52 replies to this topic

[sosidge]

Open up the rules, stop the restrictions, make it about technical superiority and pure racing, and if costs spiral, let it destroy the teams.

 

Motorsport needs a top class and if F1 as we know it dies, a new, leaner, better class will take it's place.

 

Too much time has been spent on trying to improve F1 by controlling it - and it has failed. So lets stop controlling it, and let it fail honourably, if that is its destiny.

[Donkey]

I agree, we should abolish slavery.

[TomNokoe]

Viva la revolución

[Seanspeed]

Yes, something will just magically take its place.

I think you've bought too much into the whole 'everything will work out in the end' dream that your mother told you when you were 5. Reality is not as kind, unfortunately.

[JHSingo]

I think it'll destroy itself sooner rather than later, the way it is going at the moment. It needs big, big change, and at the moment the powers-that-be seem to be spunking it up the wall while Rome burns, or whatever that saying is...

 

And you know what? I never, ever thought I'd say this, having been an F1 fan for as long as I have. But if it does cease to be, I couldn't care less right now.

 

It's so frustrating to see them making such a mess of something I once cared so deeply for. But these days, it's blindingly obvious that F1 is little to do with racing, and is simply about money and politics.

 

I'm just thankful other forms of racing, while nowhere near as popular, are in good health. IndyCar racing is tremendously exciting and entertaining. Sportscar racing is going from strength to strength at the moment too. They're so much purer, and so much more easier to enjoy than F1 at the moment. There's nowhere near the political nonsense or asshattery that is rife in F1, thank goodness.

 

I'm not sure if that answers your question or not. But yeah, basically, if F1 collapsed tomorrow, as weird as this sounds, I'd actually be quite pleased about it.

[ConsiderAndGo]

Formula 1 will implode within the next 10 years anyway, regardless of what is or isn't done.

[SealTheDiffuser]

Open up the rules, stop the restrictions, make it about technical superiority and pure racing, and if costs spiral, let it destroy the teams.

 

Motorsport needs a top class and if F1 as we know it dies, a new, leaner, better class will take it's place.

 

Too much time has been spent on trying to improve F1 by controlling it - and it has failed. So lets stop controlling it, and let it fail honourably, if that is its destiny.

 

are you Jeb Bush trying fix the USA?

[SealTheDiffuser]

Formula 1 will implode within the next 10 years anyway, regardless of what is or isn't done.

 

and there won't be a comeback

Edited by SealTheDiffuser, 17 June 2015 - 20:51.

[SR388]

What exactly is wrong with F1?

So it's too expensive. I understand. Why don't we stop giving Ferrari a ton of money for just being Ferrari? Distribute that money better.

Ticket prices are way too expensive. Perhaps old Bernie needs to stop charging the tracks so damn much.

What else is wrong with the sport?

Edited by SR388, 17 June 2015 - 21:16.

[Scotracer]

So purposefully put thousands of people out of work?

[KingTiger]

Except the FIA and the teams don't want that, so they've put in all forms of cost control.

[David Lightman]

I think Zak Brown will replace Bernie and I think he'll do a damned fine job, he seems the obvious candidate and I hope he does it soon, despite having just become CEO of CSM.

[K20a]

Bernie will die soon anyway

[SR388]

Bernie will die soon anyway

That sounds mean. I don't like the guy, but I'm not going to put him on the clock.

No he won't. Guys like him tend to live what seems like forever.

[Fastcake]

Yes, something will just magically take its place.

I think you've bought too much into the whole 'everything will work out in the end' dream that your mother told you when you were 5. Reality is not as kind, unfortunately.

 

Not only will something not end up taking its place, the end of F1 will start hitting every other motorsport series going as well. Without F1, there's no motorsport on the main channels, no drivers with any public recognition and next to no coverage in the non-specialist media. Formula One is very much a gateway to all other forms of motorsport. I'm sure that most of the audience for Le Mans or the European viewers of Indycar only started watching after becoming having their interest in motorsport piqued by following F1.

[P123]

I think it'll destroy itself sooner rather than later, the way it is going at the moment. It needs big, big change, and at the moment the powers-that-be seem to be spunking it up the wall while Rome burns, or whatever that saying is...
 
And you know what? I never, ever thought I'd say this, having been an F1 fan for as long as I have. But if it does cease to be, I couldn't care less right now.
 
It's so frustrating to see them making such a mess of something I once cared so deeply for. But these days, it's blindingly obvious that F1 is little to do with racing, and is simply about money and politics.
 
I'm just thankful other forms of racing, while nowhere near as popular, are in good health. IndyCar racing is tremendously exciting and entertaining. Sportscar racing is going from strength to strength at the moment too. They're so much purer, and so much more easier to enjoy than F1 at the moment. There's nowhere near the political nonsense or asshattery that is rife in F1, thank goodness.
 
I'm not sure if that answers your question or not. But yeah, basically, if F1 collapsed tomorrow, as weird as this sounds, I'd actually be quite pleased about it.

When in your lifetime has F1 been anything but about money and politics!? I guess the years of FIA manipulation passed you by! As rigged as a FIFA world cup vote. And you keep harping on about it, so you care more than you admit. Those series and categories you mention have suffered their own fallow years, and they've also had periods where they've been a hell of a lot more enjoyable than F1.

I'm sure this will quickly fill up with those honest folk no longer watch but really still do, those who have the very original "I fell asleep" summation of watching the races, like they're incapable of doing something else with their Sunday afternoons, and those who can't remember how shitty the refuelling era was.

[Fatgadget]

I cant wait for the internet to just  die and everything be like it was in the good old days...

[hittheapex]

What exactly is wrong with F1?

So it's too expensive. I understand. Why don't we stop giving Ferrari a ton of money for just being Ferrari? Distribute that money better.

Ticket prices are way too expensive. Perhaps old Bernie needs to stop charging the tracks so damn much.

What else is wrong with the sport?

These are the two fundamentals, and the two biggest problems to fix in my opinion. First one, big teams aren't going to sacrifice their privileged position where they get more money even in a shambolic year just for turning up. Being the competitive animals they are. I'd expect the same from the smaller teams if the tables were turned.

 

Circuit fees, whcih have the knock on effect on ticket prices, well we know how Bernie is by now. Only way that's going to change is if CVC deal is declared null and void by the EU. Even if it is, that's probably going to take ages, and there will probably be an appeal to drag it out if the decision goes against CVC so we're probably talking years rather than months here.

 

What else is wrong? Tinkering with and over complicating the rules every few years, which drives up the cost, confuses fans and most of the time doesn't achieve the objectives behind the rule change anyway. The only one that is probably an unqualified success is DRS. Whether you like it or not (I don't), it did increase passing.

 

What would I do to fix it? I'm not sure any of the above can be fixed without the whole thing collapsing and starting again with a clean sheet of paper so the entrenched barriers of the current way the sport is governed can be knocked down. In the long term, I think taht's what needs ot happen to build a sustainable series, whether it's called F1, or something like "GP1".

 

One thing they could give a try though is to allow teams to run different sponsorship deals on their cars, as is allowed in Indycar. It increases the flexibility for the teams and might help the medium to small teams who are struggling for sponsors. Instead of backing two cars, more sceptical sponsors only have to back one. Every little helps.

[HeadFirst]

Anyone who thinks the death of F1 will ultimately lead to a better racing series, should read up on the death of CART.

[BillBald]

I cant wait for the internet to just  die and everything be like it was in the good old days...

 

Mobile phones are the worst. People have lost their god-given right to become completely lost and out of touch with everyone they know.

[Atreiu]

Race circuits will more likely become prime real estate than sit around for F1 eventual replacement.

 

So I think saving is better than just letting the chips fall down.

[HP]

I am of the opinion that F1 needs to start over again with new leadership, new contracts etc.

 

It might work, if the new leadership looks careful at past success and failures in F1, plus and that is most important, it can gain the support of the viewership in an instant. Ideally this would be achieved by reforming itself. If that is possible is an entire different matter. I think Mr. Ecclestone, the FIA is the least of all problem in all of this. It's about future leaders preparing themselves to take up the helm when their time has come. What would we think if the future leadership - that will happen one day, as people are getting older - try to blame their woes on their predecessors. We need leaders, not blame-shifters.

 

And the FIA would do well to peel their eyes for new leaders that are doing a great job in less visible events.

[chunder27]

I agree with this topic.

 

For me, fans are just as much to blame as Bernie, the FIA etc.

 

If you continually hand over your hard earned paying insane ticket prices to watch a bunch of rank amateur celebrity, over paid children attempting to out radio message each other, what do you expect the governing and promotion teams to do?

 

Stop subscribing to SKY, stop buying overpriced F1 magazines, stop buying race tickets. Stop paying 40 quid to watch testing for Gods sake.

 

They will soon start doing something about it if you all stopped contributing to what it is now.

[Jon83]

I agree with this topic.

 

For me, fans are just as much to blame as Bernie, the FIA etc.

 

If you continually hand over your hard earned paying insane ticket prices to watch a bunch of rank amateur celebrity, over paid children attempting to out radio message each other, what do you expect the governing and promotion teams to do?

 

Stop subscribing to SKY, stop buying overpriced F1 magazines, stop buying race tickets. Stop paying 40 quid to watch testing for Gods sake.

 

They will soon start doing something about it if you all stopped contributing to what it is now.

 

Maybe some people still enjoy doing all of these things? I have Sky (not just for F1) and plan to go to a race again next year for the first time since 2011 - can't wait.

 

 

I agree that F1 needs to change but I'm not going to join in the lust for its destruction which will result in, as already pointed out, thousands of job losses and won't magically result in a new improved F1 anyway.

[hittheapex]

I agree with this topic.

 

For me, fans are just as much to blame as Bernie, the FIA etc.

 

If you continually hand over your hard earned paying insane ticket prices to watch a bunch of rank amateur celebrity, over paid children attempting to out radio message each other, what do you expect the governing and promotion teams to do?

 

Stop subscribing to SKY, stop buying overpriced F1 magazines, stop buying race tickets. Stop paying 40 quid to watch testing for Gods sake.

 

They will soon start doing something about it if you all stopped contributing to what it is now.

This. All the fury over double points and almost everybody continued to watch. What kind of message does that send out...Bernie and the teams don't give a monkey's about ineffectual forum posts or online petitions. They look at the viewing figures. It's no coincidence they are having meetings about shaking things up as the figures continue to fall.

[Jon83]

This. All the fury over double points and almost everybody continued to watch. What kind of message does that send out...Bernie and the teams don't give a monkey's about ineffectual forum posts or online petitions. They look at the viewing figures. It's no coincidence they are having meetings about shaking things up as the figures continue to fall.

 

Did you watch it?

[hittheapex]

Did you watch it?

With the exception of Suzuka, I didn't.

[August]

I think it'll destroy itself sooner rather than later, the way it is going at the moment. It needs big, big change, and at the moment the powers-that-be seem to be spunking it up the wall while Rome burns, or whatever that saying is...

 

And you know what? I never, ever thought I'd say this, having been an F1 fan for as long as I have. But if it does cease to be, I couldn't care less right now.

 

It's so frustrating to see them making such a mess of something I once cared so deeply for. But these days, it's blindingly obvious that F1 is little to do with racing, and is simply about money and politics.

 

I'm just thankful other forms of racing, while nowhere near as popular, are in good health. IndyCar racing is tremendously exciting and entertaining. Sportscar racing is going from strength to strength at the moment too. They're so much purer, and so much more easier to enjoy than F1 at the moment. There's nowhere near the political nonsense or asshattery that is rife in F1, thank goodness.

 

I'm not sure if that answers your question or not. But yeah, basically, if F1 collapsed tomorrow, as weird as this sounds, I'd actually be quite pleased about it.

 

+1 

[scheivlak]

Bernie will die soon anyway

That might be the way to save it.

[Enkei]

F1 will destroy itself indeed. As the season progresses, current engine regulations/limitations will mean more grid penalties than ever.

Qualifying will become a fake show because the penalties will mix up the grid more and more. The average viewer will not understand, let alone appreciate.

 

Together with teams saving mileage in free practices to spare engine and gearbox and the snorefest we are seeing in the races, it's not a miracle people are losing interest.

Seriously, all those smart people could not see this coming? F1 should be about pushing man and machine to the limit, not saving tyres, engine or gearbox.

Edited by Enkei, 18 June 2015 - 12:04.

[anbeck]

I might stick my head out with a provocative opinion and say that the CART/IRL split is actually quite a fitting comparison - and ironically might have helped US open wheel series to come back, while F1 is still in free fall. Let me explain:

 

Yes, CART was probably the absolute height of US open wheel racing, but so was nearly any series in the world at that time. F1, touring cars (BTCC, DTM, etc.), maybe except for sportscars, who had been killed off by Bernie on purpose, were experiencing their golden eras.

 

But none of those series was able to maintain that level. The reason is that the mid-1990s were also the height of money influx into motorsports. TV channels pumped money into it, new countries wanted to host races, tobacco sponsors were crazy for racing series. This resulted in the 1990s being the peak of most series, and like all bubbles, the motorsports bubble burst as well. Not only F1, but also touring cars (ITC) and US open wheel scene were suffering from unsustainable costs, so those series have been in a fall since then (at least until, with 15 or so years of lag, people in those series realised that the golden years were over and you need to keep racing affordable). Probably sportscars are the only series that benefitted after the mid-1990s, because it gave a good bang for the buck: Audi, Peugot, Toyota, they all went to Le Mans because it was a big race that you could do on a comparatively small budget.

 

What I want to say is that the CART/IRL split was not the cause of US open wheelers going downhill, but the first symptom, some form of hybris by all participants involved (not unlike the ITC, which killed the DTM).

 

F1 was lucky not to split, but this came at the HUGE price of buying teams like Ferrari for even more money that nobody can really say why they should get it. So while CART broke apart and had to suffer through 20 bad years, because they could not arrange to stay together, F1 has been going downhill because the arrangement that was made to keep the series together only amplified the imbalances within the sport (i.e., biggest teams/manufacturers have been co-opted at the expense of the small teams).

 

Both F1 and CART had different paths, but the underlying problems were similar (who gets the biggest stake of the huge influx of money? MONEY!).

 

But because CART/IRL was so blatantly hurting the sport, the crash came quicker. And although it hurt, the resulting IndyCar series is probably my favourite series right now. Yes, it's basically a spec series. Yes, it has lost some of its iconic teams and tracks, and yes it is building up from way down there, with only a fraction of the fans/viewers. But at least they got it done, and the package is getting better. At most important of all: I think they are rebuilding it in a more sustainable way. Sure, IndyCar will have crises in the future (like every business), but the platform seems built on a stronger foundation.

 

F1's problems, on the other hand, were just hidden and postponed (maybe hoping for another 'gold rush' by big sponsors, which everybody should have known would never come). The foundation not only is more shaky, it really seems like an inverted pyramid, with everybody on top trying to balance things out, although everybody is aware that it will topple over soon (for example, if the small teams close, because then the sport will get more expensive for the big teams as well, keyword "3-car-teams", and the big manufacturers will be forced to leave by their shareholders).

The split was averted for F1, but the underlying issues were not fixed. They just got a decade and a half further, and now the structural problems are resurfacing. There won't be a split, because nobody can afford a split anymore. It will be much worse: we'll just lose half of the grid over the next couple of years.

 

So in some way I wish F1 had split. Then at least we'd have some puzzle pieces on which we could construct a future. But when we lose Sauber, Force India or even Williams, there won't be a lot to save.

[sjakie]

I might stick my head out with a provocative opinion and say that the CART/IRL split is actually quite a fitting comparison - and ironically might have helped US open wheel series to come back, while F1 is still in free fall. Let me explain:

 

Yes, CART was probably the absolute height of US open wheel racing, but so was nearly any series in the world at that time. F1, touring cars (BTCC, DTM, etc.), maybe except for sportscars, who had been killed off by Bernie on purpose, were experiencing their golden eras.

 

But none of those series was able to maintain that level. The reason is that the mid-1990s were also the height of money influx into motorsports. TV channels pumped money into it, new countries wanted to host races, tobacco sponsors were crazy for racing series. This resulted in the 1990s being the peak of most series, and like all bubbles, the motorsports bubble burst as well. Not only F1, but also touring cars (ITC) and US open wheel scene were suffering from unsustainable costs, so those series have been in a fall since then (at least until, with 15 or so years of lag, people in those series realised that the golden years were over and you need to keep racing affordable). Probably sportscars are the only series that benefitted after the mid-1990s, because it gave a good bang for the buck: Audi, Peugot, Toyota, they all went to Le Mans because it was a big race that you could do on a comparatively small budget.

 

What I want to say is that the CART/IRL split was not the cause of US open wheelers going downhill, but the first symptom, some form of hybris by all participants involved (not unlike the ITC, which killed the DTM).

 

F1 was lucky not to split, but this came at the HUGE price of buying teams like Ferrari for even more money that nobody can really say why they should get it. So while CART broke apart and had to suffer through 20 bad years, because they could not arrange to stay together, F1 has been going downhill because the arrangement that was made to keep the series together only amplified the imbalances within the sport (i.e., biggest teams/manufacturers have been co-opted at the expense of the small teams).

 

Both F1 and CART had different paths, but the underlying problems were similar (who gets the biggest stake of the huge influx of money? MONEY!).

 

But because CART/IRL was so blatantly hurting the sport, the crash came quicker. And although it hurt, the resulting IndyCar series is probably my favourite series right now. Yes, it's basically a spec series. Yes, it has lost some of its iconic teams and tracks, and yes it is building up from way down there, with only a fraction of the fans/viewers. But at least they got it done, and the package is getting better. At most important of all: I think they are rebuilding it in a more sustainable way. Sure, IndyCar will have crises in the future (like every business), but the platform seems built on a stronger foundation.

 

F1's problems, on the other hand, were just hidden and postponed (maybe hoping for another 'gold rush' by big sponsors, which everybody should have known would never come). The foundation not only is more shaky, it really seems like an inverted pyramid, with everybody on top trying to balance things out, although everybody is aware that it will topple over soon (for example, if the small teams close, because then the sport will get more expensive for the big teams as well, keyword "3-car-teams", and the big manufacturers will be forced to leave by their shareholders).

The split was averted for F1, but the underlying issues were not fixed. They just got a decade and a half further, and now the structural problems are resurfacing. There won't be a split, because nobody can afford a split anymore. It will be much worse: we'll just lose half of the grid over the next couple of years.

 

So in some way I wish F1 had split. Then at least we'd have some puzzle pieces on which we could construct a future. But when we lose Sauber, Force India or even Williams, there won't be a lot to save.

 

This is a very good analysis of the last 20 years in motorracing.

[Clatter]

This. All the fury over double points and almost everybody continued to watch. What kind of message does that send out...Bernie and the teams don't give a monkey's about ineffectual forum posts or online petitions. They look at the viewing figures. It's no coincidence they are having meetings about shaking things up as the figures continue to fall.

Double points is a silly example. Most thought it was a stupid idea, but it had no effect on the racing, which is what people really tune in to see, and it was dropped after one season no doubt due in some part to the reaction.

[JHSingo]

What exactly is wrong with F1?

So it's too expensive. I understand. Why don't we stop giving Ferrari a ton of money for just being Ferrari? Distribute that money better.

Ticket prices are way too expensive. Perhaps old Bernie needs to stop charging the tracks so damn much.

What else is wrong with the sport?

 

How long have you got?

 

• F1 is run by an out-dated dinosaur who, among other things, thinks the internet is a fad and has made it quite clear he doesn't care about fans unless they're rich and old.
• There's an invisible FIA president who seems unwilling/unable to stop the lunatics taking over the asylum.
• The biggest teams get a say on the future of this sport, with this ridiculous 'strategy group' and predictably only act in their own interests, rather than for the good of the sport. Other teams have no say at all.
• Those big teams seem to be unable to agree on anything. They'd most likely argue against a piece of white paper being white.
• There are few cars on the grid, with the distinct possibility in the near future that there will be even fewer still, and seemingly nobody taking any action to stop that from happening.
• It's basically impossible for any new teams to come into the sport and make a success of it, and again, Bernie Ecclestone has made it clear he doesn't care about the small teams.
• There's CVC, who take millions out of the sport at a time when many teams are struggling for survival, as already mentioned.
• The unfair distribution of prize money results in numerous teams have to hire the richest drivers, rather than the most talented.
• There are few opportunities for young drivers. Indeed, F1 is so difficult to enter for even the most talented youngsters, that many are looking at other forms of racing as their career paths.
• Many tracks are struggling to meet the demand of Bernie's ridiculous sanctioning fees, meaning the loss of historic venues, and sky high ticket prices for fans.
• Meanwhile, there's a 'paddock club' reserved for Bernie's favoured rich, old people.
• The racing is currently processional and predictable, with the regulations making it pretty much impossible for anyone to catch up to Mercedes any time soon.
• The cars are not much faster than GP2 cars, and the drivers are disengaged from the sport.
• F1 has moved to pay-to-view channels in many countries, meaning fewer people get to see every race live.
• Etc

But yeah, apart from that, everything's grand!

 

I'm not for a second going to say any of these problems are new. But it's the lack of action in tackling any of these issues that is just so frustrating. What is it finally going to take, to get these idiots to wake up? Does it really need two or three teams to suddenly go bust? If no, what's the delay in any meaningful solutions?

 

I get the impression that for the majority of the time, those with the most power couldn't give a crap about the sport, and only care about getting the best deal for themselves out of it.

Edited by JHSingo, 18 June 2015 - 18:18.

[Spillage]

What exactly is wrong with F1?

So it's too expensive. I understand. Why don't we stop giving Ferrari a ton of money for just being Ferrari? Distribute that money better.

Ticket prices are way too expensive. Perhaps old Bernie needs to stop charging the tracks so damn much.

What else is wrong with the sport?

Apart from the money issue, only minor things. I think it remains, for on-track action, the best racing series in the world.

[kevinracefan]

WE??

My portion of "WE" has zero control of F1's future..

How much control do you actually wield??

I suspect you will just have to stand by and watch, also, unless you have a huge vested interest in it...

[kevinracefan]

Formula 1 will implode within the next 10 years anyway, regardless of what is or isn't done.

B S Flag...

they've been saying this for decades, and in those decades the actual players have become quite rich..

[kevinracefan]

Not only will something not end up taking its place, the end of F1 will start hitting every other motorsport series going as well. Without F1, there's no motorsport on the main channels, no drivers with any public recognition and next to no coverage in the non-specialist media. Formula One is very much a gateway to all other forms of motorsport. I'm sure that most of the audience for Le Mans or the European viewers of Indycar only started watching after becoming having their interest in motorsport piqued by following F1.

uhh...maybe in Europe.. not in America.. nascar now controls American motorsport and millions of kids are in karts hoping to be jimmie Johnson some day...

[TIPO61]

Hey, we got to see the likes of Prost and our own 'Magic Michael'.

 

If it goes away...it goes away.

[HoldenRT]

What exactly is wrong with F1?

So it's too expensive. I understand. Why don't we stop giving Ferrari a ton of money for just being Ferrari? Distribute that money better.

Ticket prices are way too expensive. Perhaps old Bernie needs to stop charging the tracks so damn much.

What else is wrong with the sport?

 

It's funny.

 

Pretty sure Hamilton fans are the only ones who could say right now.. "stop whinging, everything's fine".

 

Everyone else = WTF is this ****?

[HoldenRT]

I think it'll destroy itself sooner rather than later, the way it is going at the moment. It needs big, big change, and at the moment the powers-that-be seem to be spunking it up the wall while Rome burns, or whatever that saying is...

 

And you know what? I never, ever thought I'd say this, having been an F1 fan for as long as I have. But if it does cease to be, I couldn't care less right now.

 

It's so frustrating to see them making such a mess of something I once cared so deeply for. But these days, it's blindingly obvious that F1 is little to do with racing, and is simply about money and politics.

 

I'm just thankful other forms of racing, while nowhere near as popular, are in good health. IndyCar racing is tremendously exciting and entertaining. Sportscar racing is going from strength to strength at the moment too. They're so much purer, and so much more easier to enjoy than F1 at the moment. There's nowhere near the political nonsense or asshattery that is rife in F1, thank goodness.

 

I'm not sure if that answers your question or not. But yeah, basically, if F1 collapsed tomorrow, as weird as this sounds, I'd actually be quite pleased about it.

 

Don't know how it ever got to this point, but I agree.  Can barely even muster up the care to check autosport.com or even when the next race is.

 

Your last sentence, it'd be sad in a way (wasted potential) but yeah, it'd be one less thing to worry about.

[HoldenRT]

I cant wait for the internet to just  die and everything be like it was in the good old days...

 

Yep, it's the internet's fault.
 

[superden]

F1 is, increasingly, simply less and less fun.

Its structure, financing, marketing and 'show' are firmly rooted in the best interests of the owners. New fans aren't turning on because it's irrelevant, old fans are turning off because it isn't what F1 was and the sport, along with the technology, doesn't know quite what it is, or what it wants to be anymore. It's become, like all sports, over-hyped, marketed and professionalised and was better when there was a whiff of the amateur about it all.

Road relevance isn't fooling anyone, the cars look crap and there are ever more tarmac run-off laden bore-fests on the calendar. Drivers are bland PR tools and increasingly, unless you are either a 'son of' and/or richer than the Getty family, you have zero hope of becoming involved. The teams are either corporations, cardboard cut-outs of names long gone or fading stars drowning in their own inadequacy.

Tickets are too expensive, paywalls have risen, internet access has become too much of a focus and yet, in another way, too little, meaning the whole mess is even less accessible than ever.

That's just for starters.

Edited by superden, 18 June 2015 - 19:52.

[LeClerc]

That might be the way to save it.

 

You will find that CVC rather than Bernie is the problem, I think.

[BlinkyMcSquinty]

WE??

My portion of "WE" has zero control of F1's future..

How much control do you actually wield??

I suspect you will just have to stand by and watch, also, unless you have a huge vested interest in it...

 

Some of "WE" should stop paying through a paywall to watch Formula One. Does it make sense that sponsors who desire to get their product recognition out to a global audience are relying on fools who actually pay to watch this stuff?

 

It won't matter anyway, IMO they have painted themselves into a corner, and once one leg collapses, just like a pyramid scheme, the house of cards will implode.

 

And then we will see if this planet will support something like Formula One because times change, and the age of motor racing (as we know it) may be drawing to a close.

[hittheapex]

Double points is a silly example. Most thought it was a stupid idea, but it had no effect on the racing, which is what people really tune in to see, and it was dropped after one season no doubt due in some part to the reaction.

 

Obviously I didn't see the racing, but I know enough of what went on in 2014 to disagree. Putting double points in the last race affected the teams strategies on engine and gearbox allocation. It also doubly penalised mistakes and bad luck. The latter point had more of an effect on the championship than the actual on track I agree but all of this is going off on a tangent. My main point was that it's no good to complain on the internet and do nothing else if somebody sincerely and desperately wants change. I don't pretend to have the answers on how to fix F1, but I do know that proposing them, or making threats on forums of doing X if F1 doesn't do Y and Z, won't bring change. That aside, I do find it interesting to discuss these things with you and everybody else.

Edited by hittheapex, 18 June 2015 - 21:17.

[scheivlak]

You will find that CVC rather than Bernie is the problem, I think.

But Bernie's death might help them to sell it or search for a different business model.

[Jamiednm]

I've long resisted joining the clamour to slag off the current formula. I thought the racing in 2014 was good and I was willing to give the new engines and regs a chance.

However, I think F1 2015 has been the dullest season in years, and the increasing overkill when it comes to saving fuel and tyres has hit breaking point for me.

Seeing the WEC cars hammer it for 24 hours while F1 cars fuel and tyre save from lap 1 just isn't right. There is far too much focus on economy and endurance in F1. The old adage of F1 prototypes falling apart at the chequered flag is a distant memory, and that is what bugs me so much about the 2014- regs.

Clearly, the distribution of funds and vested interests in rule making are major problems, but the sport itself isn't delivering.

I paid a lot of money going to two GPs last year, enjoying every second of the experiences. This year, I wont even buy a Sky Sports day pass to watch one race. It is becoming less of a motorsport and more of a technical demonstration and misplaced focus on 'green' tech and economy.

[SR388]

It's funny.

Pretty sure Hamilton fans are the only ones who could say right now.. "stop whinging, everything's fine".

Everyone else = WTF is this ****?

Nice straw man there. I never said there weren't issues. Clearly there is a huge issue with money.

If people are unhappy with what is going on during the race though, I don't understand that. I love f1 but it goes through periods of domination. It's the nature of the beast. I'm happy this period of domination is helping my driver, but that has nothing to do with my feelings about if the sport is financially unstable.

[sennafan24]

Pretty sure Hamilton fans are the only ones who could say right now.. "stop whinging, everything's fine".

 

Everyone else = WTF is this ****?

Nope, I am a Hamilton fan, and I feel things are far from fine. Serious adjustments are clearly needed. I dislike how dominant Mercedes are, how money is distributed, and certain aspects of these new regulations. While I enjoy seeing Lewis win, I am not oblivious to how certain issues are turning off viewers. 

 

In contrast to what you said, I would bet my PS4 that some complaining would not be protesting as much if Vettel or Schumi were dominating. While most complaints are reasonable and informed by a desire to improve the sport, I suspect a minority are informed by petty fanboyism.