Liberty Media to 'make changes' in Barcelona...

[Kraken]

Wh00sher said:

So you see a car with a bit of yellow on and instantly know which of the 2 drivers it is ? I know I don`t.

I completely understand and agree with why they`ve done it for the casual fan. It doesn`t make the `show` worse so why not do it ?

Tiff Needell has just tweeted saying that he doesn't see the point of the numbers either as the cameras are so much easier to see,

I've got no problem with them putting the big numbers on but it's such a tiny little thing that isn't really a problem. Are people so mentally challenged that they can't work out which car is which given the positions are show constantly on the screen and one of each has the yellow camera?

If the fan is that casual then the number is going to mean anything to them either.

[Wh00sher]

Kraken said:

Are people so mentally challenged that they can't work out which car is which given the positions are show constantly on the screen and one of each has the yellow camera?

Do you talk like this in person, or just from behind the keyboard ?

[Derek Smith]

Jon39 said:

I wonder if you would consider the commentators to be ubergeeks?
They sometimes mix up two same team cars.
Think it happened again in the last race, with the Ferrari drivers.

I remember Murray Walker running through half the grid when everyone could see it was Hunt who had crashed out, on his last race if memory serves. But it might not.

I'm all for a numbers to be more prominent. It helps when watching on TV, especially nowadays when a Ferrari might be in front of a Mercedes and the other Ferrari might be in front of the other Merc. I'm a bit colour blind and the colours are not that distinctive.

[Eric Mc]

Derek Smith said:

I remember Murray Walker running through half the grid when everyone could see it was Hunt who had crashed out, on his last race if memory serves. But it might not.

I'm all for a numbers to be more prominent. It helps when watching on TV, especially nowadays when a Ferrari might be in front of a Mercedes and the other Ferrari might be in front of the other Merc. I'm a bit colour blind and the colours are not that distinctive.

Very good memory there. I remember it too. It was the 1979 Monaco GP.

[DS240]

Derek Smith said:

Jon39 said:

I wonder if you would consider the commentators to be ubergeeks?
They sometimes mix up two same team cars.
Think it happened again in the last race, with the Ferrari drivers.

I remember Murray Walker running through half the grid when everyone could see it was Hunt who had crashed out, on his last race if memory serves. But it might not.

I'm all for a numbers to be more prominent. It helps when watching on TV, especially nowadays when a Ferrari might be in front of a Mercedes and the other Ferrari might be in front of the other Merc. I'm a bit colour blind and the colours are not that distinctive.

The numbers don't detract from anything, but I've never really thought I needed more than the ability to recognise the helmet differences and the painted cameras to know which car I'm looking at.

Slightly different needs, but the illuminated position lights at Le Mans works really well. Let's say for F1 they had 5 lights on each side to pick out the top 5 quickly.

Often watch races and wonder what the commentators are looking at. Spotting things in the background way before or reading strategy and the affect it's going to have on the race. Though I imagine it is harder than it seems to talk constantly and observe (in an interesting manner - Crofts constant stupid puns are not in this category)

Murray Walker was useless in my view. Could not stand the constant errors.

[Eric Mc]

Most drivers' helmets are not distinctive enough now. And the raised cock[pit sides make them hard to see anyway.

NOTHING has been done over the past twenty years to help fans recognise who is who. The opposite, in fact.

Let's hope these new style numbers redress this situation somewhat.

[HardtopManual]

Kraken said:

Tiff Needell has just tweeted saying that he doesn't see the point of the numbers either as the cameras are so much easier to see,

Oh well that settles it then.

[FourWheelDrift]

Are the numbers stopping him from seeing the cameras, no.

I always liked what Ferrari did in the 80s and early 90s with the yellow flashes on the wings of one car. Although you can also see the numbers back then too Easier to seen them than any name on a fin or camera mount.



Yellows flashes for the number 2 driver.

[Chrisgr31]

Kraken said:

Are people so mentally challenged that they can't work out which car is which given the positions are show constantly on the screen and one of each has the yellow camera?

If the fan is that casual then the number is going to mean anything to them either.

Well most people in this thread will consider themselves fans. A number of them have said they don't know which car has the yellow camera and I will join them. I havent a clue who has the yellow camera.

[Derek Smith]

Eric Mc said:

Very good memory there. I remember it too. It was the 1979 Monaco GP.

Yes, spot on there (I think). I'd mention that that was when the Ligiers were held up by Lauda, but I don't want everyone thinking I'd finally lost the plot.

Edited to add: There was another Murrayism. He said the Ligier was climbing all over the back of Lauda and he was taken out when a Ligier climbed all over the back of him.

Not my memory by that of a right F1 nerd whom I'm watching TV with.

Edited by Derek Smith on Friday 12th May 19:48

Edited to add a correction to my previous edit: It was Pironi in the Candy Tyrrell that literally climbed all over the back of Lauda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loWfChomkJU&t=...

I remembered that race as being full of incident. Strange how memory works. It was close for a while. Lauda held up all but the two cars in front.

Worth watching the highlights though.

Edited by Derek Smith on Friday 12th May 21:54

[Derek Smith]

DS240 said:

The numbers don't detract from anything, but I've never really thought I needed more than the ability to recognise the helmet differences and the painted cameras to know which car I'm looking at.

Murray Walker was useless in my view. Could not stand the constant errors.

I, like about 14% of the male population of this country, have problems distinguishing certain colours, about half of whom have red/green problems. I can 'see' the colours to a limited extent but not in a fast moving car. It's easier on TV for some reason. The numbers on the fin are good for me.

As for Murray, he is more acceptable now he is only available as a commentator in history.

He was a fan of the sport. I'll cut him some slack on the strength of that.

[HardtopManual]

"Enhancements" to the "fan experience" so far seem to consist of an amateur version of Stomp, a bloke who can do a Rubik's cube with one hand and a DJ near turn 1.

[hairyben]

Interviewing the top 3 plus freddy on the grid is a nice nod to the attendee fans i thought, rather than it being just about the tv viewers

[Crafty_]

hairyben said:

Interviewing the top 3 plus freddy on the grid is a nice nod to the attendee fans i thought, rather than it being just about the tv viewers

Yep I think thats good, they need to sort out the sound issue to prevent the PA feedback though

[cuprabob]

HardtopManual said:

...a bloke who can do a Rubik's cube with one hand

Did he steal it from the Alonso mosaic?

[hairyben]

Crafty_ said:

Yep I think thats good, they need to sort out the sound issue to prevent the PA feedback though

Pretty sure you can kill that with software, same issue as handsfree phones.

[C Lee Farquar]

hairyben said:

Interviewing the top 3 plus freddy on the grid is a nice nod to the attendee fans i thought, rather than it being just about the tv viewers

Unless the fans happen to be Spanish and not speak English. Perhaps they translate it at the circuit.

[DJFish]

DS240 said:

Slightly different needs, but the illuminated position lights at Le Mans works really well. Let's say for F1 they had 5 lights on each side to pick out the top 5 quickly.

I was wondering if someone was going to mention the LeMans lights.
For me, you can argue the usefulness of the new numbers until you're blue in the face, it's a gesture from the new management that they're thinking about the fans, that's got to be a good thing.
Next step will hopefully be halving the ticket prices.....

[2fast748]

HardtopManual said:

Kraken said:

Tiff Needell has just tweeted saying that he doesn't see the point of the numbers either as the cameras are so much easier to see,

Oh well that settles it then.

Tiff should be a subject on the "things that wind you up" thread!

He's such a Luddite! But I digress..

For what it's worth I think the bigger numbers/identifiers are a good thing, it brings a bit of personality back to the cars.

[swisstoni]

I'm sure I will complain about dumbing down etc, but F1 needed looking at with fresh eyes.
Eyes that can see F1 like someone new to the sport will see it. And understanding wtf is going on is quite difficult in an F1 race.

Also, there is virtually no impression of the sheer physical forces at work. There's some technically brilliant camerawork going on but none of it conveys this.
In fact some YouTube stuff does it better sometimes.