Wake me up when it gets better

[Trevor Longman]

F1 sucks now. Honestly I can't remember the last race I watched that I was genuinely entertained by. Anyone that knows me knows that I will watch any form of racing, no mater how obscure or unimportant. WRC, ALMS, Grand Am, DTM, GP2, BTCC, Aussie V8s, World Challenge, CTSCC, British F3, old CART races, if it's on TV or an online stream I'll watch it. But F1 has gotten so bland, predictable and boring I'm finding it really hard to get motivated to watch any of their races anymore, even on a brilliant track like Interlagos. It's not even because every race is won by a Red Bull in a runaway victory, I've watched a lot of races like that. Theres just no passing anywhere in the field.

But even THAT wouldn't push me away from it on its own. Formula 1 got to where it is through decades of races that were runaway victories, sometimes won by more than a lap, with dominant chassis that were consistently 1-2 seconds a lap faster than anything else out there (the McLaren MP4/4 and Williams FW14b come to mind). Despite that though, millions of people still tuned in. I put that down to a one main reason.

The cars were far more interesting. Theres a reason nobody ever prefers today's cars to the cars of the 60's, 70's, 80's, or 90's. The cars of today just aren't very interesting or exciting to watch. The current V8's sound ok, but the don't sound as good as the V10's did, which didn't sound as good as the V12's before them. Following this trend I can't imagine what the V6's in 2014 will sound like. The other big problem with the cars besides their looks (I won't even get into that) is the way they look so planted in the corners. The turbo era of the late 80's was an awesome era for the sport. The cars sounded great and the massive amounts of power invoked such a feeling that they were really on the edge. The little twitches and corrections when they got on the power made it look all the more impressive and exciting. It's one of the same reasons I look back on late 90's CART with such fondness. They too looked totally on the edge of control every lap of every race. The F1 cars of today just look like they're on rails. Theres not even a hint of oversteer. Throughout most of F1's history, the cars were entertaining to watch just running laps on their own even if the race wasn't close. Today that's just not the case, and despite the FIA's most futile efforts, there's not enough passing to take it's place and hold my interest.

Sure you could put it down the movement towards Tilke tracks and the departure from classics like Imola or old Hockenheim. Maybe the inconsistent Barnhardt-esque officiating has ruined the racing. Perhaps the cheap gimmicks like DRS and KERS are reasons for my disinterest. But I still maintain that if the cars were more inspiring with more power, less grip and a better sound I wouldn't care where they were or what terrible decisions the stewards made. I would be content just watching a single car run around a track on its own while the leader streaks off into the distance. Until that happens, I don't think I'll really care whether F1 is on or not, I'll have plenty of V8 Supercar races on my DVR to watch instead. :thumbup:

[SteveH]

You're right about them being on rails. And in the rare case when a car breaks traction like this morning when a Ferrari did (Alonso?) you are treated with a chorus of "whoa" from the Speed announce trio.

[Trevor Longman]

You're right about them being on rails. And in the rare case when a car breaks traction like this morning when a Ferrari did (Alonso?) you are treated with a chorus of "whoa" from the Speed announce trio.

I was actually thinking of just that moment when I wrote this. That little slide shouldn't draw that kind of reaction from the announce crew.

[cameraman]

The cars towards the back are much less on rails but the coverage never shows them sliding all over the place. How many 3 second yellows do you see in a race that are never acknowledged? That would be a Sauber or a Renault on an excursion. There have been some very interesting races this year, some very good ones at that but today's drive away by the Red Bulls wasn't one of them.

[Indy]

I feel your pain. The cars are indeed not very interesting, and that is the only thing that really matters. Very IRL-esque.

[TrueBrit]

It's not just that cars are crap, it's the fact that they are racing on tracks that are soul-less heaps of mediocrity...

The re-working of Hockenheim (which was dire to begin with) and Spa (which was perfect just the way it was thank you very much) should have resulted in someone being shot...twice..."new" Silverstone has so many switchbacks and convulted twisty bits that it has lost all of it's former character and STILL doesn't hold a candle to Brands Hatch (which thankfully didn't 'win' the right to hold the British G.P. and therefore was not Tilke'd to death)...

The locations are a joke...The Grand Prix of India....really?? Who is kidding whom? Dubai, Abu Dhabi, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea...you know, all of those classic tracks that the greats from history drove on like um...you know..that guy...and the other famous geezer with the mustache...

Bernie Ecclestone has single-handedly ripped the soul out of what used to be my greatest passion and sold it off, piece-by-piece to the highest bidder...and I despise him for it...

When I lived on the left-coast I would get up at o-dark-thirty to watch the European GPs live, even though I was recording them as well...my wife thought I was mental...now I can barely be bothered to remember when the damned races are on...never mind recording them...why take up space on the DVR that could be devoted to the Premier League anyway...??

In contrast I still pull an all-nighter every year for Lee Mons, and was bitterly disappointed that I couldn't have an endurance fest this year for either Sebring or Petit Lee Mons due to the crappiest television broadcast deal in motorsports save the WRC..(where the flock is that carried now anyway?)...

F-1 has long ago lost it's mystique and glamour, the drivers are for the most-part micro-managed spokesmodels, there isn't a rogue amongst them...can you imagine Keke Rosberg in modern F-1?..and they all toe the company line..no dissent allowed...

With the sport being the absolute pinnacle of automotive technology, coupled with ear-splitting noise and breath-taking speed, how in the world have they done the impossible and made it boring...???

[miatanut]

F1 sucks now...

I agree mostly. I either didn't see any F1 races this year or I saw only Spa. Don't remember. It just doesn't do it for me any more.

As far as number of cylinders, I thought the turbo Offy's sounded great with four. I still do. Yeah, there is a certain appeal to the primal scream of a V12, but, except for the IRL mill, I can't think of a race engine I don't enjoy the sound of. I even loved the old Buick lights engines, and they didn't sound a lot different from an IRL engine. Maybe that's just me.

As for KERS, if they went back to the original brief: maximum weight of the system and then cram as much energy as you can into it and use it as often as you like, it could add a lot to the races, including a team that got it right winning by more than a lap. That wouldn't bother me a bit. More power to them. The rest of the teams then need to get it right or they're wasting their time, and in the mean time, engineers are learning new stuff they could re-work for road cars.

The biggest problem is the whole grip to power thing, but in my opinion, the '90's CART cars were too planted as well. Late 80's F1 cars were another matter, although part of that may have been turbos weren't as responsive back then, so the drivers often had more power than they wanted at the moment.

Too bad the powers that be are too interested in protecting the status quo.

[SteveH]

A lot of the 'too planted' issue is a result of advances in tire technology. Can you imagine a CART ground effects era chassis (early to mid 80s) running on today's rubber. That WOULD handle like a slot car.

If a series can effectively manage technology to the point of returning complete car control to the racer, it would be much more interesting racing.

[datachicane]

I still think rather than futzing with budget-constraining rules dictating that an engine or gearbox must last x races or with 'competition-enhancing' dimwittery like KERS and DRS there's a simple solution staring us in the face.

Want a return to car control skills rather than trying to eke a few more grams of downforce? Mandate a single set of tires per race. They'd have to be rock-hard (by modern standards) to survive. If that doesn't give the desired effect, mandate a single set per weekend. When mechanical grip drops to '80s vintage (or earlier) levels, car control will be paramount, and there'll be enough sliding to keep drifting fans occupied. As a bonus, gigabuck engine exotica will have a significantly reduced ROI if they can't get the power to the ground...

[stroker]

I still think rather than futzing with budget-constraining rules dictating that an engine or gearbox must last x races or with 'competition-enhancing' dimwittery like KERS and DRS there's a simple solution staring us in the face.

Want a return to car control skills rather than trying to eke a few more grams of downforce? Mandate a single set of tires per race. They'd have to be rock-hard (by modern standards) to survive. If that doesn't give the desired effect, mandate a single set per weekend. When mechanical grip drops to '80s vintage (or earlier) levels, car control will be paramount, and there'll be enough sliding to keep drifting fans occupied. As a bonus, gigabuck engine exotica will have a significantly reduced ROI if they can't get the power to the ground...

Better yet, make it DOT approved rubber...

[datachicane]

Indeed.

[miatanut]

Mandate a single set of tires per race. They'd have to be rock-hard (by modern standards) to survive. If that doesn't give the desired effect, mandate a single set per weekend. When mechanical grip drops to '80s vintage (or earlier) levels, car control will be paramount, and there'll be enough sliding to keep drifting fans occupied. As a bonus, gigabuck engine exotica will have a significantly reduced ROI if they can't get the power to the ground...


Better yet, make it DOT approved rubber...

Yup. Gets rid of almost all the marbles too, so off-line passing could come back.

I would also propose going back to mid-60's vintage tire widths and overall vehicle widths. When people say a track is a "bike track", they're really saying the cars have gotten too wide to put on a decent race there. FF and Spec Miata have great races at those same venues.

Between improvements in tire and suspension technology, advances in getting the center of gravity down, better metallurgy, knowledge of dampers, data acquisition, etc., you could make all those changes and the resulting car would still turn better lap times than the 1980's cars and a lot of areas could be opened up for development without concerns about the cars getting too fast for the tracks.

[datachicane]

Tire homologation rules? I kinda like that :gomer:

[Spicoli]

Whiners. Watch irl instead.:tony:

[gerhard911]

Whiners. Watch irl instead.:tony:

+1

[Andrew Longman]

FF and Spec Miata have great races at those same venues.They also have a fraction of the brakes of an F1 car. The brakes are so good in F1 that the braking zones are impossibly small.

I don't know what can be done about that. Mandate smaller rotors? Require pads and discs to last a weekend or several? Eliminate the driver ability to change bias?

[miatanut]

They also have a fraction of the brakes of an F1 car. The brakes are so good in F1 that the braking zones are impossibly small.

I don't know what can be done about that. Mandate smaller rotors? Require pads and discs to last a weekend or several? Eliminate the driver ability to change bias?

Fading issues aside, the brakes are only as good as the tires transferring the braking to the ground. Harder tires would increase braking distances. Less downforce would further increase them. If the tires got narrower, another increase.

[cameraman]

Some of you have amazingly selective memories.

[JohnHKart]

was bitterly disappointed that I couldn't have an endurance fest this year for either Sebring or Petit Lee Mons due to the crappiest television broadcast deal in motorsports save the WRC..(where the flock is that carried now anyway?)...

boring...???


It's such a joke, that even Mad Magazine had the foresight to write an article which predicted an Espn 3- (article about 12 years ago)- they called it "The Trey" .

[Indy]

I wonder how much of the resistance to change comes from the drivers themselves. Clearly it would separate those capable of great car control from those incapable of it. And it seems that the dominant skill the driver has today is the ability to overcome instinct and drive the car far too fast into the fast corners in order to use the aero. From what I have read it is a very different thing to have the "feel" for driving on the edge in those circumstance compared to what it's like in a low downforce car. If you threw them in 1967 cars, would they even be skilled, or would a driver of less sophisticated cars have an advantage due to his superior experience with car control?

[Fio1]

The tell tale sign that something needs to be changed is in the times of the rookie drivers at Abu Dhabi. First time in an F1 car and a mid-pack GP2 driver is a few tenths off the regular driver. WTF? Back in the days, if they were within a second and half they'd be pegged as future WC's. F1 cars got so easy to drive now, it's ridiculous. Ya, in a two hour GP, the rookie wouldn't be as consistent as the regular driver and might not manage the tires as well, but still? As it is now, I'm sure Riccardo Patrese could step into an F1 car tomorrow and turn laps as quick as Beumi or Petrov. To be honest, it shouldn't be like that.