Where is F1 going?

[bernard]

I don't quite like the way F1 is going these days... too much is being sacrificed only to slow down the cars and increase overtaking. I agree that the speeds should be lowered in the near future for safety reasons, but this shouldn't happen by throwing away all the technology and innovation and making F1 just like all the other motor sports.
I think formula one was at it's greatest during the seasons when Schumacher was battling against Hakkinen. Then came this sudden shock that F1 isn't interesting enough, and everybody started changing everything and the more they changed the worse it got. New qualifying systems are just an example of this.
F1 is great, it doesn't need all these artificial rules. I think last season we saw more overtaking than in ten years, this season has offered some great experiences on that sector too. I think Mosley is looking at things on too short notice, and doesn't fully understand things. Ferrari is leading now and there isn't real fighting for victories or great overtakings at the moment, because Mclaren and Williams aren't on their own level. But what mosley doesn't seem to understand is that that is only the situation now. We don't need any artificial rules to bring more fight. Just like before last season nobody thought ferrari was beatable, but Kimi nearly won the championship. You can't judge next season based on this one.
It's just stupid changing everything in panic now when there is no reason to. There will be overtakings and fights for the victories, even in the end of this season, i would say, when mclaren gets their car functioning and williams gets their act together. I bet Mclaren will take at least one victory before this season ends. So Mosley shouldn't go rushing and threathening with the concorde contract or whatever. You should see how things develop, and make the changes for the coming years after the season is over, not in the middle of it.
(I was talking here mainly about the rule changes concerning the interestingness of F1, not safety rule changes, so don't confuse)

[crystalclear]

Maybe you could post a link to the rule changes you are talking about so that we could look at them.

JV (and not Jos Verstappen!) said something about the grooved tires making cars more dependent on downforce and less dependent on mechanical grip, thus making overtaking harder coming out of bends, as you couldn't be close - loss of downforce and no real grip.

Also, overtaking used to be worthwhile. With 10 for a win and 6 for second, there were 4 points to gain, (but still 6 to lose). For people near the back the ratios are better, like 1 to gain and 1 to loose. Would you risk overtaking Schumacher on a 2 to gain 8 to lose ratio? Or if you were Schumacher, would you want to risk a title for 2 points in a race?

The fact is that the pit stops mean that faster cars can overtake in the pits. If your car is just 0.1 seconds a lap quicker than the competition you can run with fuel for an extra lap. It will slow you 0.1 seconds say per lap and you run with the guy in front. Then you do the extra lap, 2 seconds quicker say than his on full fuel, and the race is yours.

What do the fans get out of it?

First they see two cars parading round together and its meaningless since they have no idea of fuel strategies. Then they stop and you realise who is the quicker car and they drive them home safely to avoid a Did Not Finish.

Formula 1 is a show, not a race. Get rid of the pitstops and you force the overtaking to happen on the track. You have to remember that today's Formula 1 is aimed at people that intellectually cannot count to three and need to be reminded of the numbers of pitstops. If you want to know the gaps between the cars to see if somebody has a chance of catching somebody else you are better off watching the live timing screen on the internet instead of watching the race.

Best just to turn the TV on at the start of the race to see who got pole - not that it matters as the strategies might differ - see if there is a pile up at the first bend, and then mow the lawn for an hour and a half and turn the TV back on if you think the Italian national anthem is a catchy tune.

[oneBMW]

I will tell you what scares me. In America the popularity of NASCAR is partially because the public gets to see their favorite driver race every weekend. The cars have become a side light. All cars are pretty much the same, and its gone down to driver ability. There are no technological advances coming out of NASCAR, it's becoming the new WWF (World Wrestling Federation.) Always new gimmicks to sell the sport.

F1 seems to be trying to customize the racing to make it more appealing to the fan, which I understand. But the true essence of F1 I think will be lost if we take the manufacturer out of the picture (Inundate him with rules and make it more costly for him to race.) And candy coat the whole thing like NASCAR has done. Too many rules and always changing them will only confuse the fan and make it impossible to understand the sport.

Hakkinen Schumacher were great days, and a saving grace may be that those days weren't really that long ago, the powers that be in F1 don't have that far to look to have answers.

[guest]

Geting rid of pit stops sounds good, but there is a downside. Imagine if Schumacher qualifies on pole and pulls out a gap in the first five laps. The race is over. With pitstops even an unexciting race holds potential and that is all that is required. The potential for excitement, like someone said things don't have to happen but fans should feel that there is potential for something to happen.

[bernard]

We don't need any changes to make F1 more exciting! What are you thinking, getting rid of pitstops to increase overtaking? This is exactly what i was talking about! Don't make changes concerning the whole formula one just because this season things are the way they are. The whole trouble with F1 started because of "we need some dramatic changes" and then the qualifying changed for the worse, the parc ferme rules came. F1 was just great before the rulechanges! Why would you want to rip F1 off of everything it is, everything that makes it the best motorsport in the world?

The best thing to do would be to scrap parc ferme, scrap the qualifying system, go back to one tyremaker, and go back to the old point system.
But i guess this will never happen...
Guess F1 is ruined for ever, and it will only get worse. Hopefully the top teams will get their own series running, because there won't be people like Mosley deciding, it will be the top team bosses deciding, and frankly, they know a bit better than any CEO what good motorsport is about.

EDIT by Tomba: no personal attacks plz

[bernard]

Sorry, got a little out of line there...
It's just that this is an issue i feel very strongly about... once again, i do apologise if anyone got offended

[oneBMW]

Read Junes F1 Racing. Peter Windsor discusses in depth that changes aren't really necessary for F1 to thrive. He actually thinks that the risk should increase somewhat. Check it out.