The F1 Changes
Well we were all looking forward to this meeting yesterday, we were going to see the 'Saving of F1'. And how let down we all were.
I suppose the main change comes with qualifying. Saturday will now be a one-shot showdown (touring cars anyone?) where everyone goes out in order and has one lap to set a time. The order they go out will be determined by a similar session on the Friday. It all sounds very interesting- I take it the idea is to make slightly distorted grids or something with drivers at the mercy of the weather/track conditions. However qualifying was not the problem with F1 in the first place and shouldnt have been so prioritised. I suppose the spectacle will be better and smaller teams should get more exposure so long as the TV cameras focus on track and not at Schumacher relaxing in the garage awaiting his turn.
The other semi-major change is to the points system, which will now be 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the first 8 finishers. Firstly as a statistician I am appalled because all F1 points statistics will be rendered null and void now 8 cars can score points as opposed to six as it has been since F1 started. But there are deeper problems with the change than my pathetic need for information. Firstly the onus is now on reliability as retiring will be extra-costly ie processional races, no risky overtaking, super-reliable cars, no hope for small teams. Secondly there is less emphasis on winning- if you are second there's no point going for the win as its only two points more and you stand to lose 8 by doing so. Hence by this system, supposedly there to make tight championships, racing will probably become even blander.
Someone should have actually told the FIA and the team bosses why noone watches F1 any more. Yes Ferrari have run away with this season but that has happened before. Supposedly banning team orders isnt gonna stop that by the way. F1 fans are bored in that there is no excitement ANYWHERE on the track. Noone overtakes, people who want to can't. Circuits are unchallenging. Driver aids make driving really easy and so mistakes are hardly made.
So what do the FIA do? Discuss measures to make cars easier to overtake? No. Discuss banning driver aids to make driving an actual test? No. Discuss altering of circuits to make overtaking possible? No. Talk about banning refuelling which is the main reason for processional races? No. Think of ways of filling our grids again? No. Axe Spa, one of about two circuits nowadays that really make a driver work, because the fatcats want their sponsorship money? Of course.
What is worse is that these things werent even touched upon because apparantely Max Mosley wanted to get the thing finished quickly so they could tell the World their proposals. I personally would have been perfectly happy to have left them all in that meeting room for a fortnight not knowing what was going on if it meant sorting everything out.
A meeting meant to bring the excitement back to F1 has ended up doing nothing whatsoever about the sleep-inducing procession that is raceday these days and at the same time robbed F1 of perhaps its greatest remaining racetrack. A new points system isnt going to make F1 any better. New qualifying will give the odd juggled grid, nothing more.
I quote someone else on a message board to end. The Commision met to save the sinking ship that is F1. All they did was rearrange the deckchairs.
I suppose the main change comes with qualifying. Saturday will now be a one-shot showdown (touring cars anyone?) where everyone goes out in order and has one lap to set a time. The order they go out will be determined by a similar session on the Friday. It all sounds very interesting- I take it the idea is to make slightly distorted grids or something with drivers at the mercy of the weather/track conditions. However qualifying was not the problem with F1 in the first place and shouldnt have been so prioritised. I suppose the spectacle will be better and smaller teams should get more exposure so long as the TV cameras focus on track and not at Schumacher relaxing in the garage awaiting his turn.
The other semi-major change is to the points system, which will now be 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the first 8 finishers. Firstly as a statistician I am appalled because all F1 points statistics will be rendered null and void now 8 cars can score points as opposed to six as it has been since F1 started. But there are deeper problems with the change than my pathetic need for information. Firstly the onus is now on reliability as retiring will be extra-costly ie processional races, no risky overtaking, super-reliable cars, no hope for small teams. Secondly there is less emphasis on winning- if you are second there's no point going for the win as its only two points more and you stand to lose 8 by doing so. Hence by this system, supposedly there to make tight championships, racing will probably become even blander.
Someone should have actually told the FIA and the team bosses why noone watches F1 any more. Yes Ferrari have run away with this season but that has happened before. Supposedly banning team orders isnt gonna stop that by the way. F1 fans are bored in that there is no excitement ANYWHERE on the track. Noone overtakes, people who want to can't. Circuits are unchallenging. Driver aids make driving really easy and so mistakes are hardly made.
So what do the FIA do? Discuss measures to make cars easier to overtake? No. Discuss banning driver aids to make driving an actual test? No. Discuss altering of circuits to make overtaking possible? No. Talk about banning refuelling which is the main reason for processional races? No. Think of ways of filling our grids again? No. Axe Spa, one of about two circuits nowadays that really make a driver work, because the fatcats want their sponsorship money? Of course.
What is worse is that these things werent even touched upon because apparantely Max Mosley wanted to get the thing finished quickly so they could tell the World their proposals. I personally would have been perfectly happy to have left them all in that meeting room for a fortnight not knowing what was going on if it meant sorting everything out.
A meeting meant to bring the excitement back to F1 has ended up doing nothing whatsoever about the sleep-inducing procession that is raceday these days and at the same time robbed F1 of perhaps its greatest remaining racetrack. A new points system isnt going to make F1 any better. New qualifying will give the odd juggled grid, nothing more.
I quote someone else on a message board to end. The Commision met to save the sinking ship that is F1. All they did was rearrange the deckchairs.