F1 Sucks These Days

[LukeBrown66]

I think it says it all that all I did was watch the first few laps, one car roared away from the field, that was enough for me to abandon.

And Croft does not help at all it has to be said. He makes F1 far worse to watch live I am sorry to say.

[Nampahc Niloc]

LukeBrown66 said:

I think it says it all that all I did was watch the first few laps, one car roared away from the field, that was enough for me to abandon.

And Croft does not help at all it has to be said. He makes F1 far worse to watch live I am sorry to say.

Because I’m the old days it would never happen that one car would immediately pull away from the rest of the field.

[TheDeuce]

LukeBrown66 said:

I think it says it all that all I did was watch the first few laps, one car roared away from the field, that was enough for me to abandon.

And Croft does not help at all it has to be said. He makes F1 far worse to watch live I am sorry to say.

If that's enough for you to abandon, then you would have missed the majority of F1's greatest races surely? I don't think it's possible to enjoy F1 without slightly greater staying power than just watching the start and then turning it off

And the one car that roared off left in it's wake a large hoard of warring other cars that kept the action up pretty much start to finish.

[Derek Smith]

LukeBrown66 said:

I think it says it all that all I did was watch the first few laps, one car roared away from the field, that was enough for me to abandon.

As you say, I think your post says it all about you.

An F1 can normally be divided into three sections: the start, probably around half a dozen laps or so, possibly more at Austria, then the middle section, where the strategy of each team becomes clearer, and one can work out where a car will be placed, and then the end of the race. The last section varies greatly in length. In Bakku last year, it was the final 15 laps, with one car way out in the distance and the others fighting for second place. What happened then was full of pathos, yet exciting, with the podium positions up for grabs, and the third place driver told he'll get third two or three laps from the end, and then, the youngster was given a bonus courtesy of the Renault team.

I wonder if you would have been bored by the first few laps, which were exciting in the extreme, right up until the positions were settled.

Why bother to come onto an F1 thread, albeit on with the nonsensical title this one has, and just say, in reality, you're not a fan and don't really understand the sport?

[budgie smuggler]

LukeBrown66 said:

I think it says it all that all I did was watch the first few laps, one car roared away from the field, that was enough for me to abandon.

And Croft does not help at all it has to be said. He makes F1 far worse to watch live I am sorry to say.

I guess if you're mainly invested in who wins then that's always going to be a problem with the current qualifying system which puts the fastest cars at the front for the race.

However there were great battles and incidents going on all race through the whole field. The problem is the coverage doesn't show it effectively. The only time I felt it did was back in the BBC days when iPlayer or red button would show the live GPS view plus onboards alongside.

[Eric Mc]

TheDeuce said:

To stick to the core of the sport though (racing cars).. The Austrian GP did also have plenty of close racing, between a wide mix of teams compared to what we've become used too. Most of that racing starts as a developing situation over a few laps and the anticipation of knowing two cars will soon have to deal with one another, that probably doesn't come through the same way in highlights.

If you were ever going to give a season a chance to impress you... this one could be a good bet. Only £25 for 4 races with a Now TV pass right now...

Not for me. I'll rely on the highlights - like I did in the early days. It's good enough for me as long as the cars and circuits are not to my liking.

[TheDeuce]

Eric Mc said:

TheDeuce said:

To stick to the core of the sport though (racing cars).. The Austrian GP did also have plenty of close racing, between a wide mix of teams compared to what we've become used too. Most of that racing starts as a developing situation over a few laps and the anticipation of knowing two cars will soon have to deal with one another, that probably doesn't come through the same way in highlights.

If you were ever going to give a season a chance to impress you... this one could be a good bet. Only £25 for 4 races with a Now TV pass right now...

Not for me. I'll rely on the highlights - like I did in the early days. It's good enough for me as long as the cars and circuits are not to my liking.

Fair enough!

[LukeBrown66]

I guess like many older fans, modern f1 just does not do it for me.

It should. the cars are powerful, fast etc. But I dont know what it is, they look to easy to drive, soo much reliance on aero, the tracks are fairly tame and uninteresting.

I simply think you can grow out of liking something, that's all.

I had other things to do that were more interesting it's that basic and years ago that would not be the case. So I guess as i say you just move away from it.

[Nampahc Niloc]

LukeBrown66 said:

I guess like many older fans, modern f1 just does not do it for me.

It should. the cars are powerful, fast etc. But I dont know what it is, they look to easy to drive, soo much reliance on aero, the tracks are fairly tame and uninteresting.

I simply think you can grow out of liking something, that's all.

I had other things to do that were more interesting it's that basic and years ago that would not be the case. So I guess as i say you just move away from it.

That’s probably the most honest post on this thread yet.

[Eric Mc]

I have had periods in the past where my interest levels in F1 have gone up and down. The "growing out of love" with F1 implies that a person will never go back to it. I wouldn't go that far. I MAY go back to it IF the series ever becomes interesting to me again. The likelihood is that it will not - but I live in hope.

[TheDeuce]

Eric Mc said:

I have had periods in the past where my interest levels in F1 have gone up and down. The "growing out of love" with F1 implies that a person will never go back to it. I wouldn't go that far. I MAY go back to it IF the series ever becomes interesting to me again. The likelihood is that it will not - but I live in hope.

What if it were the case that by only watching highlights, you are missing what you could be finding interesting? How would you know?

There really is no way that races such as last Sunday can ever be appreciated via highlights alone. It'd be like reading a book via it's synopsis and the final pages just to see how it turned out..

When did you last watch one of the better of the current era races live and in full?

[Rowe]

well i enjoyed it - little boring prior to the pit stops, but it is what it is.

[5150]

LukeBrown66 said:

I guess like many older fans, modern f1 just does not do it for me.

It should. the cars are powerful, fast etc. But I dont know what it is, they look to easy to drive, soo much reliance on aero, the tracks are fairly tame and uninteresting.

I simply think you can grow out of liking something, that's all.

I had other things to do that were more interesting it's that basic and years ago that would not be the case. So I guess as i say you just move away from it.

This was me 20 years back - got introduced to WSBK and MotoGP, which by comparison was far more entertaining - watching Bayliss and Edwards bash it out every race until the inevitable deciders at the last few races of the season, or the Rossi v Biaggi v Gibernau, it was genuinely out-of-your-seat / yelling at the TV entertainment. . . . can't ever remember being like that with F1 . . . that was me 'moving on' . . . To add - I can't say that's still the case for SBK or MotoGP, but back then, it eclipsed F1 for entertainment, and I still don't think years later, F1 has ever come out of the shadows for me . . .

[Eric Mc]

TheDeuce said:

Eric Mc said:

I have had periods in the past where my interest levels in F1 have gone up and down. The "growing out of love" with F1 implies that a person will never go back to it. I wouldn't go that far. I MAY go back to it IF the series ever becomes interesting to me again. The likelihood is that it will not - but I live in hope.

What if it were the case that by only watching highlights, you are missing what you could be finding interesting? How would you know?

There really is no way that races such as last Sunday can ever be appreciated via highlights alone. It'd be like reading a book via it's synopsis and the final pages just to see how it turned out..

When did you last watch one of the better of the current era races live and in full?

I don't want to watch the full races. I don't like the cars very much and I don't like a lot of the circuits. They could be having ding dong battles for the full race and that would still not entice me. To me the package is poor. I want loud, leery, hairy cars, not these electronic hair dryers.

[LukeBrown66]

5150

I too found an outlet for good racing in bike racing, of many forms off road and on road.

there are aspects of it I would change, but in its basic terms it seems to offer more in terms of pure racing, skill and you can easily see the talent, something I find hard to do in F1 where it all seems so hidden so much of the time

I watched an onboard of Norris last two laps at Austria and he was being nannied through the entire thing, told what to do what he could do at every opportunity.

I am sorry but that is not pure racing for me. I love the kid and he is only doing what he is told and what is allowed, he is great and a breath of fresh of air, but listening to that just made me wince a little bit.

[crankedup]

I have followed F1 for the past fifty years, mainly from television not trackside, although I do enjoy trackside for other motorsports. The viewing numbers on television have apparently dropped by around one third since 2008 should be worrisome for the business.
On the racing side it has, imo, been through a very stale period although the past few years have seen a import of exciting young drivers keen to race. Certainly they have spiced up the spectacle with some exciting and unexpected racing overtakes, always a good thing!

I’m more into watching Moto GP finding it full of top class racing and interesting individuals wether riding or pits/team managers.

Edited by crankedup on Wednesday 8th July 14:28

[FIREBIRDC9]

LukeBrown66 said:

I think it says it all that all I did was watch the first few laps, one car roared away from the field, that was enough for me to abandon.

And Croft does not help at all it has to be said. He makes F1 far worse to watch live I am sorry to say.

Make sure you never watch Le Mans then........

[LukeBrown66]

Firebird

I know EXACTLY who you are talking about, quite how this person is still employed in the commentary business is beyond me, I have never heard a worse person behind the mic in many years. You think we have it bad, imagine being a cycling fan, the poor chaps have to put with it even more

So as you can imagine i watch it via other means, I think on year watched it mainly on a German channel!!

[Gixer968CS]

I used to be a massive F1 fan from mid 80's to late 90's. Obviously, as a Brit these were good times and Schumacher's winning streak certainly had something to do with me getting bored with it. But I see the problem as something of a conundrum, that F1 is the pinnacle of technology and its the technology that has ruined the racing. Cars are so efficient now that it means the drivers have few opportunities to exploit. For example, braking and downforce are so good it restricts overtaking. The answer to better racing is obvious, reduce downforce, rely more on mechanical grip (big fat slicks) and use steel brakes. The racing would be far better, but the cars would no longer be technologically cutting edge. F1 can't go there.

I've also watched Motorcylce racing since the 1980s and it has just got better and better. Obviously bikes are much less efficient than cars and as a result the rider plays a much bigger part in the success of the package. Dorna, who run MotoGP, has basically got to a great set of technical rules and left it alone for years. The result is exceptionally close racing and great excitement. It's not uncommon for a single MotoGp race to feature many more overtakes than an entire season of F1. I think F1 could learn from MotoGp. F1 just keeps tinkering, or making wholesale changes way too often which just means certain teams benefit as they get on top of the rules more quickly than others.

For me the introduction of DRS zones was the point at which F1 finally lost the plot. It pushes technology, but then strips it out at certain pre-determined points on the track to create overtaking opportunities and improve the show. I think it's daft, why not just have cars than can overtake at any time and make the whole thing better? It can't because the cars wouldn't be very technically advanced. Doh! F1 has suffered consistent falls in viewers and I think it's set to continue.

[coppice]

I fell in love with motorsport in the late Sixties and have loved it ever since. F 1 is - or should be - at the top of a much bigger sport and many of its problems stem from the fact that F1 , and most of its fans, regard it as a sport in its own right . That is 'sport ' primarily in the sense of a TV entertainment and thus obsessed with branding and viewer figures.

I am in the minority who don't care if its viewing rating falls ,nor if some of its dilettante fans bugger off and watch BTCC instead , . F1 sold its soul to the media devil years ago and , is chasing its own tail in a tragic bid to be 'relevant' - if only to secure the grotesque funding it has attracted from manufacturers . And really pissing half a billion quid up the wall for 2 cars in 20 races ?

I still won't miss a GP .but if teams went back to 50 blokes in a shed I'd break out the champagne.