Pulled the Plug on F1

[Moxie]

I can no longer justify the price I pay to watch Bernie Eccelstone's Flying Circus. I have been watching F1 since the mid 1980's. It is not just that I am dissatisfied with the sport, but that I pay way too much money to watch a sport that really stinks. F1 has been disappointing to watch for several years now, and there is no effort to fix the problem.

The final straw? Well there are two.

1. In another thread a fan mentioned that he looked forward to an exciting year because of the inter-team battles. Frankly, I find it to be dreadful that the focus is on the inter-team battles. Obviously, the battles between teams are woefully lacking.

2. The announcement that budget caps are off of the table. Admittedly, I was not a huge fan of the budget cap solution. (I prefer reducing the prize money for the top teams, and redistributing that money as prize money to the lower teams). However, they were at least addressing the issue. As they closed discussion on the matter, they also closed my hopes that the sport I have watched nearly all my life would improve.

[Ray]

I refuse to pay $100+ a month just to be able to buy the channel block that NBCSN sits in. Comcast can keep that money, I'll avoid the news until TPB has a good torrent up. I'm sorry, but Formula 1 isn't worth almost $150 a month just to watch. I don't watch tv simply because it costs too much. With a $99 Roku3, youtube, Netflix and Plex I have more than enough entertainment to keep me occupied. Bernie needs to stop charging so damn much to watch this sport, it's getting sickening. Average ticket price for the Austin GP is over $400!! I spent less than half that to get into the Petit Le Mans for myself and two friends and we carried chairs, a tent to keep the rain/sun off and a cooler full of drinks and food. Had any seat in the house we wanted too. Formula 1 shouldn't cost as much as a vacation for cripes sake!

[SiLo]

I just use firstrow to watch things... And I don't care who the battles are with, as long as they are there. That was one of the most exciting races I've watched for a long time.

I understand your gripes, but there have been plenty worse races and years previously that I found a lot more boring than what we just saw in Bahrain.

If it's money that is the real issue, see my first statement. If it's the racing that's the real issue, you should have stopped watching a long time ago.

[thomin]

I can no longer justify the price I pay to watch Bernie Eccelstone's Flying Circus. I have been watching F1 since the mid 1980's. It is not just that I am dissatisfied with the sport, but that I pay way too much money to watch a sport that really stinks. F1 has been disappointing to watch for several years now, and there is no effort to fix the problem.

The final straw? Well there are two.

1. In another thread a fan mentioned that he looked forward to an exciting year because of the inter-team battles. Frankly, I find it to be dreadful that the focus is on the inter-team battles. Obviously, the battles between teams are woefully lacking.

2. The announcement that budget caps are off of the table. Admittedly, I was not a huge fan of the budget cap solution. (I prefer reducing the prize money for the top teams, and redistributing that money as prize money to the lower teams). However, they were at least addressing the issue. As they closed discussion on the matter, they also closed my hopes that the sport I have watched nearly all my life would improve.

I dunno what you're paying, but if it's anything like what Ray says he's paying, then I can totally understand that move. I wouldn't pay $150 per month, no matter how good the racing was.

Having said that, I find your issues to be rather strange. First of all, we did see exciting inter-team battles in Bahrain and I see no reason why we shouldn't see more of that in the future. The inner team battles come on top. My guess is that you mean that you don't like one team dominating? Could that be it? But in that case, this really has been the norm rather than the exception. Every other year there are two teams dominating I guess, but that's as far as it goes.

[SilverArrow]

It's getting very hard for some of us to keep putting up with the "who can buy the FIA" charade every few years.

If they wanted a green image they could have switched from petrol to biofuel and kept the N/A ICE engines. But that's obviously not what this is about. I don't even know what it's about anymore, but it certainly isn't racing.

[thomin]

It's getting very hard for some of us to keep putting up with the "who can buy the FIA" charade every few years.

If they wanted a green image they could have switched from petrol to biofuel and kept the N/A ICE engines. But that's obviously not what this is about. I don't even know what it's about anymore, but it certainly isn't racing.

Well, I think we can agree that neither bio fuels nor hybrids make the F1 green.

The rule changes this year obviously have two reasons:

1) The engine formula is supposed to be a testbed for new road car technology. More likely, it's a marketing thing. Mercedes, Renault and Honda want to sell hybrids and the best way to advertise them is to show that the technology is mature enough to be featured in the biggest racing events like F1 and LeMans.

2) The aero changes were made to slow down the cars and to make passing easier by making them inherently more unstable.

So at least the second point is in large parts there to improve racing. But of course F1 is about more than that. Always has been, always will be. As soon as you raise the stakes, you'll automatically get all kinds of commercial interests.

[Moxie]

I pay $100/month for my Direct TV subscription, and the only TV I really watch is racing. I read news on-line and I watch shows on Netflix. I found that I can watch the Tudor United Sports Car Series on-line, so the only thing I am really getting for $1200/year is F1. Yes, my problem is with one team dominating, and indeed this has become the norm.

Edit: I will admit that the battle between Hamilton and Rosberg was entertaining, but I remind you that the constructors championship is the money paying contest of F1. I want to see the battles of Ferrari vs McLaren vs Williams.

in 1985 Prost won the championship after winning only 5 of 16 races - McLaren won the constructors championship with 6 victories
in 1986 Prost won the championship after winning only 4 of 16 races - Williams won the constructors championship with 9 victories
in 1987 Piquet won the championship after winning only 3 of 16 races - Williams won the constructors championship with 9 victories

2013 Vettel won the chamionship after winning 13 of 19 races and Red Bull won the constructors championship with 13 victories.
2102 Vettel won the championship after winning 5 of 20 races and Red Bull won the constructors championship with 7 victories
2022 Vettel won the championship after winning 11 of 19 races and Red Bull won the constructors championship with 12 victories

[Mysticf1]

There are plenty of live streams available, sure the quality isn't 1080p but the price is right and the full sky coverage is exceptional imho

[Cam]

Bahrain was shown very early in the morning for me this time, so I recored it - and got up early to watch it. The recorder did not work... So I thought ok, it's free-to-air normally for me, but I'm happy to pay for this one time. Well, that was an impossible option - not only could I not find an option to simply pay for a one-off viewing, but I couldn't even get to view a highlights package due to region blocking.

So I'm left with very few options:
• pay for a VPN to bypass region blocking so I can see a highlights package
• Download a torrent (which some kind soul uploaded straight after the race)
• wait 3 days until it is replayed on free-to-air at midnight
• pay for a 12 month Fox subscription to watch one race

I just wanted to watch one race when I wanted to - and was happy to pay....... another F1 fail.

By the time I managed to get to see the whole race, I knew everything already.

Just another long time fan constantly being disappointed.

Bernie - FYI champ: GP1 sounds great, V8 or above, tonnes of fuel and sticky tyres, limit the gizmos, make them much faster than anything else, watch on demand - you'll have me and my money.

[Moxie]

I refuse to pay $100+ a month just to be able to buy the channel block that NBCSN sits in. Comcast can keep that money, I'll avoid the news until TPB has a good torrent up. I'm sorry, but Formula 1 isn't worth almost $150 a month just to watch. I don't watch tv simply because it costs too much. With a $99 Roku3, youtube, Netflix and Plex I have more than enough entertainment to keep me occupied. Bernie needs to stop charging so damn much to watch this sport, it's getting sickening. Average ticket price for the Austin GP is over $400!! I spent less than half that to get into the Petit Le Mans for myself and two friends and we carried chairs, a tent to keep the rain/sun off and a cooler full of drinks and food. Had any seat in the house we wanted too. Formula 1 shouldn't cost as much as a vacation for cripes sake!

Yes that also factored into my reasoning. I can attend three sports car races, with the hotel included, for the price I pay to watch F1 on TV.

[flmkane]

I can no longer justify the price I pay to watch Bernie Eccelstone's Flying Circus. I have been watching F1 since the mid 1980's. It is not just that I am dissatisfied with the sport, but that I pay way too much money to watch a sport that really stinks. F1 has been disappointing to watch for several years now, and there is no effort to fix the problem.

The final straw? Well there are two.

1. In another thread a fan mentioned that he looked forward to an exciting year because of the inter-team battles. Frankly, I find it to be dreadful that the focus is on the inter-team battles. Obviously, the battles between teams are woefully lacking.

2. The announcement that budget caps are off of the table. Admittedly, I was not a huge fan of the budget cap solution. (I prefer reducing the prize money for the top teams, and redistributing that money as prize money to the lower teams). However, they were at least addressing the issue. As they closed discussion on the matter, they also closed my hopes that the sport I have watched nearly all my life would improve.

1. Are you telling me that 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2011 and 2013 were years that produced a whole lot of fights between different teams? Hell, in 1988 there was only ONE race that was not won by a Mclaren. Yet we remember that year with tears in our eyes. Hamilton vs Rosberg may turn into another Senna vs Prost. Looking forward to it

2. Who the hell cares. If a team does not merit to be in F1, then to hell with them. Raising funds is a part of the competition. If they cant get that done then they should be in WEC or something. Not that extra funds grantee success. Look at what happened to Toyota

If your favorite team aint winning, then get a new favorite team.

[thomin]

I pay $100/month for my Direct TV subscription, and the only TV I really watch is racing. I read news on-line and I watch shows on Netflix. I found that I can watch the Tudor United Sports Car Series on-line, so the only thing I am really getting for $1200/year is F1. Yes, my problem is with one team dominating, and indeed this has become the norm.

Edit: I will admit that the battle between Hamilton and Rosberg was entertaining, but I remind you that the constructors championship is the money paying contest of F1. I want to see the battles of Ferrari vs McLaren vs Williams.

in 1985 Prost won the championship after winning only 5 of 16 races - McLaren won the constructors championship with 6 victories
in 1986 Prost won the championship after winning only 4 of 16 races - Williams won the constructors championship with 9 victories
in 1987 Piquet won the championship after winning only 3 of 16 races - Williams won the constructors championship with 9 victories

2013 Vettel won the chamionship after winning 13 of 19 races and Red Bull won the constructors championship with 13 victories.
2102 Vettel won the championship after winning 5 of 20 races and Red Bull won the constructors championship with 7 victories
2022 Vettel won the championship after winning 11 of 19 races and Red Bull won the constructors championship with 12 victories

Well, personally, I'm glad to see races with tight fights all the way from front to back and I like my team to do well. Meaning that watching Red Bull dominate can be frustrating, but at least some decent back and forth can compensate. With Mercedes dominating and a good fight, of course I have found my ideal constellation, but I'm aware that this is very subjective.

Anyway, I did a bit of research today for something else as I wanted to see how individual seasons were dominated and I collected the percentage of race wins by the dominant team that over the past 40 years. As you can see, the current state of affairs has been pretty much the norm all the way back to the early 1980s or for roughly 30 years - and when you go further back, you'll see more of the same, look at how Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Mercedes dominated in the 1950s or Lotus in the 1960s, so it was really the 1970s and early 1980s that were the anomaly:

[Year] [races won]/[total # of races] [percentage] [by team] (comments)
2013 13/19 68% Red Bull
2012 7/20 35% Red Bull / McLaren
2011 12/19 63% Red Bull
2010 9/19 47% Red Bull
2009 8/17 47% Brawn
2008 8/18 44% Ferrari (Hamilton Champion on McLaren)
2007 9/17 53% Ferrari
2006 9/18 50% Ferrari (Renault and Alonso Champion with 8/18 44%)
2005 10/19 53% McLaren (Renault and Alonso Champion with 8/19 42%)
2004 15/18 83% Ferrari
2003 8/16 50% Ferrari
2002 15/17 88% Ferrari
2001 9/17 53% Ferrari
2000 10/17 59% Ferrari
1999 7/16 44% McLaren (Ferrari Constructors Champion with 6/16 38%)
1998 9/16 56% McLaren
1997 8/17 47% Williams
1996 12/16 75% Williams
1995 11/17 65% Benetton
1994 8/16 50% Benetton (Williams Constructors Champion with 7/16 44%)
1993 10/16 63% Williams
1992 10/16 63% Williams
1991 8/16 50% McLaren
1990 6/16 38% McLaren / Ferrari
1989 10/16 63% McLaren
1988 15/16 94% McLaren
1987 9/16 56% Williams
1986 9/16 56% Williams (Prost Champion on McLaren)
1985 6/16 38% McLaren
1984 12/16 75% McLaren
1983 4/15 27% Ferrari / Renault / Brabham (Piquet Champion on Brabham)
1982 4/16 25% McLaren (Rosberg Champion on Williams / Ferrari Constructors Champion with 3/16 19%)
1981 3/15 20% Williams / Brabham / Renault (Piquet Champion on Brabham)
1980 6/14 43% Williams
1979 6/15 40% Ferrari
1978 8/16 50% Lotus
1977 5/17 29% Lotus (Lauda and Ferrari Champion with 4/17 24%)
1976 6/16 38% Ferrari / McLaren (Hunt Champion on McLaren)
1975 6/14 43% Ferrari
1974 4/15 27% McLaren

[thomin]

1. Are you telling me that 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2011 and 2013 were years that produced a whole lot of fights between different teams? Hell, in 1988 there was only ONE race that was not won by a Mclaren. Yet we remember that year with tears in our eyes. Hamilton vs Rosberg may turn into another Senna vs Prost. Looking forward to it

Agreed. Also, that one race in 1988 was also thoroughly dominated by McLaren until Prost dropped out due to a technical failure and Senna crashed into a lapped car shortly before the checkered flag.

However, having said that, I fully acknowledge that not everybody may feel this way. While I don't share the opinion that inter team fights on the sharp end of the grid are vital, I don't claim any sort of authority for my views. Both positions are equally valid.

2. Who the hell cares. If a team does not merit to be in F1, then to hell with them. Raising funds is a part of the competition. If they cant get that done then they should be in WEC or something. Not that extra funds grantee success. Look at what happened to Toyota

Agreed again.

If your favorite team aint winning, then get a new favorite team.

Here I disagree. You don't just switch allegiances like that. Though what helps me through tough years (and Mercedes has had a lot, both with their own team as well as with McLaren or Sauber before that) was to pick drivers that I like or smaller teams that I like and rooting for them. For example, I really developed some kind of affection for both Sauber and Force India and whenever they do well, that makes me happy

[Moxie]

Anyway, I did a bit of research today for something else as I wanted to see how individual seasons were dominated and I collected the percentage of race wins by the dominant team that over the past 40 years. As you can see, the current state of affairs has been pretty much the norm all the way back to the early 1980s or for roughly 30 years - and when you go further back, you'll see more of the same, look at how Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Mercedes dominated in the 1950s or Lotus in the 1960s, so it was really the 1970s and early 1980s that were the anomaly:

[Year] [races won]/[total # of races] [percentage] [by team] (comments)
2013 13/19 68% Red Bull
2012 7/20 35% Red Bull / McLaren
2011 12/19 63% Red Bull
2010 9/19 47% Red Bull
2009 8/17 47% Brawn
2008 8/18 44% Ferrari (Hamilton Champion on McLaren)
2007 9/17 53% Ferrari
2006 9/18 50% Ferrari (Renault and Alonso Champion with 8/18 44%)
2005 10/19 53% McLaren (Renault and Alonso Champion with 8/19 42%)
2004 15/18 83% Ferrari
2003 8/16 50% Ferrari
2002 15/17 88% Ferrari
2001 9/17 53% Ferrari
2000 10/17 59% Ferrari
1999 7/16 44% McLaren (Ferrari Constructors Champion with 6/16 38%)
1998 9/16 56% McLaren
1997 8/17 47% Williams
1996 12/16 75% Williams
1995 11/17 65% Benetton
1994 8/16 50% Benetton (Williams Constructors Champion with 7/16 44%)
1993 10/16 63% Williams
1992 10/16 63% Williams
1991 8/16 50% McLaren
1990 6/16 38% McLaren / Ferrari
1989 10/16 63% McLaren
1988 15/16 94% McLaren
1987 9/16 56% Williams
1986 9/16 56% Williams (Prost Champion on McLaren)
1985 6/16 38% McLaren
1984 12/16 75% McLaren
1983 4/15 27% Ferrari / Renault / Brabham (Piquet Champion on Brabham)
1982 4/16 25% McLaren (Rosberg Champion on Williams / Ferrari Constructors Champion with 3/16 19%)
1981 3/15 20% Williams / Brabham / Renault (Piquet Champion on Brabham)
1980 6/14 43% Williams
1979 6/15 40% Ferrari
1978 8/16 50% Lotus
1977 5/17 29% Lotus (Lauda and Ferrari Champion with 4/17 24%)
1976 6/16 38% Ferrari / McLaren (Hunt Champion on McLaren)
1975 6/14 43% Ferrari
1974 4/15 27% McLaren

I performed a linear regression on this data, unfortunately I do not know how to upload the resultant chart from excel. If you repeat my work you will find that in the regression line runs from 42% in 1974 to 62% in 2013. The regression line crosses 50% in 1990.

Of course there is variability between seasons, indeed in 2012 we were treated to a very competitive year with 7 winners in the first seven races. Unfortunately, that was an outlier. Since 1990 one could expect that the winning team will win at least 50 % of the races. And in 2014, we can expect that the winning team will win 62% of the races.

For the value of my money, I'll watch a series that has a little more competition.

[thomin]

Well, I can certainly see your point. However, for me the appeal of F1 is twofold: Racing and Technology. Just as I love to see excellence in driving, I love to see excellence in engineering. These are competing goals but that's what makes F1 so special.