Is the safety car start, the beginning of the end?
Discussion
I'd suggest that attempts to turn F1 into a pristine and error free/accident free zone is part and parcel of the reason why its popularity is waning.
Far from my attitudes needing to "catch up", maybe the attitudes of those who (mis) manage the sport need to reassess what they are doing to neuter a once incredibly exciting and thrilling spectacle.
Far from my attitudes needing to "catch up", maybe the attitudes of those who (mis) manage the sport need to reassess what they are doing to neuter a once incredibly exciting and thrilling spectacle.
C70R said:
It's all to do with not applying slapdash decision-making to the pinnacle of motorsport. The fact that the pinnacle of motorsport also attracts more money is incidental. You're doing 2+2 and finding 5, because you wanted to find 5.
Monaco is a narrow track, with almost no run-off. This means that any accident, no matter how minor, has potential to seriously disrupt/red-flag the race. Wet racing significantly increases the potential for accidents, particularly at first corners (see the Spa example above).
Can you imagine how stupid the race director would have looked if he caved-in to the "it was better in the old days" pressure, resulting in 10 DNFs (or a red flag, or further safety car) at the first corner?
Can you imagine if there had been a serious injury as a result? Who would have been liable?
F1 has moved on from the harem-scarem days of the 1970s. Calculated risk and driver welfare are paramount in race control decision-making, which I wholeheartedly applaud.
I'd suggest that your attitudes probably have some catching up to do.
Ok, My Attitude has caught up and using the modern safe culture the only conclusion that can be drawn is that Monaco is no longer suitable to stage a motor race.Monaco is a narrow track, with almost no run-off. This means that any accident, no matter how minor, has potential to seriously disrupt/red-flag the race. Wet racing significantly increases the potential for accidents, particularly at first corners (see the Spa example above).
Can you imagine how stupid the race director would have looked if he caved-in to the "it was better in the old days" pressure, resulting in 10 DNFs (or a red flag, or further safety car) at the first corner?
Can you imagine if there had been a serious injury as a result? Who would have been liable?
F1 has moved on from the harem-scarem days of the 1970s. Calculated risk and driver welfare are paramount in race control decision-making, which I wholeheartedly applaud.
I'd suggest that your attitudes probably have some catching up to do.
You may consider the TV Director comment childish, explain why they couldn’t just delay the start (as in the old days)when TV schedules didn’t dictate everything, If you think my comment is that childish we did a very wet televised race not long ago at Anglesey and were told the race will start on time whatever the conditions.
This has long being an irritating issue for me.
It was ridiculous the amount of time that was spent behind the safety car at the start. But aside from that, they should just do a normal start. It is getting dumbed down so much now.
It's infected Le mans now. A bit of rain arrives and out come the safety cars. No no no... it's an endurance race. This has allowed teams to play the system by staying out on the slicks and know everything is controlled. Those who dive in for wets end up losing time.
It should start and they just have to get on with it... get in, put wets on, more downforce, soften dampers, slow down... just get on with it.
It was ridiculous the amount of time that was spent behind the safety car at the start. But aside from that, they should just do a normal start. It is getting dumbed down so much now.
It's infected Le mans now. A bit of rain arrives and out come the safety cars. No no no... it's an endurance race. This has allowed teams to play the system by staying out on the slicks and know everything is controlled. Those who dive in for wets end up losing time.
It should start and they just have to get on with it... get in, put wets on, more downforce, soften dampers, slow down... just get on with it.
Eric Mc said:
I'd suggest that attempts to turn F1 into a pristine and error free/accident free zone is part and parcel of the reason why its popularity is waning.
Far from my attitudes needing to "catch up", maybe the attitudes of those who (mis) manage the sport need to reassess what they are doing to neuter a once incredibly exciting and thrilling spectacle.
Maybe. But in the modern world the viewing public and sponsors don't want to see their heroes die on live TV.Far from my attitudes needing to "catch up", maybe the attitudes of those who (mis) manage the sport need to reassess what they are doing to neuter a once incredibly exciting and thrilling spectacle.
Vaud said:
Maybe. But in the modern world the viewing public and sponsors don't want to see their heroes die on live TV.
Interesting that you use the word 'heroes'. Can someone who takes no risks in a completely safe environment be called a hero? Take a read of Joe Saward's blog post today on the subject.https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/heroes/
thegreenhell said:
Interesting that you use the word 'heroes'. Can someone who takes no risks in a completely safe environment be called a hero? Take a read of Joe Saward's blog post today on the subject.
https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/heroes/
I often agree with Joe - in this instance I do not - but it was a well written article.https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/heroes/
Vaud said:
Maybe. But in the modern world the viewing public and sponsors don't want to see their heroes die on live TV.
They never did. But they did and probably do want to see dramatic action. They want to see their driving heroes tested and pushing the edges - something they themselves as "ordinary" people would never do.If they see their "heroes" being mollycoddled and wrapped in cotton wool, they pretty soon won't be heroes.
Blimey - I hadn't read Joe's article before my previous post. It's pretty much exactly what I was alluding to.
Perhaps, in ten years time, it won't be Fleetwood Mac providing the theme we associate with Grand Prix racing, but The Stranglers -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PRdfHSn6U0
Perhaps, in ten years time, it won't be Fleetwood Mac providing the theme we associate with Grand Prix racing, but The Stranglers -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PRdfHSn6U0
Eric Mc said:
...Far from my attitudes needing to "catch up"...
Adrian W said:
...the modern safe culture...
To be frank it sounds like both of you, and many others, need to accept that change is inevitable and necessary or find a less technological, sophisticated and progressive sport to watch, probably from some time in the dim and distant past. F1 has it's faults and always has, but as a fan of the sport I'd rather see it progress than stagnate and fade into obscurity.
In answer to the question, the safety car start is not the beginning of the end of F1 but it could be the end of your viewership if you so chose. Us fans will not be braying for blood any time soon, neither that of the sport nor of it's competitors.
HustleRussell said:
To be frank it sounds like both of you, and many others, need to accept that change is inevitable and necessary or find a less technological, sophisticated and progressive sport to watch, probably from some time in the dim and distant past.
F1 has it's faults and always has, but as a fan of the sport I'd rather see it progress than stagnate and fade into obscurity.
In answer to the question, the safety car start is not the beginning of the end of F1 but it could be the end of your viewership if you so chose. Us fans will not be braying for blood any time soon, neither that of the sport nor of it's competitors.
Yep - all those respected motor racing journalists like Nigel Roebuck, Mike Lawrence and (as mentioned above), Joe Saward. What do they know?F1 has it's faults and always has, but as a fan of the sport I'd rather see it progress than stagnate and fade into obscurity.
In answer to the question, the safety car start is not the beginning of the end of F1 but it could be the end of your viewership if you so chose. Us fans will not be braying for blood any time soon, neither that of the sport nor of it's competitors.
HustleRussell said:
Eric Mc said:
Perhaps, in ten years time, it won't be Fleetwood Mac providing the theme we associate with Grand Prix racing, but The Stranglers -
That always happens when people run out of points.
Eric Mc said:
Yep - all those respected motor racing journalists like Nigel Roebuck, Mike Lawrence and (as mentioned above), Joe Saward. What do they know?
All also from a different era of following the sport. Sure, they have experience - I would be interested to see what a Generation Y / millennial would think to provide a rounded view.
The point I am making is that the judgement was not whether the grid should tool around behind a road car for X number of laps in order to satisfy TV schedulers - but whether they should have started the race "properly" when it was safe to do so.
As I mentioned earlier, those who think those six or so laps behind the "Safety Car" were anything to do with safety are completely deluded as to how modern F1 works.
As I mentioned earlier, those who think those six or so laps behind the "Safety Car" were anything to do with safety are completely deluded as to how modern F1 works.
Vaud said:
Eric Mc said:
Judgement - something human beings do have the ability to exercise.
Which is what was exercised. Judgement by the race director, drawing on a vast amount more information than we mortals have access to.Eric would much rather talk about how great it was in "the old days", and how progress/money/safety/celebrity/status/TV has ruined the sport.
The PH armchair experts are hilarious. The race director has more experience and information available to him than the combined total of this thread's contributors - not that this will stop the oldies knowing better, frothing at the mouth, and threatening to cancel their F1 Magazine subscriptions!
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