Boring!

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Originally Posted by jso1985

can I ask again: Is F1 just overtaking?

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No, it's far more. Thing is, most of what I saw on sunday wasn't that thrilling really. One or two cars passing each other would have lifted it from a mildly boring parade to a damned good race. Race being the important word there ;)


One of the problems we Brits have is that our team on the mikes know what's coming as far as strategy and have already talked it to death before it's even happened. We're left with nothing to think and wonder about during the race, so it seems boring.

I wouldn't swap the comments we get, yet feel after some races I might aswell have read a book and just listened in to their chatter with half an ear.

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Originally Posted by schmenke

I follow F1 for more than its bi-weekly race. I follow the evolution and development of the teams as a whole, the “behind the scenes” world and how it manifests itself to the teams performance.

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My thoughts too. I guess it's just the way it is... I'll admit to having fallen asleep on a sunday afternoon in the middle of a race, similarly I feel less inclined to get up stupidly early for some of the races... but I'll watch them nonetheless and I still enjoy it a hell of a lot more than other sports.

I wonder how much of it is down to the tv coverage sometimes.

It's still early in the season and there's lots that could happen in terms of racing, new teams and drivers etc. Give them chance to get going and find their feet.

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Originally Posted by schmenke

I follow F1 for more than its bi-weekly race. I follow the evolution and development of the teams as a whole, the “behind the scenes” world and how it manifests itself to the teams performance.

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And you are not the only one, there are others that do the same.
But come race day I could care less about what happened behind the scenes and would like to see that a car comfortably running 0.5 seconds behind can have a chance to overtake the one in front when it has two 1000 meters straights at disposal. that clearly wasn't the case last week end.

The only way to create more overtaking opportunities is by having a lottery in qualifying or reversing the grid. However, this is false and does not reward the teams who do the best job. It is not F1, and never has been. Sure, in other era's overtaking was easier, but it was never out-and-out constant overtaking. When a really exciting race comes along (i.e. Hungary 2006) then you get really really excited because it is not the norm. NASCAR has tons of overtaking but is complete drivel to watch, and incredibly false (debris cautions!).

I suppose its the Americans who don't like F1, I can see why. Basketball (a womens game), Baseball (a womens game) and Grid-Iron (rugby but with more protection, the softies) are all painfully boring to me. High scores, high scores, high scores. Its all you seem to care about. Sorry but 98-91 may sound good but the variety in basketball is very limited.

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Originally Posted by Bezza

Basketball (a womens game), Baseball (a womens game) and Grid-Iron (rugby but with more protection, the softies) .....

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Oi! :laugh:

I am soooo going to whack you with my cricket bat, polo stick or horsewhip! :p :

Bezza, quite dissin' our sports. Its rude, and don't get me started on the sissy play-acting I see in your "football".

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Originally Posted by Bezza

The only way to create more overtaking opportunities is by having a lottery in qualifying or reversing the grid. However, this is false and does not reward the teams who do the best job. It is not F1, and never has been. Sure, in other era's overtaking was easier, but it was never out-and-out constant overtaking. When a really exciting race comes along (i.e. Hungary 2006) then you get really really excited because it is not the norm. NASCAR has tons of overtaking but is complete drivel to watch, and incredibly false (debris cautions!)...

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I agree totally. We DON'T need F1 changed via gimmicks in order force more overtaking.

There are two more reasons overtaking is down, that haven't been discussed much on this thread. Driver precision, and higher speeds.

First, the drivers train harder then possibly ever before, have more coaches & fitness experts, run simulations & video games, have live radio in-race, etc., all to help them avoid in-race mistakes. Fewer driver errors = fewer overtaking opportunities.

The ever increasing speeds in F1 directly convert to decreased opportunities for overtaking. Shorter out-braking passing zones from better brakes, higher cornering speed allowing for less braking altogether, better handling and downforce resulting in fewer "tricky" corners, faster acceleration making for less penalty for mistakes, and other similar factors all decrease overtaking.

There isn't any way to make these factors go away.

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Originally Posted by Hazell B

No, it's far more. Thing is, most of what I saw on sunday wasn't that thrilling really. One or two cars passing each other would have lifted it from a mildly boring parade to a damned good race. Race being the important word there ;)


One of the problems we Brits have is that our team on the mikes know what's coming as far as strategy and have already talked it to death before it's even happened. We're left with nothing to think and wonder about during the race, so it seems boring.

I wouldn't swap the comments we get, yet feel after some races I might aswell have read a book and just listened in to their chatter with half an ear.

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I agree with that. But a big part of the problem now is that for 10 years in a row now, the rules changes have constantly hurt the racing more and more. And I'm not talking about overtaking. In 98/99 and even later, we still had some strategy to make the race interesting: one top team would be on a one-stopper and the other in two, things like that were usual. Nowadays everybody is basically on the same strategy. This was forced by the stupid-stupid-stupid rules of qualifying with race-fuel, and extended engine use. At least in my case, those two rules -- and not the silly aero-bits -- are what make me drift away from F1.

:dozey: Well the extended engine rule ( 2 races) SUCK !!!

Aerodynamics have hurt too.

Kimi was pretty well out of the race this past weekend due to the engine water leak from Australia... Ferrari reduced the revs (power) to assure the engine survied !!!

The teams spend Millions to run in F-1, and then are forced to use one engine for two races... Mad Max is an Idiot.

Aerodynamics have increased cornering speed... making it hard to late brake going into a turn and make a pass stick. Also it has reduced the opportunity to pass... as you close up on the car you're chasing, you lose downforce on the front wing.

Well, after watching a couple of A1 GP races during the Winter, I think all F1 needs is a couple dozen power boosts during a race. Since revs are limited to 19,000 rpms, the power boost could simply lift the rev limit to 20,000 rpms (or higher...) for a short period, say 10 seconds each. Give each driver say...25 power boosts lasting 10 seconds each a race, and I think we won't be complaining about lack of overtaking. :D

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Originally Posted by Kevincal

Well, after watching a couple of A1 GP races during the Winter, I think all F1 needs is a couple dozen power boosts during a race. Since revs are limited to 19,000 rpms, the power boost could simply lift the rev limit to 20,000 rpms (or higher...) for a short period, say 10 seconds each. Give each driver say...25 power boosts lasting 10 seconds each a race, and I think we won't be complaining about lack of overtaking. :D

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That's exactly the kind of "gimmick" I'd rather not see in F1 :mark: