V12-POWER wrote: ↑05 Apr 2023, 03:51
It has become a reality show, whether this is because society itself is as soft as ever, or because the owners think this is the best for the sport, I dont know
the fact is F1 lacks seriousness, character and lacks the glamour it used to have. It has been converted in a very dull and casual "sport" when you look under the fake drama and all that makeup. the drivers are portrayed as a bunch of gamers basically, the cars are heavy and oversized (length wise) the engines have to last a lifetime which leads to "managing", the tires cannot be pushed because they burn. The "road relevancy" falacy. all the aspects which go against the essence of motorsports and SPRINT type of races in general.
it is not about going flatout anymore and as a racing driver myself it hurts because you cannot call it the pinnacle of motorsports if your job is not about being the fastest, i can only imagine what F1 drivers feel when they are told to "manage" must hurt deeply inside but well at least you get to do what you like. I dont see usain bolt managing for a 100m dash.
no refueling, so tactics are further dumbed down, tires engineered to last a preset amount of distance, all for the fake drama, because you're forced to use 2 compounds during a race.
At last, let's analyze very quickly 2 very contrasting formulas.
A 2023 F1 car is almost as long as a dual cab F150 and weights 900KG, has 1000hp, but only for a lap.
A 2005 F1 car is 1-1.2 meters shorter, is 300KG lighter and has 1000hp all day long. It also has better sound to it too but thats a bonus. But you can push it because the tires can take it, and you can run the engine hard because it only lasts 2 weekends. And it is closer to the essence of a race car than current regs because of these factors.
Before the hybrid era, coasting, lifting, blatant early braking was something very rare. Current formula might be an awesome display of technology but they're not an awesome display of a race car.
Another fact is the bloated calendar, which removes some of the "uniqueness" of a Grand Prix, it is now no more than watching your average weekend football match
All of this isnt because of netflix. Because drama has always been a part of F1 and the DTS crew would kill for another Singapore 2008, spygate, multi 21, "let michael pass for the championship" and many more examples.
It is just the people at the top and the political pressure that's bringing this stuff into the sport
