The Ruining of F1

I watched the entire P2 this morning and it was pretty lively, the sitting in the garage argument doesn't really stand up.

'The ruining of F1' wtf? yes, Bernie is a nut job T***, Mosley is a Nazi slapper and the FIA dont like Hamilton, but so what?

just accept F1 for what it is, Friday Practice? yes I agree teams may need it to get some serious testing time but the most important aspect is the race. simple as. F1 this year will probably be epic, so theres nothing wrong with that. come to think of it, from now on I would like to propose a list of rules for F1 fans everywhere:

1. Concentrate on the qualifying and race and who actually wins

2. Love the sport for what it is

3. Ignore anything Bernie says and have faith in FOTA

4. Any politics involved, just ignore it and accept whatever the result is

There we go, seems fair to me..

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Originally Posted by DexDexter

I'm tired of all this complaining, whatever happens people always complain how things were better before changes, come to think of it F1 was best when it started in 1950 because there weren't any good old days to long for. When people get older, they oppose everything that upsets their personal status quo. The points system is a different matter, however :) .

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I understand your point - I remember when I was a kid watching F1 in the 90s people were saying how much better it was in the 70s and 80s, and even back then there were probably people who detested the change to sponsorship and the wings that started sprouting up in the late 60s.

Yes, change is the natural order of life. What I don't agree with however is change for changes sake. There's a very old saying that goes "if it aint broke don't try and fix it"

For example the increasing sanitization of the sport and demise of the likes of the Nurburgring and old Spa is one example of change that, while in many ways was sad, was probably necessary to stop drivers dying every other month.

The banning of technologies such as turbos and ground effects were also safety-led. The banning of technologies such as traction control, ABS, active suspension etc. were necessary to ensure the driver remained more than a glorified passenger.

What HASN'T been necessary IMO though are all the various changes, most taken since the end of 2002, that have contributed nothing. All the various qualifying system changes (many taken to correct previous changes that didn't work!), homologated engines, engine change penalties, the single tyre, talk of standard parts, standard engines and so on. And some that happened earlier - grooved tyres (why not just make them narrower?), the 12 team "franchising" thing that may be removed if Bernie's latest noises are to be believed, and so on....

Change in many ways is great, drivers, teams, personnel come and go, sponsors, suppliers come and go, but what attracted me to Grand Prix racing in the first place was the purity of the competition, man and machine in an balls-out contest to the flag - contest that is uniquely both human and technical in equal measure - in that way it hasn't changed much since the late 19th century, but it's in grave danger of doing so if they're not careful :(

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Originally Posted by fousto

I have been to many F1 races in my lifetime including several Euro countries.
Now they only get 8 engines for the season and so everyone sits in the garage so save mileage. Next year they will eliminate friday's. I for one may never attend another GP as it has become sooooooooo Mickey Mouse. Pretty soon you will have one test session - 1 qual - 1 race - done. A far cry from fri sat qual. But I guess as long as they get their money they could care less.

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So what's to be held on Friday's? Juggling acts? Political speeches?
Time to attend a race that has better held on to its traditions. Maybe LeMans.

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Originally Posted by fousto

I have been to many F1 races in my lifetime including several Euro countries.
Now they only get 8 engines for the season and so everyone sits in the garage so save mileage. Next year they will eliminate friday's. I for one may never attend another GP as it has become sooooooooo Mickey Mouse. Pretty soon you will have one test session - 1 qual - 1 race - done. A far cry from fri sat qual. But I guess as long as they get their money they could care less.

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Does anyone ever go to an F1 weekend and say "You know I like the race and qualifying but what really gets me excited are the free practice sessions!" I really wouldn't care if it was just a Saturday-Sunday event with a practice, qualifying and a race.

Who needs to watch practice? Cant imagine anything more boring. The support events give the entertainment value to a GP weekend on the Friday and Saturday. The qualifying format I actually enjoy and I think I might actually watch more of the races based on what I saw in OZ.