Having a large field has upsides and downsides. Maybe interesting to have a look into these pro's and contra's?

pro:

*more on track action
*more chance of cars breaking down
*...

contra's:

*qwf in monaco
*enough pitboxes?
*...

Especially the qwf in monaco: it's gonna be a mess, don't you think. I'm afraid that grand prix will be decided by luck concerning the grid position => qwf! How do you guys think it will pan out?

grtz

At the moment the quality of the new entrants is up in the air... if they prove to be competitive then it will be a good thing, with more on-track action and more opportunities for new drivers to show what they can do.

If however the new teams are all crap (which will probably be the case) then it'll just be a big grid for the sake of a big grid. The on-track action will be the same as it is now, except for the fact that there's no Toyotas and BMWs. Sure, it will give rookie drivers more opportunities, but for the fans it'll be same-old-same-old.

And what is "qwf"? There's no W in Qualifying...

Anyone remember the old days when there was actually such a thing as a DNQ?

It's not a big grid for the sake of it. It's a big grid for the sake of the future of F1.

We need new blood in F1 and they need to start somewhere.

26 or 28 cars is bigger than most touring car grids! And you how much bash and crash happens there! ;)

In theory, it should increase the number of biff and barge incidents and general kerfuffle...

Bring it on!
Also having more cars which will likely be slower will increase backmarkers for the leaders to pass and will create opportunities for overtaking if they get it wrong.

I don't see that many teams.- Toyota - Super Aguri + Manor GP + Lotus + Campos + USF1 = 4 more cars. It doesn't look like it will be that much.

So many people worried about manufacturers leaving and there were no manufacturers but Ferrari and Honda before 2002. Where was Renault? Still Benetton. Where was BMW? Still Sauber. Where was Toyota? Nowhere. Manufacturers leaving as teams don't mean their engines and car parts won't come back in the near future. It doesn't even mean they won't eventually come back as full time teams.

How about smaller field? Eight or six best of the best? (Quality over quantity).

Pro's -

More crashes, love seeing crashes (as long as no one is hurt)
More overtakes


Con's -

Devalued F1 brand, the 4 new teams are going to finish a few laps down on Ferrari/McLaren

I always wonder why that is such a problem. Fernando Alonso still shone in the Minardi, albeit seconds of the pace. Did that devalue the F1 brand? What would devalue the brand of F1 is when a new team came in and immediately was as fast as the Ferrari. Look at tennis. Kim Clijsters came back after motherhood... and wins the US Open! That doesn't reflect well on the level (and brand) of womens tennis in my books!

I am supportive of the new teams coming into F1 even if I have very low expectations for all of them bar maybe Manor but whatever happens the new teams will be nowhere near the level of BMW / Toyota / Renault if they leave so the quality of racing will go down and the gap to the good teams/poor teams increase

This season the gap between first and last was at one session 1.2 secs, that was quality, next season with the new teams it will for sure be nearer 5 or 6 seconds

So what if it makes Q in Monaco a bit harder? That's surely a plus as it will add an elemnet of excitement and possibly shake the grid up. There is plenty of time within the session for them to get a clear run.

There are more than enough pit boxes at all circuits to accomodate the teams.

I understand your position. But remember that in the golden era of F1 (at least; what people call the golden era of F1) the difference between the pole and the number 10 in qualifying was two seconds... Furthermore, I think that qualifying doesn't reflect the real potentials of cars anymore, not even the Q2 qualifying. I think the engineers and drivers with all telemetry today are able to squeeze out very competitive times, but that in the race the real speed of the cars comes forward. And there you will see that field is not driving within 1.2 seconds of eachother any more...

A large field means more efficient farming, but fewer hedgerows. Don't under-estimate the importance of hedgerows.

More is always better! And merrier!

I can see drivers complaining a lot more often about the traffic,during both the Quali sessions and the races...Apart from that,should be all good.

I don't think the new teams will be thaaaat far off the pace. Aerorules are pretty strict and there's so much you can do, for sure they will not stand any chance for big succes but the battle between them will be pretty ok hopefully.

Also it's not like we never had this before, 26 used to be the norm. We just had a small grid in the past years.
About Monaco that was already messy now, they should probably make an exception there, make the q1 longer or so + limit the amount of laps

There's nothing wrong with a big grid unless you're a small team with problems qualifying.
Other than that, it's a win-win scenario.
26 is my ideal number.

More cars means more bang for your buck if you're watching a gp live. You get to see more cars on the track.

I hope there is 26 cars on the grid next year, the last few years with 22 then 20 cars has made it look so empty, no idea what people are on about not beign enough room, Im guessing they havent been watching F1 for that long heheh

I am not sure how many racing fans are actully realising, how many cars they do follow during a race? I probably can monitor less than five in reality. I think a concept of "many cars" is a paradox similar to digital watch, which I think is not as smart invention, as many would think, because very seldom one checks his wrist watch to know what time it is. Usually we actully wish to know how much time we have before next event occurs. This is why I do prefer analog watch (saves me maths ).
With racing I see the same thing, because I know I cannot follow 30 cars and enjoy race of a driver I support; hek, I do not know much about next ten cars. I do follow a driver that I support, his closest competitors around him, and one or two "dark horses" within the race. I really do not need 26 cars for that. Instead, I want a small cluster of cars and drivers who can overtake each other, because environment they racing in supports it. That's representive quality factor over quantity.

I see no problems at all.
F1 had 26 (or more) entries for years. The fastest 26 in qualifying started the race, at Monaco the fastest 20 started the race.

GC

You're spot-on about a lot of things,but more cars also means there's more opportunities for overtaking. So there would be an increased number of midfield/back-of-the-grid battles and jostling for position,and consequently more TV coverage...More fun.

26 cars used to be the standard on the grid for the longest time, we're now just restoring that, but seems like some people got so used to the undersized grids during the last decade or so that they're now seeing problems where there are none.

Not that long ago we had more than 30 cars entered in the championship, yet they all managed well in qualifying in Monaco and elsewhere. And now we look back at those times with nostalgia, remembering how racing used to be good back then compared to what we have now.

Therefore i say: Bring it on, the more the merrier!!!

Well, as long as my hero comes out of the first two corners with all body parts attached, then I do not mind. Problem is, grid being so close, chance to loose time because of no fault on your own during wet condition or because you get a spoiler and can't get clean air on quali lap are enormous. Consequently one is exposed to risk ending up on the starting grid back and in proximity of cars with need "to go and touch someone". I surely would be concerned.

What's Super Aguri got to do with anything?

BAD: expect to see tail enders getting lapped by about 12-14 laps into the race.

GOOD: Young drivers can get a break and learn their craft away from the spotlight again

Who cares about their logistics. I don't work in F1 I'm just a fan. Logistics are their problem - a problem they are nicely compensated for I will say.

I want entertainment, I want action, I want to feel the passion, I want intrigue.....on the track not in the courts or a Chelsea dungeon.

F1 was great in the pre-qual days. I loved the the suspense of it all. I was great seeing the "minnows" fight for a spot in the "big show". And who was the beneficiary? Us the fans. More cars on track for longer periods. Loved it and it needs to come back.

hope you are not watching F1 just for that

That's probably because your watching on TV, but when I'm trackside I want to see as many cars as possible. I can still follow the ones I wnat and have something to watch when they are round the otherside of the track.

I am unable to see as much racing trackside as on television. My experience is that the cars go by so fast and you never get up to 5 secs to view a particular car before it disappears for another 2 mins - depending on the lap time.

It is true one will see more cars if the field is larger but whether it adds value is debatable.

If there is more than 20 cars on the grid I'll be positively surprised. I'm very doubtfull who can make it to the grid and who can make it trough the season.

That all depends on where you view from. At Silverstone I always sit in the Stowe grand stands, from there I can see the cars all the way down Hangar Straight, thru Stowe, Club and on up to Bridge. That's one reason why I'm not keen on the new pit proposal, as it will block some of this view.

I feel the same way. After all, they're still Formula 1 cars even if they are seconds slower. IMO, it wouldn't devalue anything - instead, it would further demonstrate how difficult it is to be really good at Grand Prix racing...

Thanks. That is also the reason I 'like' that Toyota is leaving. Not that I wish them ill, but I think it's a nice evidence that money can't buy you victories after all...

Forget about it. These days, coming by sponsors is hard enough, but who would sponsor a team that might not ever actually appear in a GP? What team would ship all of their shit out to Australia, when they might not even get to appear in quali?? It is a great idea, (one that I would love to see come back), but financially, it would be impossible.

EDIT: Thinking about it, rather than the current tender system, what would be cool is for the top 10 teams from the last season to be guaranteed a spot, and any team that want's to build an F1 car has an off season championship whereby the top 3 teams get the final 3 spots for the next F1 season. This would also allow the bottom teams more testing time, (through racing), to be competitive for the next season. It would also give us something to watch through the off season.

Sounds good, but contractually complicated.

26 is not a large field. 20 is a small field though.

Why does this not surprise me in the least.

I used to go and see three races in Europe. Later it came down to one, and like this year, I got stuck in the office, and couldn't go and see even that one race I was hoping for. So it's down to TV. If you can go to 18 races, than you are not only lucky, but I think also very unique, because most people have just tube and computer for seeing races. (So I am guessing).

At another level, as someone correctly pointed out, value of one over another is debatable. Going to the track brings tension, anticipation, excitement in form of smell, noise, visual, etc. On TV actually you have more information and can follow a driver over whole track length, which is not bad.

18 races, if only.

The problem with TV is you don't get to see the effort the backmarkers are actually putting in. FA and LH in particular were wringing the necks out of their cars and having a fair old battle at Silverstone despite being at the wrong end of the pack. When I watched the TV coverage later you really didnt get to see it. So yes you have far more information, but can still miss out.

I'm sorry, you've confused me with someone who gives a shit where they find sponsors. Sponsorship is their problem not mine. I'm just a fan.

Fine. I am just telling you why pre quali couldn't happen. Their problem makes it a problem, which is why it won't happen.

Wish as much as you like, it still won't happen.

I just hope a few of them can get in the way of Hamilton.... I doubt we'll have to wait long for him to refer to anyone who's not in a top 5 car as a monkey again.

Indeed.

From memory, in Australia the top four or five teams have 4 pit bays each, and every other team has 3. Then there's a spare or two that the FIA use, and then there's the one designated for the scrutineers. So that's at least 36 individual garages.

I'm sure it's the same at most circuits. There's plenty of room if everyone just tightens up a bit.

A problem or emergency on their part sure as hell doesn't consitute a problem or emergency on my part. If they have 6, 10, 14, 20 cars - fine. Of course the more the merrier, but afterall it's just F1.

Yeah, that was in the 1980s and 1990s when you could start a team for $500,000. Today, Campos have the smallest budget at forty-eight million.

So you tell me: with start-up costs that high, who in their right mind is going to join the Formula One grid if there's a chance tey won't even be able to race?

Because the list I can think of is so short it has no names on it.

This will be BAD i can just hear leggard now:

"And around they all come,
Over the hill, Round the bend,
Button, Barrichello, Trulli, Webber, Hamilton, ........ ....... Someone driving a lotus
Its brawn from ferrari from brawn from red bull from brawn from mclaren,
Here comes sato in a... is that a toyota? no cant be!"
Martin: "Lewis is leading the ra...."
LEggard: "IS IT GONNA BE GOOD ENOUGH??? ... NO!"

Life F1 had that much money?

The point is that it costs nearly a hundred times more to enter Formula One now than it did twenty years ago, and that's if you want to be competitive agaisnt Campos. It's going to cost you even more from there on in. So how many teams would be willing to spend fifty million dollars just to make the grid - and spend more if they want to be competitive - if there's a chance they on't even be able to race at all?

Pre-qualifying won't work.

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