Topic: F1 - sport or entertainment?

[nicanary]

Ever since Bernie Ecclestone persuaded the FIA he could do a better job of managing F1, it's veered more and more towards being a spectacle for TV and less a test for manufacturers and teams to which spectators were invited.

Multiple regulations and petty rules like compulsory tyre changes, it just ruined it for me and I have lost interest. Nobody cares any more about the Constructors Championship ( except the teams) so is it time for a "spec" formula - identical cars built and prepared by a trusted manufacturer?  That way the best driver wins. No one team dominating because they designed a better car, presumably plenty of VERY close racing.

Notwithstanding what happened today at the Abu Dhabi GP the races are generally pretty boring. I fall asleep, and I know I'm not alone. (Those turbo hybrids make an awful droning noise). I would watch if we had multiple car slipstreaming races like we had at Monza in the 70s.

Any thoughts?

[Carnut]

Not sure.
I always watch it because it's at the pinnacle of motor racing, at least in terms of cost and prestige.
I prefer to see manufacturers whose names actually mean something to me, so I do prefer different engine makers and chassis makers competing, rather than them all being the same.

One change I would make to F1 is to give points to every car in the race. At the moment it must be disheartening being someone like Haas, ending the season on 0 points.
I think it would make the racing much more meaningful for those in the lower positions and wouldn't spoil anything for the Hamiltons and Red Bulls etc.

Also I'm fed up with the number of stupid penalties; one wonders if they want spectacular racing or not sometimes!

[Allan L]

I've written before that a major point of my enjoyment of motor racing was the innovative nature of the engineering. When, at some point in history, a simple engine size limit was replaced by detailed construction rules we were almost in the "control car" situation as experimentation was legislated out. As for rules such as those that effectively force cars to run on tyres that are not the most suitable and stop the tyre manufacturer making a tyre that would last the whole race words (almost) fail me.
My suggestion, widely ignored, was to give 'em 200 litres of normally available fuel and a 300 mile race and let the competitors decide how to use the one to win the other. One modernisation which is worth having is the crashworthiness, as too many drivers were killed in the old days.

[nicanary]

Carnut's suggstion of "points for everyone" smacks of primary school sports day. Sorry, don't mean to be offensive, but you're rewarding failure.

Allan's idea of a fuel consumption formula has been used before - remember endurance racing with cars crawling round in blind panic? Bernie's new-look F1 certainly achieved its aim, to attract a new style of fan and new backers, unfortunately in the form of nasty state rights-abusers. Hey ho, it's all cash in the pot for F1M, to hell with principles.

I also agree with Allan that the pinnacle of engineering should not be discouraged. However, with the use of IT the cars have advanced far beyond what would have been imaginable 10 or 20 years ago. I feel that however distasteful it might seem, it's time to put a stop to it. Use some of the advances, as Allan says, those for driver safety, but BAN any aero devices. Make overtaking easier and encourage the more skilful driver.

I'm wearing my rose-tinted glasses here, but I yearn for the 1970s and diversity on the grid - lots of noise, (to heck with energy regeneration), real variety in the way engineers tackled the formula, and the best driver usually won.

PS Congratulations to Max. Poor tyre selection by his team during qualifying seemed to hand the race to Lewis, but poor decisions by Mercedes gave the latter no chance on that final lap. Tyres again! Was it all "rigged" ? We shall never know.

[D-type]

Let's take Allan's idea further.  Limit fuel tank size but allow cars to refuel as often as they like.  Clearly for safety reasons the method of refuelling would need to be controlled.  Although we're cutting out excessive regulation, a controlled flow rate would also be required.