F1 Drivers call for changes to "obsolete" governing body

[Hal Burns]

Get rid of Bernie, the Evil Dwarf.

 

[Marc Rindermann]

I don't know. I stopped watching F1 when Schumacher was still at Benetton. The few times I watched it in the last 20 years the races were too boring. If you started from pole the only way to lose the race was if your pit crew screwed up the stops and don't even think about overtaking a car since the cars break by just looking at them. Touring cars and motorbikes ftw!

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changed text, dislike censorship

 

[4 8 15 16 23 42 108]

I really hope for next season more drivers, Hülkenberg, Alonso and the likes, will move over to WEC, the new pinnacle of motor sports. Formula 1 has become so pathetic. And nothing will ever change. And you see where I live...

 

[Rob]

Sure F1 is changing, but they are simply undoing years of foolish decisions. Bernie was right, and he is *not* the enemy of the fans. One of the reasons I love F1 (and have abandoned NASCAR) is because F1 is still pulled by forces other than the sanctioning body, and the drivers are the heart of the sport. I can almost feel their pain. Webber, Alonso and Raikkonen have been saying this all along. The next step for the drivers (if the FIA does not get its act together very quickly) is to jump ship. WEC, IndyCar or DTM are all attractive to drivers. This was happening back in 1993 before IndyCar destroyed itself. Most drivers (like Rossi, apparently) would rather race than be rich. Money is a powerful tool, but it only goes so far when the race is 90% car.

 

[Fat Rich]

And here in the UK F1 will be Sky Sports only from 2019

I've been watching F1 since 1976 but there's no way I'll pay Sky's prices for F1 in it's current state, there's nothing else on Sky I'd want to watch that would add value to their prices.

The sport needs to reinvent itself and get back to some real racing without DRS, circuits that all look the same, bizarre rules and over zealous race stewards. Removing it from free to air TV will lose viewers and eventually lose sponsors.

 

[4 8 15 16 23 42 108]

The opening and final match as well as all matches with Germany were governmentally ruled to be on free TV! This was/is for football/soccer European and World Championships. I wonder, maybe some races will be on a free channel. Sorry for OT

 

[Philip Heck]

The opening and final match as well as all matches with Germany were governmentally ruled to be on free TV! This was/is for football/soccer European and World Championships. I wonder, maybe some races will be on a free channel. Sorry for OT

Yes the British GP will be apparently but that's it.

 

[gamer19]

In all seriousness and sorry for my ignorance but what is WEC ?
I see you guys mention it a couple of times. Some racing series ?
I was puzzled since I never herd of it and it turns it's... "the new pinnacle of motor sports".

 

[Deleted member 161052]

In all seriousness and sorry for my ignorance but what is WEC ?

WEC = FIA World Endurance Championship. From Wikipedia page:
"The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series usurps the ACO's former Intercontinental Le Mans Cup which began in 2010, and is the first endurance series of world championship status since the demise of the World Sportscar Championship at the end of 1992. The World Endurance Championship name was previously used by the FIA from 1981 to 1985."

 

[gamer19]

Ahhh.... I see now. Thank you.
I could (should) google it myself.
But I don't see how's that ....a pinnacle.
I don't mind more or less ordinary cars racing around, hell even nascar has it's ...moments.
But I'm in love with open wheel racing.
I don't see how that can be replaced with some road cars running around for 24 hours or less.
And I'm not the only one, ask di Resta. He wants back.

 

[fortyfivekev]

...
I don't see how cat that be replaced with some road cars running around for 24 hours or less.
And I'm not the only one, ask di Resta. He wants back.

I think you must be confusing WEC and DTM. DTM is boring German taxi racing while WEC is awesome prototypes and sportscars. Paul di Resta raced in the DTM.

 

[gamer19]

Really mate, I don't want to act like a wise ass here but.. sorry to say... it's all kind of same to me.
They are all not open wheel. I drove them in games from time to time but my heart is always to open wheel. Formula* (can't write it here, they might sue me), CART, Indy and many other lower categories.
Some prefer nascar, some even truck racing, ha. Doesn't matter. We're all brothers.
Just that some are more perverted than others.

Spoiler: ofc

it's a joke

 

[Deleted member 130869]

WEC was fine but it's not all good stuff there. Remember the changes the ACO was pushing to reduce AUDI's domination and give Peugeot a shot? They have too much dictatorial power although they must realize the good it does to the sport, to have 3 manufacturers just go at it. There's enough lax with the rules to allow for a bunch of stuff that F1 was once renowned for, 23 years ago.

 

[fortyfivekev]

Well the ACO can be a bit too French on occassion with their decision making (see LMP2) but it is much better to have the sporting regs set by the governing body rather than by the teams as is the case with F1. Audi et al don't have any veto on WEC rule changes unlike Ferrari in F1.

 

[Deleted member 130869]

And Audi doesn't get 187.5 million just for being Audi, despite Ferrari being an underperformer - given its size and capacity - for 45 years.

 

[xnorb]

Everybody has got his own opinion what's good and what's bad.
To me there are too many rules.
Keep safety as highest prority, set a power to weight ratio and limit the yearly budget, but beside that: Just let them design, plan and race!
Or make it a spec series if giving freedom to the teams is no option...

2/ less influencal sponsors : pilots should only be chosen by skill, not the depth of their pockets like recent occurrings.

"recent occurrings" as in "since the beginning of F1"?
Do you think Paul Belmondo was one of the top 25 race drivers of the world about 20 years ago?

 

[Grand Tourist]

Everybody has got his own opinion what's good and what's bad.
To me there are too many rules.
Keep safety as highest prority, set a power to weight ratio and limit the yearly budget, but beside that: Just let them design, plan and race!
Or make it a spec series if giving freedom to the teams is no option...


"recent occurrings" as in "since the beginning of F1"?
Do you think Paul Belmondo was one of the top 25 race drivers of the world about 20 years ago?

My F1 history knowledge is rather limited so I stick to what I know .

 

[TomcatMF]

Everybody has got his own opinion what's good and what's bad.
To me there are too many rules.
Keep safety as highest prority, set a power to weight ratio and limit the yearly budget, but beside that: Just let them design, plan and race!
Or make it a spec series if giving freedom to the teams is no option...


"recent occurrings" as in "since the beginning of F1"?
Do you think Paul Belmondo was one of the top 25 race drivers of the world about 20 years ago?

IndyCar used to be a constructor series until 1994. When they went to being a spec series they lost quite a few fans, including myself. Part of the reason I watch racing is to see who built the fastest car.

F1 definitely needs to figure out what it wants to be and come up with a strategic plan to get there. So far everything they have done in the last 10 years has been so reactive. Many of the restrictions were supposed to be in the name of cutting costs, but in reality it drove the costs up. For example restricting the number of engines has driven up the cost of building them due to needing tighter tolerances on the parts to ensure reliability for a given power output. Basically the will build three or four engines worth of parts to yield one engine and then scrap the rest.

Racing is expensive, and instead of artificially reducing costs through regulation they should simplify the rules to give teams more leeway so that the smaller teams can find a faster solution without needing to spend so much money. Just set some basic rules for dimensions and safety and fuel and let them have at it. That would be much more entertaining to me.

 

[MoerasGrizzly]

Use the WEC rules but with open wheelers !