My Problem with Modern F1

[Boby Kim]

Luckily there is Nascar, Indy, Imsa, Continental tires Gp4, V8 supercars, Rally...
And for me as dutch peep i have enough dutch driver satisfaction in these series.

 

[jorgewao]

 

[dadara74]

I advise everybody to watch some old races from the 70's/80's/90's, etc....not just the review or highlights but FULL races...and pay attention to the technology, tactics, personalities, rules etc. etc...you will be surprised how today's F1 compares to the old days. There is a torrent around the web with all full races from 1977 till now, interesting watching some old races now and then .

Every era had it's ups and downs and it's always the ups that people remember, not the downs. The one thing that is consistant throughout F1's history is "how bad F1 is nowadays compared to the past", that was present during EVERY era of the sport.

 

[DKGORACE]

I've been a F1 fan since I was a little kid (50 years now). Here in the states we didn't get to watch much, other than Monaco on Wide World of Sports. When cable TV appeared I was amazed of these fabulous cars and became a huge fan ever since. FF to 2012, yeah not so much, I'll watch replays of Goodwood Circuit Revival or 6 hours of Spa with the intensity of when I was a kid. Very skilled balls out RACING. Not fuel mapping theory, or tyre saving techniques, and passing by pit strategy. I follow the vintage circuit out here as well, and it's pretty much an Ol'e and no no after you sir mentality, as it's more about the cars and not the competition here in vintage racing. Ahhh! the key word in a visually and mentally stimulating race. COMPETITION!

 

[Alex72]

Like the oldies used to tell us "the good days are gone" and i always thought "you old sad git", but today i know exactly what they meant.

Time moves forward however and things change. Kids today seeing F1 will think today was full of life and "gritty" compared to 40 years into the future where they can only see the competition in virtual reality hooked into their brains.

 

[Nick Hill]

This is totally anecdotal and I think you would be wise to not read too much into it, but...

I'm re-watching the 2007 season (because I'm that much of a loser) - I'm up to Monaco and I noticed something very interesting in the ITV broadcast. Between the pre-race and first half (or so) of the race, James Allen has mentioned probably 3 different times something to the effect of "hoping the weather holds up" (i.e that it doesn't rain).

I feel like in recent years, if there is so much as a hint of a drop of precipitation, the entire broadcast booth is tittering with excitement.

Is it in 2007 that the racing was so exciting and so compelling that the general consensus was that people did not want it to rain for fear of messing up the competition? And now here we are in 2018, the championship is so stale and predictable, Sky Sports has interns doing rain dances during the race hoping for some drama to be drummed up?

 

[Isaac Chavira]

F1 is a soap opera now.

 

[Jozsusz]

He hasn't posted a picture.

Profile picture...

 

[mrbungle83]

There is also the obsession with safety since Senna's death. As I said elsewhere, we don't need to go back to the 2-deaths-a-year period, but some risk and some daring are fundamental in any race and should be welcomed instead of punished. What made F1 drivers admirable - what gave them character and made them worthy of our respect - is that they were facing death. They were like modern gladiators. Would you care for a successful Everest climb if the participants had safety nets under them all the time?

F1 is too boring, I'm going to watch someone climbing a mountain for 2 months, look look they are slowly grinding down, look, they can hardly move, we may get another week of this! Omg he's slowly freezing to death, he's in a tent in 8 hours he may get out... Gripping.

They are sports people not gladiators I'm pretty sure if any of your family were in motorsports you wouldn't be talking such nonsense.

Maybe sim racing is too safe, how could we danger that up?

 

[formidable]

Maybe he can, but I haven't seen any in F1 so far.
All of his tracks are 100 in a dozen; too flat out, too safe, too wide.
No heart, no soul. It all started with the ruining of the old Hockenheim.
So you see, I'm not much of a fan of the Tilke tracks.

The only Tilke good track is Instambul Park

 

[formidable]

You do realize that the car on your picture was never refuelled during a race?

Yes, but precisely that was also a problem at the time, since they had to conserve gasoline, and not squeeze the car thoroughly.

 

[tswest]

Moan, moan and moan - I kinda like the way some folk moan about F1 and yet I have been hearing the same moan and groan since 1969 !! LOL
Come on bro! - its F1, its exciting in a different way for different people - some make a lot of money out of it, others spend a lot of money in or for it.
On the one side moans go up about the cost, on the other side moans go up about the "one look". Now just how will you keep costs down if you dont put down rules that control the imaginations of engineers like Adrian Newey. Yes in the 1980's cars looked different despite the limited technology available then. Back then we built cars with spaceframe square tubing, covered it with aluminium and fibre glass, adhering to the same rules that pin the basic design of an Formula One car today.
Look at the pictured "entry list" in this discussion, only TEN teams with 2 cars each and THEY LOOK different in many ways and not just because of the liveries - paint them all black and it will not take me long to id them one by one because I am a true fan, a true follower, a real petrol head that will not walk away from F1 no matter who dominates. Technology has evolved - who is to blame? .......... ALL OF US!! as we strive to find better performance, endurance, efficiency and more than anything else SAFETY - year after year we see more speed and when rules are changed (this is when lots of money gets spent) teams soon find improvement and soon soon the speed is back if not better. Modern F1?? really? what is modern now was modern in 1978 when "wing-cars" took to the front, then come modern when finally 1.5Litre V6 or L4 cylinder engined got turbo charged to deliver twice as much power - then come modern when aluminium was replaced with carbon fibre - each 2nd or 3rd season saw something more modern then the previous ..
Its, F1 and it will stay F1 ...........

 

[tswest]

Must say - this very year I have seen F1 passes and not much different to the Dijon 1979 battle of Villenueve/Arnoux - mmmm Danny Ric late breaking and passing in China, Vettel on Hamilton opening lap at SPA, Hamilton on Vettel last weekend at Sochi - still happens - so whats the problem ?

 

[keto95]

Must say - this very year I have seen F1 passes and not much different to the Dijon 1979 battle of Villenueve/Arnoux - mmmm Danny Ric late breaking and passing in China, Vettel on Hamilton opening lap at SPA, Hamilton on Vettel last weekend at Sochi - still happens - so whats the problem ?

I haven't seen battles like that - going wheel to wheel, lap after lap - in a long time.
Modern F1 cars are simply not build for that. The battles you're referring to are just a few one-offs which is why I rather watch MotoGP, so that's the problem

 

[kondor999]

F1 has become a single-make, single-engine series (compared to its crazy, anything-to-win past) where any innovation is confined to aero bits that aren’t visible to anyone without access to CFD software. Or software changes to the standardized ECU.

But, in the end, everyone has the same hybrid V6T that sounds like the bastard child of a chainsaw and...flatulence.

I remember how exciting it was to pore over photos of the different cars. Now they’re all the same (visually). They all sound the same. There’s no real innovation aside from endless minor aero tweaks.

If I wanted to watch a single-make single-seater series, I’d choose F2 over F1 any day.

 

[Kakusso]

The truth.

There is a reason for the saying "good old days" and that is because it is human nature to forget the bad and focus on the good -

 

[Antony Snook]

I understand once appon a time F1 was a blue collar sport run by coummoun people. The wealthy have taken it over with fans and even sponsors. If you where a millionaire and at the paddock club you could meet any driver in person. But for the working class and and lower class this stuff is not available.

The rules are very restricting i know but we don't want a team dominating over another. All teams are in the constructor points right now. And at the bar where i watch races they say bring in 3rd drivers for teams who can afford it. That will mess up the constructors tittle for anyone with 2 or one car. So you have to change points and make it confusing and hard to relate to the older eara's. I personally feel a driver should get points for finishing a race even at the back of the pack. Or points for pole, Fastest lap and even leading one or more laps.

Don't get me wrong i love technology but do we need a entire it department on computers looking at screens of data perceiving any problems before they happen. In the old days you ran a risk that a engine or gearbox would fail. You did not have a computer to send you a alert telling you it may happen.
I swear if a driver took a piss in the car a sensor would tell you, it would even record the temperature of the urine.

 

[2112]

Must say - this very year I have seen F1 passes and not much different to the Dijon 1979 battle of Villenueve/Arnoux - mmmm Danny Ric late breaking and passing in China, Vettel on Hamilton opening lap at SPA, Hamilton on Vettel last weekend at Sochi - still happens - so whats the problem ?

Yeah...No. Not like this and not with so little regard or daring as shown in that vid. I watched GP back then and when passes were made (like in the vid) people appreciated it and it happened often between the front runners.

Why? Freakin' venturi tunnels. I challenge you to show me a vid of anyone in this era racing like that. They cannot due to the aero wash. In the cases you are talking about you refer to one pass, not multiple passes with both cars nose to tail taking advantage, over and over again, the slight miscues of the other driver.

Sorry, but the passing today is antiseptic and sterile compared to the actual slug-fests held in that time. One of the reasons why Verstappen is reviled by many is he tries to pass just as Arnoux and Villenueve did, and as many other drivers of the time did. Today, though, to show that kind of aggression the driver is branded a danger.

What Arnoux and Villenueve did is dice. There is no dicing in F1 today as the cars do not allow it and most of the drivers lack the fortitude to pass with the abandon shown in that vid.

 

[F_B]

Would still watch every F1 race if the cars would be able to overtake each other (no DRS help either) and where the field is closer together (within 1-2 sec). I’m excited for the 2021 changes but we still have to endure two more seasons of predictable races.

 

[Damage Inc]

Maybe he can, but I haven't seen any in F1 so far.
All of his tracks are 100 in a dozen; too flat out, too safe, too wide.
No heart, no soul. It all started with the ruining of the old Hockenheim.
So you see, I'm not much of a fan of the Tilke tracks.

This is my point, he HAS to design a track with current F1 needs for a track and it's that which makes a track crap. Primarily because of F1s over reliance on Aero grip.