peter Gethin with a link to a six minute video from his only win, the 1971 Monza GP, which also happened to be the very first formula one races I can recall watching on TV.

It brought tears to my eyes, I --- you not, six cars slipstreaming, passing and re-passing for two hours at 250 km/h.

Holy crap, I suddenly realaized that I had all but forgotten what F1 racing was?

[...] That season out of 11 races 7 had more than 20 seconds between 1st and 2nd.

[xpensive]

[...] The point is that you don't have to scroll back 40 years to find a Formula 1 with car- and engine-diversity, as well as something technically- and racing-wise xciting.

[timbo]

The problem is there's way too much money in the sport. With literally billions at stake noone would want to take risks. This is not going to change.
RRA won't help also. Whoever is in control will use it for "divide and conquer" tactics as we see now.
BUT 40 years from now, someone would say, oh, I watched Canadian GP 2011, that was real classic!
Face it, F1 would not change globally in a heartbeat.
I agree on many points but "you don't have to scroll back 40 years to find a Formula 1 with car- and engine-diversity, as well as something technically- and racing-wise xciting" always make me laugh.
I need to look up some aeronautics forums, are there threads "screw Raptor (no pun intended, or just very very little ), now Sopwith and Albatros that's the real engine and airframe-diversity"? Designs do converge to an optimum over time.
I agree there's young driver problem. I can't remember why 2006 Friday format was dropped? Did main drivers complain? I think that was ideal. Kubica and Vettel both flourished in that format.

[bhall]

I can't remember why 2006 Friday format was dropped?

To save money...





EDIT: It's not only the "top" teams.

[WhiteBlue]

These kind of threads usually go nowhere because many of the participants in the discussion suffer from amnesia and "have your pie and eat it" syndrome. There have always been boring and exciting races and we always had more or less development. Some people seem to think that there is a magic formula that fixes every problem and will make it unnecessary to carefully navigate between the many bad things that can happen to F1. They want slipstreaming, performance which can only achieved with massive downforce, engineering diversity, unrestricted spending, team diversity, safety, diversity of winners, championships that go to the wire and exciting overtaking battles. We had some very exciting championships in the last years although engine development was pretty static and resources controlled. Last year was a nail biting finish and 2007 was pretty much the same. Next year we will have an unprecedented six champions on the grid and there is every reason to believe that at least three teams will have race winning cars. DRS needs a bit more development as we have seen over the course of the season but the majority of teams, drivers and punters have given it a positive appraisal. As long as F1 cars run in massively dirty air from the huge downforce DRS will be necessary equalizer.

[WhiteBlue]

I can't remember why 2006 Friday format was dropped?

To save money...

Marketing cost in F1 is unlimited because the top teams have decided that it should be so. Red Bull and Ferrari seem to be united in that question.

[bhall]

[...] necessary equalizer.

I love that you used those words, because I was having trouble figuring out how I wanted to express my relative disinterest in the sport this season. And it's because I don't think those words should ever, ever, ever be used to describe anything having to do with Formula 1. Ever.

It was precisely the lack of equalizers that drew me to F1. The introduction of one pushed me right out. It wasn't for reasons related to F1 that I didn't watch a race after China this year, but it was precisely because of DRS, that "necessary equalizer," that I didn't miss it at all.

[Dragonfly]

I think the "boring" period of Ferrari/Schumacher domination is due to the knee-jerk reactions of MM and BE after 2002. The constant rule changes were the reasons teams with lesser budget could not catch up and only few teams could afford it. Of those Ferrari being the most successful in implementing the new rules.
And since then it's almost a tradition to have changes every year.

[WhiteBlue]

It was precisely the lack of equalizers that drew me to F1. The introduction of one pushed me right out.

Nobody is obliged to watch it. I would prefer a solution that would avoid dirty air and most of the downforce they currently use. I also know that current Ptb in F1 stand against such a solution. Its similar to the introduction of the SECU. It killed all the driver aids but we lost some diversity.

You can't have your pie and eat it.

[bhall]

DRS is the epitome of having your cake and eating it, too.

And, of course, you're right; no one is obliged to watch. Judging by the BBC's recent moves, I'm not the only one who's lost interest.

[xpensive]

These kind of threads usually go nowhere because many of the participants in the discussion suffer from amnesia...
...

True, but the reason is also that certain members often approach the issue with a von-oben attitude, saying things like "These statements always makes me laugh..." or immortal classics as "You can't have your Schwartzwälder and eat it".

[beelsebob]

DRS is the epitome of having your cake and eating it, too.

And, of course, you're right; no one is obliged to watch. Judging by the BBC's recent moves, I'm not the only one who's lost interest.

Except that the BBC had record ratings for the last season, hence the confusion over why the hell they'd drop it.

[bhall]

The BBC itself lost interest because of the money. And I find that pretty emblematic of what's wrong in F1.