10 grand? Seriously???!!!

[journeyman racer]

Pathetic? I don't think so. You have raised some valid points and yes you are certainly right about there being the all important much bigger picture.... but doesn't that bigger picture also have to include and maintain a certain appeal to a large part of the demographic of F1 fans who seek high entertainment value and consider the sound to be an important part of the spectacle?

No

There has to be a balance... if that part is ignored and viewing figures fall through the floor then surely advertising in F1 becomes devalued by team sponsors which in turn impacts the teams budgets and the value of participating in the sport and so on.....

Where it loses in one area, it gains in another. If F1 keeps the same rules, I will attend the GP in Melbourne, whereas I otherwise don't. No balance is necessary. Fans are not really that important. Hence, we have race like Bahrain, that have smaller crowds. To add further, the fairweather fans who don't like these new rules, will find something else they won't like about F1 down the track.

Also, combined with the above.
Despite what the general public may think, the current hybrid drive/energy harvesting systems used in F1 are actually nothing new. It is also nigh on impossible that the manufacturers could find a loophole which would allow a new innovative, ground breaking, green technology to be found and developed within the extremely tight, current F1 technical regulations.
For the first time I find myself actually agreeing with BE that other racing formats perhaps such as the Endurance Sports Car Racing class LMP1, which is just as technologically advanced as F1 if not more so, is just much better suited to finding breakthroughs in the design and development of Hybrid Drive/Energy Harvesting Technology which will still percolate down to road car level and also fits in to the 'endurance' aspect of that sport format much more naturally.

Fundamentally, what you and Bernie don't get, is that F1 concedes it status as the highest level of motorsport, if it doesn't apply these technologies. It might not be that obvious to you, but it does.

[Zico]

No

No balance is necessary. Fans are not really that important..

I'm almost speechless! Seriously?

[steveaki13]

I'm almost speechless! Seriously?

Yer of course. Even if not one person turned up to the races and the TV viewership was 0, they of course would just carry on racing and companys would play millions for advertising to no one.

[SGWilko]

I'm almost speechless! Seriously?

But he's right! Fans that want loud cars and no fuel restrictions will get in the way of road relevance, and using the technical bods mass test bed of knowledge to vastly increase the speed at which road cars become more fuel efficient and have electric cars that don't need recharging jaust as you pull off your drive to go on holiday!

If it was noise I wanted, I'd stop the housekeeping payments to my wife!

If was gas guzzlers I wanted, I'd fly to the States and stand by the motorway (sorry, freeway).

If you don't like the new for 2014 F1 sound, go stand next to the chap digging up the road with a jack hammer.......

[henners88]

But he's right! Fans that want loud cars and no fuel restrictions will get in the way of road relevance, and using the technical bods mass test bed of knowledge to vastly increase the speed at which road cars become more fuel efficient and have electric cars that don't need recharging jaust as you pull off your drive to go on holiday!

If it was noise I wanted, I'd stop the housekeeping payments to my wife!

If was gas guzzlers I wanted, I'd fly to the States and stand by the motorway (sorry, freeway).

If you don't like the new for 2014 F1 sound, go stand next to the chap digging up the road with a jack hammer.......

Or continue to watch F1 in the hope they adjust the sound. The technology can still be relevant and I am yet to own a car that has ever sounded like an F1 car! I think there is a compromise here to suit car manufacturers and fans who enjoy the sport. Its not as easy as just telling people to stop watching if they don't like something. Since when has that been an answer?

[Whyzars]

But he's right! Fans that want loud cars and no fuel restrictions will get in the way of road relevance, and using the technical bods mass test bed of knowledge to vastly increase the speed at which road cars become more fuel efficient and have electric cars that don't need recharging jaust as you pull off your drive to go on holiday!

If it was noise I wanted, I'd stop the housekeeping payments to my wife!

If was gas guzzlers I wanted, I'd fly to the States and stand by the motorway (sorry, freeway).

If you don't like the new for 2014 F1 sound, go stand next to the chap digging up the road with a jack hammer.......

Bitch slap. Ouch.


When we're standing next to the guy with the jackhammer, should we give him our money as well?


Saying that F1 fans who like the smell of high octane fuel and industrial deafness are not wanted anymore might be the new strategy. F1 goes stupid (grooved tyres) and then comes to its sensors (pardon the pun).


Thing is, it might be too late for 2014. They've already gone down the ERS route. Change one thing, fine. Change a hundred things, not fine.

They may hope that the engineers can come up with something but the V6's might not let them do much. Rev higher, limit exhaust harnessing, increase fuel consumption, who knows.

One quick way out would be to allow teams to run last years cars/engines if they so desire - with a lot of restrictions/handicapping. If half the field takes up this option then it might save some of the furniture. Ferrari anyone?

I've got nothing against battery operated cars but if I wanted to watch them race I would. ERS/Battery technology didn't make F1 folklore what it is today and over-enthusiastic adoption of ERS/battery technology could have quite a negative affect on the image of F1.

It could be argued that just because its called F1 doesn't actually make it F1.

[Zico]

But he's right! Fans that want loud cars and no fuel restrictions will get in the way of road relevance, and using the technical bods mass test bed of knowledge to vastly increase the speed at which road cars become more fuel efficient and have electric cars that don't need recharging jaust as you pull off your drive to go on holiday!

If it was noise I wanted, I'd stop the housekeeping payments to my wife!

If was gas guzzlers I wanted, I'd fly to the States and stand by the motorway (sorry, freeway).

If you don't like the new for 2014 F1 sound, go stand next to the chap digging up the road with a jack hammer.......

Sgt Bilko- Yes of course F1 does need to road relevant... but if you actually bothered to read my original reply to Phillip Bain before trying to make me look a Bearded tit you will see that I was only suggesting that there needs to be a better balance because a large fan base IS extremely important, something so obvious that it should go without saying.
Almost everyone I know with even the remotest interest in F1 has commented on how dull they sound this year, you can't afford to ignore that.

F1 is not the best test bed/proving ground for the development and evolution of new innovative green technologies with its extremely tight, fixed regulations. F1 just needs to show that it is doing something towards being environmentally friendly without going OTT on the green side to the extent that the 'show' is adversely affected.

Me? Yeah, being a TV race watcher I much preferred the howl of the V8's but wow!... what great wheel to wheel racing we enjoyed last weekend and unless Mercedes decide to put a stop to it, we could be in for a real treat this year.

[SGWilko]

Sgt Bilko- Yes of course F1 does need to road relevant... but if you actually bothered to read my original reply to Phillip Bain before trying to make me look a Bearded tit you will see that I was only suggesting that there needs to be a better balance because a large fan base IS extremely important, something so obvious that it should go without saying.
Almost everyone I know with even the remotest interest in F1 has commented on how dull they sound this year, you can't afford to ignore that.

F1 is not the best test bed/proving ground for the development and evolution of new innovative green technologies with its extremely tight, fixed regulations. F1 just needs to show that it is doing something towards being environmentally friendly without going OTT on the green side to the extent that the 'show' is adversely affected.

Me? Yeah, being a TV race watcher I much preferred the howl of the V8's but wow!... what great wheel to wheel racing we enjoyed last weekend and unless Mercedes decide to put a stop to it, we could be in for a real treat this year.

Bearded tit? I had you more as a Dartford Warbler.

PS - I wasn't aiming my post entirely at you - and it wasn't intended to be personal. Just that I think in the current climate, road relevance over waste and excess is much more important that guaranteeing dentists income by having your fillings knocked out by the noise!