F1...boring or what?

[XR2 Baz]

This has been something which annoyed me since last weekend, and since i've just been discussing it with some mates I thought I'd share my rant/views with people who know the sport and have an 'interested' opinion.

F1 is boring. Take the British GP last weekend. Schumi started 4th, overtook no-one, and won. Can anyone explain why they find this exciting? Look at the races, look at the grids pre-race, they're packed with celebrities, models, rich people and hangers on. All these people fall over themselves to be there at the 'spectacle' of F1, but I fail to see what gets everyone going about this class of racing these days.

OK, I'm interested in the technology involved, but then all it serves to do is make the disparity between the cars even greater. Then when it comes to the whole point of the thing, the race, I'm getting more and more tempted to switch off after the first five laps and back on again for the last five...thus reclaiming at least an hour of my life which I otherwise would have wasted, patiently watching and waiting, in the vain hope that there was actually some on-track action worth seeing.

Maybe they do occasionally make one or two passing moves, but they're so few and far between. Even then, it's VERY rare to see a good tooth and nail battle between two guys for more than two corners. And when there are a few cars within striking distance of each other, they just follow each other around for a while, pit, and then see whose got the fastest pit crew - oh joy.

So then the FIA, or the FOA, or the FODA, or the FOCA (too many cooks here?) or some other organisation decides to tinker with the rules to make it more exciting. Perhaps the biggest, most laughable change of late has been qualifying. Not that I watch it these days mind, but I did happen upon the British GP qualifying as I channel hopped and caught Mark Webber doing his 'fast' lap in the first run. What a joke. He blasted round most of the track, then in the final few corners coasted home so as to start the second session first...just in case it rained. If I'm paying money or taking the time to watch this, I want to see folk trying their hardest, giving their all, 110% effort, 100% of the time please.

The money involved too is completely ludicrous. I reckon that even on Minardi's budget you could run all of the Scottish racers for a season including new tyres and a new car for every race, and have enough left over to clear the national debts of a small third world country.

Don't get me wrong, I think the cars themselves are fascinating, awesome machines. The absolute pinnacle or automotive engineering, and they do have their place. They're fantastic to see in the flesh, or rather the carbon fibre, and the noise is something quite unparalleled. I'd even give up many things to have a drive in one, but as I said, they're useless at entertaining you in a race.

Unfortunately for me, and probably many other soon-to-be ex-F1 fans, I doubt much will change in the coming years. So for now, I can switch off my telly on a Sunday arvo and predict exactly what will happen using this simple newspaper quote: "They go round in circles, men in overalls run about and change the wheels, and the German will win"

Baz

[Catriona]

Agreed 100%. F1 was what got me into motorsport in the first place, back in the mid-90s when it was still good, and back then I wouldn't miss it for anything. Nowadays, I watch the start, then leave the tv on in the background while I do other things, and generally I can predict who'll have won anyway (well, there's only been one race when he hasn't), so don't even bother to go back for the end. And if I need to go out or do anything else that means I miss the race, I no longer care... that's a big change, but it just is not interesting any more.

Seems to me like every change they make makes it worse, if that's possible... maybe they should learn from legends and have a random draw for the qualifying? That'd make it more interesting, at least for the first 5-10 laps while they sort themselves out, rather than the current system which really adds nothing to it at all.

And it's more than time they undid the grooved tyres and narrow cars change which is what I feel started the decline... if they want to slow the cars down, then reduce the grip from wings, get rid of the computerised stuff that doesn't exist in normal cars, etc... heck, even copy NASCAR and introduce restrictor plates to the engines if it needs slowing that badly (no-one can say anyone runs away with restrictor-plate races in NASCAR, even if some people don't like them), but I always felt the racing was better before grooved tyres and narrow cars. Maybe it wasn't the direct cause, but I'm sure it didn't help.

F1 really needs to get its act together soon, or it won't exist much longer - I bet the sponsors must be getting jumpy as they realise people don't like it any more, and if they pull out, there's no way it can survive on the budgets it demands currently.

[Mike Hogg]

XR2 said:

Don't get me wrong, I think the cars themselves are fascinating, awesome machines. The absolute pinnacle or automotive engineering, and they do have their place.

I think that's part of the problem - as the cars have gotten more and more advanced, the racing has got worse and worse.

Just got to agree with most of what you have both stated - this is the first year since I started watching motorsport more than ten years ago that I've paid so little attention to F1... we missed the Canadian GP completely because we were away, and we didn't really care! I'll never watch live qualifying again either - what's the point?

The words "boring" and "predictable" have already been used so I wont go much further but those are the words which best describe F1 these days - it gives motorsport in general a bad name as the naysayers and critics of the sport as a whole simply use F1 as an example (obviously) given that it's the so-called pinnacle of racing.

Unfortunately, they say that TV audiences are increasing and the sport is getting even more popular - so I doubt if there will be many changes in the near future.

[Catriona]

Knockhill said:

it gives motorsport in general a bad name as the naysayers and critics of the sport as a whole simply use F1 as an example (obviously) given that it's the so-called pinnacle of racing.

Very true - I have some friends who love oval racing (NASCAR etc), but because F1 is so boring, they think all road course racing must be like that, and therefore aren't interested in trying any other racing.

I really wish I could get them over here and show them the club racing, as that'd totally change their opinions, I think... but of course F1 is the racing that gets the coverage, so it's what everyone's opinions will be based on

[davefiddes]

I still watch F1 on a Sunday afternoon. Largely out of habit. Though I've taken to catching up on my reading at the same time... I find I'm a lot better informed at work these day with all the IT comics I get through!

IMHO the biggest problem F1 has is Bernie Ecclestone. He is so hell bent on making money for himself and his cronies that he is in grave danger of destroying F1 (and to a larger or greater extent non-US motor racing) because the racing sucks. Some day soon I hope he'll realise that no matter how much money he makes it won't buy a decent epitaph.

[Blair]

Bit like Dave myself, really out of habit that I still watch it, in the off chance something happens (like Monaco!! )


I think part of the problem is that the teams almost have too much say in the running. There was all that talk recently of a "new F1" series starting in a few years led by some of the major teams (minus Honda, Toyota I think), basically that was all over TV money. No team should be bigger than the sport and I think thats the underlying problem to everything.

Look at the recent proposed qualifying change due to start at the British GP - Two 25 min sessions and you had to set a time in both sessions - pole would of been decided by the aggregate fastest time from both sessions. Now that would of been good. But Eddie Jordan was the only one who opposed it, because then he wouldn't have been guaranteed any air time at all (which he can currently on 1 shot qually!). Which is fair enough from a business point of view, I agree. But damn it, if you can't stand the heat, get outta the kitchen!!

The commentators also seem to think some 'battles' are great, when in fact they aren't at all. If these battles were in Touring Cars, they'd be dull!