I think the big issue for everyone is now how open about the strategy, conservation of fuel & looking after tyres is. Constant messages on the radio telling not only the driver/pit wall what is going on but every other team on the grid and the viewers too.
In years gone by the driver in front would have no idea if the driver behind had good/bad tyres, enough fuel to push hard, braking imbalance, down force problems or engine issues. Now they know everything which means they don't have to push because they know that the car behind can't/won't/decided not too.
Similarly the car behind doesn't push to attack the car in front because they know from all the broadcast telemetry that the car in front has more fuel, good tyres, no engine gremlins etc.
All communication to the driver during the race should be delivered by the pit boards or in the pit stops. No telemetry from the car should be accessible to the team (during the race) except safety issues like imminent brake failure, puncture etc whereby a single pit stop/danger light is illuminated on the steering wheel. The driver can still talk to the pit wall to give orders such as "more wing on the front" or "option tyres in the next stop", but no feedback to them from the pits other than confirmation they have received the message should be allowed.
Make the drivers drive, make them choose how they manage the car, make them responsible for all driving decisions not a battery of PC's hooked up around the world deciding that tweak of dial 78 two clicks clockwise will save the fuel required. *
Make the team responsible for making a car that the driver can drive for the whole race without needing a Ctrl/Alt/Del reset every few laps & one that has more than enough fuel & reliability to let them race the b*lloc*s off it to either catch or stay in front of the opposition. *The team could be allowed to make changes to the car from the wall but the driver would not be made aware of them specifically, for example the pits could adjust the fuel mix to ensure the car get to the end but the driver would not know, or they could change a setting to adjust the brake balance if they are in danger of running out before the end of the race. Again a light on the wheel could illuminate to let the driver know that a change has been made but it's up to them to work out what and adapt accordingly.
Another benefit of cutting out all the pit to driver communication and forcing the driver to be fully responsible for the car once the lights go out is that the teams would have to actually start employing the best drivers that are available to drive for them instead of looking for rich kids wanting the ultimate fairground ride who can buy their way into a car. I know some of the pay drivers are reasonably good but wouldn't it be better to have the cream of the crop in every car, people have have earned the right to drive by racing and out performing in other classes first on their own merits.
Lots of comments in the practice coverage about grid penalties etc.
I've got to say looking at the grid I think the penalties are correct.
Mclaren Honda put to the back and given stop and go as well I think. When you look at this it is fair. The penalties are terrible for Mclaren Honda and I sympathise but they are doing a terrible job they deserve this terrible out come.
Manor are a couple of rows ahead of mclaren don't know if they are going to beat them overall but for a good while they will be showing ahead of Mclaren. Right now it's a fair showing Manor have sourced a better engine and are paying for it so they deserve to take the benefit of this.
Also looking at Kimi he has moved up four places. Great out come too. Kimi's only crime is some errors in quailfying. He is not using extra components against the rules. Also he should be an exciting car going to finish the GP and fight back towards the front. So now he is moved towards the top ten he can come back in to play sooner perhapes some good battles with cars on a similar pace throught the GP.
So some good stuff coming from the penalties really even if they are swore for some.
Reading various articles on F1 at present makes it seem far less like a sporting event and rather like an elaborate procession.
Half way through the year, we get repetitive races, the exception being when there is bad weather or a crash to spice things up.
What position will Button and Alonso start the race from today, considering Button has a 25 place grid penalty in a 20 car race? Did he need to bother with qulifying yesterday, same with Alonso?
McLaren have two great drivers, however this year F1 fans are not seeing their superlative talents, give it a year or so and both will be lost to the sport in a driving capacity, if this year hasn't dented their spirits altogether. I feel particualrly sorry for Alonso, who seems to be putting a corporate face on it all, and as always Button is the true professional when things aren't going well.
How many laps does Hamilton have to trundle round today, before we hear the UK and German national anthems?
Something needs doing quick to stop F1 from dying. Yes some of the midfield racing is close but really...who looks back over the years and cares who finished 5/6/7th ect. It needs to be close and exciting at the front and involve more than just Hamilton and Rosberg.
Look how far ahead they have finished over the last few races (have not included Monaco due to the safety car making it look a lot closer than it was)
Austrian ;
1 - Rosberg
2 - Hamilton + 8 seconds
3- Messa + 17 seconds
4- Vettel + 18 seconds
5- Bottas + 53 seconds
7th and below were lapped
Canadian
1 - Hamilton
2 - Rosberg + 2 seconds
3- Bottas + 40 seconds
4 - Kimi + 40 seconds
8th and below lapped
Just becoming a joke. Plus the rules are ruining the sport to, we had a slight chance of a race between Hamilton and Rosberg yesterday but noooo, just because Lewis went slightly over a white line...causing no danger or gaining a advantage he gets a 5 second penalty, thus denying the fans any chance of seeing a race. Yes rules are rules but they don't help themselves.
Also while in rant mode, what the f**k are McLaren playing at this season. They might as well just stop going to races for the rest of the year and just get a car that works next year. Alonso did well to crash out the 1st lap as no doubt it would of broke down by the 5th anyway
For goodness sake, can people stop talking about this Mercedes dominance as if it's something totally new and alien in F1. If the sport is dying because of the current lack of competitiveness at the front then it's been dying on and off since the sport started. McLaren, Williams, Ferrari & Red Bull have all enjoyed dominance more complete than Mercedes over the last 30 years, regularly winning races by 30 seconds plus and in extreme cases lapping everyone else.
The last race was actually, IMO, a good race with lots of enjoyable overtaking. Just because not much happened at the front doesn't mean it was boring. Mercedes are going to win the titles, that much is obvious, but Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest to a greater extent than I expected he would. This season is very reminiscent of Prost/Senna at their best. Behind them there's a great battle between Ferrari & Williams brewing and everyone else bar McLaren & Manor are involved in the mid-field scrap. McLaren's plight race by race is itself a bit of a Greek tragedy and Red Bull v Renault provides some light relief.
The races so far this season haven't been classics but neither have they been the worst we've ever seen. The idea that F1 is in crisis seems to me to be a narrative the media latched on to last season because some teams with influence were suddenly not doing as well as they had got used to and were throwing their toys out the pram. A vocal minority of the viewing public has jumped on this bandwagon, inevitably. One team in particular has continued to bang their drum about the sport needing a revamp this season because they're doing even worse than last season but suddenly the media seems to have woken up to the fact that talking about F1 being boring is shooting themselves in the foot somewhat.
For goodness sake, can people stop talking about this Mercedes dominance as if it's something totally new and alien in F1. If the sport is dying because of the current lack of competitiveness at the front then it's been dying on and off since the sport started. McLaren, Williams, Ferrari & Red Bull have all enjoyed dominance more complete than Mercedes over the last 30 years, regularly winning races by 30 seconds plus and in extreme cases lapping everyone else.
The last race was actually, IMO, a good race with lots of enjoyable overtaking. Just because not much happened at the front doesn't mean it was boring. Mercedes are going to win the titles, that much is obvious, but Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest to a greater extent than I expected he would. This season is very reminiscent of Prost/Senna at their best. Behind them there's a great battle between Ferrari & Williams brewing and everyone else bar McLaren & Manor are involved in the mid-field scrap. McLaren's plight race by race is itself a bit of a Greek tragedy and Red Bull v Renault provides some light relief.
The races so far this season haven't been classics but neither have they been the worst we've ever seen. The idea that F1 is in crisis seems to me to be a narrative the media latched on to last season because some teams with influence were suddenly not doing as well as they had got used to and were throwing their toys out the pram. A vocal minority of the viewing public has jumped on this bandwagon, inevitably. One team in particular has continued to bang their drum about the sport needing a revamp this season because they're doing even worse than last season but suddenly the media seems to have woken up to the fact that talking about F1 being boring is shooting themselves in the foot somewhat.
I'm in total agreement with you on these points. I nearly posted "Stop complaining", but I thought the irony would be lost on some.
The thing is, of course it's personally subjective. I'm sure some people are finding this season very boring. Fair enough. Maybe through what ever means he has at his disposal Bernie is getting feedback that F1 is being perceived as less exciting now than in the past. Again, fair enough. Objectively nothing much has changed in terms of the actual sport. So it comes down to perceptions and those are driven by so many different things. We live in a world of data overload where you can watch every second of the sport and see every timing screen no matter where you are. The sport hasn't changed but we have and the media has and I think that's where the fracture is. My personal view though is the sport shouldn't have to adapt because I cannot see how it can 'fit' with the modern desire for entertainment in all things.
For goodness sake, can people stop talking about this Mercedes dominance as if it's something totally new and alien in F1. If the sport is dying because of the current lack of competitiveness at the front then it's been dying on and off since the sport started. McLaren, Williams, Ferrari & Red Bull have all enjoyed dominance more complete than Mercedes over the last 30 years, regularly winning races by 30 seconds plus and in extreme cases lapping everyone else.
The last race was actually, IMO, a good race with lots of enjoyable overtaking. Just because not much happened at the front doesn't mean it was boring. Mercedes are going to win the titles, that much is obvious, but Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest to a greater extent than I expected he would. This season is very reminiscent of Prost/Senna at their best. Behind them there's a great battle between Ferrari & Williams brewing and everyone else bar McLaren & Manor are involved in the mid-field scrap. McLaren's plight race by race is itself a bit of a Greek tragedy and Red Bull v Renault provides some light relief.
The races so far this season haven't been classics but neither have they been the worst we've ever seen. The idea that F1 is in crisis seems to me to be a narrative the media latched on to last season because some teams with influence were suddenly not doing as well as they had got used to and were throwing their toys out the pram. A vocal minority of the viewing public has jumped on this bandwagon, inevitably. One team in particular has continued to bang their drum about the sport needing a revamp this season because they're doing even worse than last season but suddenly the media seems to have woken up to the fact that talking about F1 being boring is shooting themselves in the foot somewhat.
Spot on, all the big teams have been dominant through the years and I bet they did not complain at the time.
For goodness sake, can people stop talking about this Mercedes dominance as if it's something totally new and alien in F1. If the sport is dying because of the current lack of competitiveness at the front then it's been dying on and off since the sport started. McLaren, Williams, Ferrari & Red Bull have all enjoyed dominance more complete than Mercedes over the last 30 years, regularly winning races by 30 seconds plus and in extreme cases lapping everyone else.
The last race was actually, IMO, a good race with lots of enjoyable overtaking. Just because not much happened at the front doesn't mean it was boring. Mercedes are going to win the titles, that much is obvious, but Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest to a greater extent than I expected he would. This season is very reminiscent of Prost/Senna at their best. Behind them there's a great battle between Ferrari & Williams brewing and everyone else bar McLaren & Manor are involved in the mid-field scrap. McLaren's plight race by race is itself a bit of a Greek tragedy and Red Bull v Renault provides some light relief.
The races so far this season haven't been classics but neither have they been the worst we've ever seen. The idea that F1 is in crisis seems to me to be a narrative the media latched on to last season because some teams with influence were suddenly not doing as well as they had got used to and were throwing their toys out the pram. A vocal minority of the viewing public has jumped on this bandwagon, inevitably. One team in particular has continued to bang their drum about the sport needing a revamp this season because they're doing even worse than last season but suddenly the media seems to have woken up to the fact that talking about F1 being boring is shooting themselves in the foot somewhat.
I agree that there have been plenty of dull races in years past.
However, what makes it so bad now is that the cars are so relatively easy to drive and that there is so little suspense when we can hear what the teams are telling their drivers all the time.
I get the frustration Renault and to a certain extent Honda must be feeling, and by proxy their customer or partner teams. The tight regulations on engine development is really hurting them. I don't really get Red Bull's stance on this, though. They are acting like a spoiled child who's had it's toys confiscated and must know how negative this reflects on them. There's obviously something more to it. I don't for a second think it's because after 4 good years they're suddenly not competitive.
I think we all realised it was going to be a re-run of last year with the Hamilton/Rosberg scenario. But what disappoints me is being denied seeing the two old timers racing each other at McLaren. AFAIAC it was the only thing to look forward to.
With hindsight, Jenson probably wishes he had left the frustration/embarrassment to Magnusson.
Interesting goings on in F1 from a business perspective - A guy called Stephen Ross who owns the Miami Dolphins is in negotiations with CVC to buy their 35% stake in F1. The deal includes Qatar Sports Investement who own PSG football team. Not sure how quickly any deal (if it goes through) will happen but it could finally be the end of Bernie is it does. Will also almost certainly mean we finally get that second race in the states (what ever happened to the New Jersey shoreline race?).
The biggest problem I find with F1 these days is the rules and regs. Too many silly rules and drivers getting penalised for the smallest of things, which ends up ruining the races. Obviously rules have to set otherwise there would be anarchy but there needs to be some leniency in place. For example the pit lane exit line that Hamilton crossed should not have been given a penalty. For minor things like that a warning/strike should be issued first and if a driver does the same thing again then penalise them.
Don't get me started on the whole racing incident penalities. They are ruining any real action because drivers just don't know where they stand. The 'stewards' seem to want to penalise anyone that makes contact. What happened to just letting the drivers race and only penalise for deliberate rammings/dangerous driving?
The worst thing is when they penalise and apply penalities at the end of the race and apply them to the following weekend instead. That is just plain silly, penalising a driver and/or team for the next race. Just either disqualify them from the final race standings or apply a time penalty for the current race.
The penalites for engines/gearboxes and other mechanical failures are also becoming increasingly annoying. Again, ruining some teams race weekend before it's even started. I know they have to cut costs somewhere but surely this is the wrong way to go about it? Maybe the tech they're using is just not good/reliable enough (there seems to be always problems with Kers/batteries and the brake by wire stuff for example).
They really need to get back to the fastest and loudest machines and if that means getting rid of all this eco friendly tech, then so be it. The whole eco stuff is ruining the sport too. The biggest problem is that F1 is supposedly the 'pinnacle' of latest technology, which is true to a certain extent. The problem now is that the engine manufacturers involved are only in it to advance all this new eco tech that certain aspects of they eventually filter down into their road cars, so basically advertising their latest tech. Would they stay if rules changed back to normal v8 or even v10 engines, without all this energy saving crap?
As others pointed out already, get rid of all this team radio nonsense. There is just too much info forced onto us and it gives away all the strategies and makes the drivers seem like idiots when they're being told what to do. Maybe they need to go back to pit boards and only have a radio strictly for emergency use. You'll always have the pundits and pit reporters trying to guess and work out the strategies but I'd rather have just that rather than the actual radio messages we have now.
For example the pit lane exit line that Hamilton crossed should not have been given a penalty. For minor things like that a warning/strike should be issued first and if a driver does the same thing again then penalise them.
You're absolutely wrong on this one. Respecting the pit exit line is a fundamental aspect of F1 safety and there are no shades of grey. You'll note that no-one objected the penalty at the weekend despite it basically ruining any hope Hamilton had of winning. Unlike track limits which are applied on a corner-by-corner, track-by-track basis (which I personally think is wrong), the pit exit rule has to be an absolute applied across all tracks in the same way that overtaking under a red flag (Vettel in Canada) is an absolute no-no no matter what the circumstance.
Yeah, maybe not a good example to use. To be fair though, I thought the 5sec penalty was reasonable. I think it's mainly all the engine/gearbox penalties which are the most annoying, same with penalties that ''roll-over'' to the next race.
Comments
A great post. I totally agree.
I've got to say looking at the grid I think the penalties are correct.
Mclaren Honda put to the back and given stop and go as well I think. When you look at this it is fair. The penalties are terrible for Mclaren Honda and I sympathise but they are doing a terrible job they deserve this terrible out come.
Manor are a couple of rows ahead of mclaren don't know if they are going to beat them overall but for a good while they will be showing ahead of Mclaren. Right now it's a fair showing Manor have sourced a better engine and are paying for it so they deserve to take the benefit of this.
Also looking at Kimi he has moved up four places. Great out come too. Kimi's only crime is some errors in quailfying. He is not using extra components against the rules. Also he should be an exciting car going to finish the GP and fight back towards the front. So now he is moved towards the top ten he can come back in to play sooner perhapes some good battles with cars on a similar pace throught the GP.
So some good stuff coming from the penalties really even if they are swore for some.
Reading various articles on F1 at present makes it seem far less like a sporting event and rather like an elaborate procession.
Half way through the year, we get repetitive races, the exception being when there is bad weather or a crash to spice things up.
What position will Button and Alonso start the race from today, considering Button has a 25 place grid penalty in a 20 car race? Did he need to bother with qulifying yesterday, same with Alonso?
McLaren have two great drivers, however this year F1 fans are not seeing their superlative talents, give it a year or so and both will be lost to the sport in a driving capacity, if this year hasn't dented their spirits altogether. I feel particualrly sorry for Alonso, who seems to be putting a corporate face on it all, and as always Button is the true professional when things aren't going well.
How many laps does Hamilton have to trundle round today, before we hear the UK and German national anthems?
Glad both walked away from that, could have been nasty.
But then Im a die hard Maclaren fan...
Don't rate him, I'll never forgive him for the brolly.
Look how far ahead they have finished over the last few races (have not included Monaco due to the safety car making it look a lot closer than it was)
Austrian ;
1 - Rosberg
2 - Hamilton + 8 seconds
3- Messa + 17 seconds
4- Vettel + 18 seconds
5- Bottas + 53 seconds
7th and below were lapped
Canadian
1 - Hamilton
2 - Rosberg + 2 seconds
3- Bottas + 40 seconds
4 - Kimi + 40 seconds
8th and below lapped
Spanish
1 - Rosberg
2 - Hamilton + 17 seconds
3 - Vettel + 45 seconds
4 - Bottas + 59 seconds
7th and below lapped
Just becoming a joke. Plus the rules are ruining the sport to, we had a slight chance of a race between Hamilton and Rosberg yesterday but noooo, just because Lewis went slightly over a white line...causing no danger or gaining a advantage he gets a 5 second penalty, thus denying the fans any chance of seeing a race. Yes rules are rules but they don't help themselves.
Also while in rant mode, what the f**k are McLaren playing at this season. They might as well just stop going to races for the rest of the year and just get a car that works next year. Alonso did well to crash out the 1st lap as no doubt it would of broke down by the 5th anyway
The last race was actually, IMO, a good race with lots of enjoyable overtaking. Just because not much happened at the front doesn't mean it was boring. Mercedes are going to win the titles, that much is obvious, but Rosberg is keeping Hamilton honest to a greater extent than I expected he would. This season is very reminiscent of Prost/Senna at their best. Behind them there's a great battle between Ferrari & Williams brewing and everyone else bar McLaren & Manor are involved in the mid-field scrap. McLaren's plight race by race is itself a bit of a Greek tragedy and Red Bull v Renault provides some light relief.
The races so far this season haven't been classics but neither have they been the worst we've ever seen. The idea that F1 is in crisis seems to me to be a narrative the media latched on to last season because some teams with influence were suddenly not doing as well as they had got used to and were throwing their toys out the pram. A vocal minority of the viewing public has jumped on this bandwagon, inevitably. One team in particular has continued to bang their drum about the sport needing a revamp this season because they're doing even worse than last season but suddenly the media seems to have woken up to the fact that talking about F1 being boring is shooting themselves in the foot somewhat.
I'm in total agreement with you on these points. I nearly posted "Stop complaining", but I thought the irony would be lost on some.
Spot on, all the big teams have been dominant through the years and I bet they did not complain at the time.
Austria is a decent enough track. It is just the cars and technology that make the racing boring.
I agree that there have been plenty of dull races in years past.
However, what makes it so bad now is that the cars are so relatively easy to drive and that there is so little suspense when we can hear what the teams are telling their drivers all the time.
With hindsight, Jenson probably wishes he had left the frustration/embarrassment to Magnusson.
Oh they complained. Since about 1992- Williams, Ferrari, Red Bull and now Mercedes.
Personally i didnt mind too much, it was up to the rest to catch up, difference today is teams cant catch up because development is restricted.
Don't get me started on the whole racing incident penalities. They are ruining any real action because drivers just don't know where they stand. The 'stewards' seem to want to penalise anyone that makes contact. What happened to just letting the drivers race and only penalise for deliberate rammings/dangerous driving?
The worst thing is when they penalise and apply penalities at the end of the race and apply them to the following weekend instead. That is just plain silly, penalising a driver and/or team for the next race. Just either disqualify them from the final race standings or apply a time penalty for the current race.
The penalites for engines/gearboxes and other mechanical failures are also becoming increasingly annoying. Again, ruining some teams race weekend before it's even started. I know they have to cut costs somewhere but surely this is the wrong way to go about it? Maybe the tech they're using is just not good/reliable enough (there seems to be always problems with Kers/batteries and the brake by wire stuff for example).
They really need to get back to the fastest and loudest machines and if that means getting rid of all this eco friendly tech, then so be it. The whole eco stuff is ruining the sport too. The biggest problem is that F1 is supposedly the 'pinnacle' of latest technology, which is true to a certain extent. The problem now is that the engine manufacturers involved are only in it to advance all this new eco tech that certain aspects of they eventually filter down into their road cars, so basically advertising their latest tech. Would they stay if rules changed back to normal v8 or even v10 engines, without all this energy saving crap?
As others pointed out already, get rid of all this team radio nonsense. There is just too much info forced onto us and it gives away all the strategies and makes the drivers seem like idiots when they're being told what to do. Maybe they need to go back to pit boards and only have a radio strictly for emergency use. You'll always have the pundits and pit reporters trying to guess and work out the strategies but I'd rather have just that rather than the actual radio messages we have now.
You're absolutely wrong on this one. Respecting the pit exit line is a fundamental aspect of F1 safety and there are no shades of grey. You'll note that no-one objected the penalty at the weekend despite it basically ruining any hope Hamilton had of winning. Unlike track limits which are applied on a corner-by-corner, track-by-track basis (which I personally think is wrong), the pit exit rule has to be an absolute applied across all tracks in the same way that overtaking under a red flag (Vettel in Canada) is an absolute no-no no matter what the circumstance.
They should only use the 5s for very minor infrigements. Anything which clearly has a safety impact should be a drive through at least.