F1 Sucks These Days
Discussion
Unfortunately I’m now an old man . So old in fact that , as a six year old my father took me to the first Grand Prix at Silverstone . I was hooked from that time and still am . Whatever the rules and regs current at the time it has always been a driver focused thing for me . Those of us who have only seen TV coverage may think driving an F1 car on the limit is , possibly ,something we may be able to do with suitable training . Watch at trackside and I would suggest it becomes clear we couldn’t. TV dumbs down the speed through the camera lenses .Microphones are muted to let us hear the commentary . I’ll admit it’s great to see all the action on the whole circuit but it somehow sucks the excitement out of it .
So , for me it’s what those individual drivers are doing with their car relative to others that creates the buzz .
So no , I don’t think F1 sucks , but I’m sure the spectacle could be improved by getting rid of the myriad of stifling rules , junk DRS etc. I’m with COPPICE on the turbo period for excitement although back in the Cosworth era some of the driving was just outstanding. Ronnie Peterson in a Lotus 72 through the old Woodcote at Silverstone just sticks in my mind , along with Jochen Rindt driving anything . Gilles Villeneuve was/ is my all time go to man , so I think I just like flamboyance!
So , for me it’s what those individual drivers are doing with their car relative to others that creates the buzz .
So no , I don’t think F1 sucks , but I’m sure the spectacle could be improved by getting rid of the myriad of stifling rules , junk DRS etc. I’m with COPPICE on the turbo period for excitement although back in the Cosworth era some of the driving was just outstanding. Ronnie Peterson in a Lotus 72 through the old Woodcote at Silverstone just sticks in my mind , along with Jochen Rindt driving anything . Gilles Villeneuve was/ is my all time go to man , so I think I just like flamboyance!
TheDeuce said:
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?
That says it for me. People isolate one aspect of the sport and seem to blame that for them being apathetic. Not enough overtakes, no doubt who will win, too much tech, nor enough or different noises. Really?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?
Last weekend's race gave excitement all the way through. There was little doubt who would win, but there were challenges all the way down the field. Half way through a season you would not be able to understand why driver A being able to keep in front of driver B was so fascinating unless you watched the previous races. Highlights just don't do it.
Take Lando's final two laps. They are on YouTube but, if you hadn't seen all the race and know about his drive up until then, with the dangers of the kerbs and the need to get everything out of the car, it will die a bit. But for those watching, it was a thrill. Will he/won't he. It's not only McLaren fans who found that tremendously exciting.
Historically, F1 has been boring for those watching a race without commitment to the whole circus. Some of the seasons have given us possibly two or three races that stick in the mind. Last season, we had too many to remember, yet the easily distracted complained.
Some of those watching intently for the last few seasons will look back in 20 years and complain that F1 sucks.
Either admit that you lack commitment or get back into it. This thread seems to be an attempt to justify not being willing to put the effort into the sport.
My main sport used to be rugby but, for various reasons, the last three seasons I've been unable to follow it. Yet for 17 years, I was pitchside every Saturday, come rain, hail, force 8 gales, searing heat, videoing the matches. I videoed my club's training sessions. I loved it. I was completely immersed. I drove all over the country, and to Wales, all weathers. Now I keep an interest, but am no longer an enthusiast. It doesn't grab me. Rugby has changed over the years, but I don't blame that. It's me. Rugby doesn't suck. In essence it's as it always was despite these changes.
It's me.
I bet it's you with F1.
Derek Smith said:
That says it for me. People isolate one aspect of the sport and seem to blame that for them being apathetic. Not enough overtakes, no doubt who will win, too much tech, nor enough or different noises. Really?
Last weekend's race gave excitement all the way through. There was little doubt who would win, but there were challenges all the way down the field. Half way through a season you would not be able to understand why driver A being able to keep in front of driver B was so fascinating unless you watched the previous races. Highlights just don't do it.
Take Lando's final two laps. They are on YouTube but, if you hadn't seen all the race and know about his drive up until then, with the dangers of the kerbs and the need to get everything out of the car, it will die a bit. But for those watching, it was a thrill. Will he/won't he. It's not only McLaren fans who found that tremendously exciting.
Historically, F1 has been boring for those watching a race without commitment to the whole circus. Some of the seasons have given us possibly two or three races that stick in the mind. Last season, we had too many to remember, yet the easily distracted complained.
Some of those watching intently for the last few seasons will look back in 20 years and complain that F1 sucks.
Either admit that you lack commitment or get back into it. This thread seems to be an attempt to justify not being willing to put the effort into the sport.
My main sport used to be rugby but, for various reasons, the last three seasons I've been unable to follow it. Yet for 17 years, I was pitchside every Saturday, come rain, hail, force 8 gales, searing heat, videoing the matches. I videoed my club's training sessions. I loved it. I was completely immersed. I drove all over the country, and to Wales, all weathers. Now I keep an interest, but am no longer an enthusiast. It doesn't grab me. Rugby has changed over the years, but I don't blame that. It's me. Rugby doesn't suck. In essence it's as it always was despite these changes.
It's me.
I bet it's you with F1.
It definitely is F1 with me. Apart from F1, I don't follow any other sport - other than other motorsport on a casual basis..Last weekend's race gave excitement all the way through. There was little doubt who would win, but there were challenges all the way down the field. Half way through a season you would not be able to understand why driver A being able to keep in front of driver B was so fascinating unless you watched the previous races. Highlights just don't do it.
Take Lando's final two laps. They are on YouTube but, if you hadn't seen all the race and know about his drive up until then, with the dangers of the kerbs and the need to get everything out of the car, it will die a bit. But for those watching, it was a thrill. Will he/won't he. It's not only McLaren fans who found that tremendously exciting.
Historically, F1 has been boring for those watching a race without commitment to the whole circus. Some of the seasons have given us possibly two or three races that stick in the mind. Last season, we had too many to remember, yet the easily distracted complained.
Some of those watching intently for the last few seasons will look back in 20 years and complain that F1 sucks.
Either admit that you lack commitment or get back into it. This thread seems to be an attempt to justify not being willing to put the effort into the sport.
My main sport used to be rugby but, for various reasons, the last three seasons I've been unable to follow it. Yet for 17 years, I was pitchside every Saturday, come rain, hail, force 8 gales, searing heat, videoing the matches. I videoed my club's training sessions. I loved it. I was completely immersed. I drove all over the country, and to Wales, all weathers. Now I keep an interest, but am no longer an enthusiast. It doesn't grab me. Rugby has changed over the years, but I don't blame that. It's me. Rugby doesn't suck. In essence it's as it always was despite these changes.
It's me.
I bet it's you with F1.
It's an engineers sport, so it appeals to me
Also it's an expansive sport with various ways to conquer it, imagination and innovation play a key part in finding the route to success. Nothing else really compares.I do sympathise with those that fall out of love with it though. I worry that the scope for innovation and design is lessening and at some point that would undermine a major reason I enjoy the sport so much. In the same way as some people miss other aspects of the sport that too have been eroded, such as the raw nature of the cars, the sound, the danger.. Or at least the lack of H&S that they see as sanitising the experience.
That said though... even if I do fall out of love to a degree at some point.. What else would I do on a Sunday? If I can be bothered to watch the highlights, I might as well watch the full race. I do wonder why anyone that refuses to watch a whole race would spend any time on a forum discussing the sport. I know they're discussing the history of the sport.. But does that require a forum!? There is no debate to be had, the history is just fact. Might as well read through pages on Wikipedia!
Nampahc Niloc said:
TheDeuce said:
There is no debate to be had, the history is just fact. Might as well read through pages on Wikipedia!
I suspect one or two historians might take umbrage at that.But debating who might win a race this coming weekend makes sense, endlessly discussing a factual result from 30 years ago isn't debate, it's just reminiscing. Which come to think of it.. is fair enough. A valid use of the forums I guess.
TheDeuce said:
Nampahc Niloc said:
TheDeuce said:
There is no debate to be had, the history is just fact. Might as well read through pages on Wikipedia!
I suspect one or two historians might take umbrage at that.But debating who might win a race this coming weekend makes sense, endlessly discussing a factual result from 30 years ago isn't debate...
AFAIC, reading a multi-page online debate about tyre designations and who might win an upcoming Grand Prix, between people - most of whom appear to know about as much, or less than I do about the subject, is utterly pointless when you think about it...Just wait and see what happens. Even if someone were to predict the result of the race to 10 places, nobody would really care.dr_gn said:
“Makes sense???” AFAIC, reading a multi-page online debate about tyre designations and who might win an upcoming Grand Prix, between people - most of whom appear to know about as much, or less than I do about the subject, is utterly pointless when you think about it...Just wait and see what happens. Even if someone were to predict the result of the race to 10 places, nobody would really care.
I'm not saying it's logical... But if not to share views and then argue with one another.. what IS an internet forum for AFAIC, reading a multi-page online debate about tyre designations and who might win an upcoming Grand Prix, between people - most of whom appear to know about as much, or less than I do about the subject, is utterly pointless when you think about it...Just wait and see what happens. Even if someone were to predict the result of the race to 10 places, nobody would really care.
All forums are essentially one upmanship. One person makes a point, someone else comes along and points out how it could have been a better point!
Whiles away the time between races and I do personally quite like making and reading predictions between races, and predictions of what's going on behind the scenes. I suppose more than anything it's just a modern version of pub b
ks 
TheDeuce said:
dr_gn said:
“Makes sense???” AFAIC, reading a multi-page online debate about tyre designations and who might win an upcoming Grand Prix, between people - most of whom appear to know about as much, or less than I do about the subject, is utterly pointless when you think about it...Just wait and see what happens. Even if someone were to predict the result of the race to 10 places, nobody would really care.
I'm not saying it's logical... But if not to share views and then argue with one another.. what IS an internet forum for AFAIC, reading a multi-page online debate about tyre designations and who might win an upcoming Grand Prix, between people - most of whom appear to know about as much, or less than I do about the subject, is utterly pointless when you think about it...Just wait and see what happens. Even if someone were to predict the result of the race to 10 places, nobody would really care.All forums are essentially one upmanship. One person makes a point, someone else comes along and points out how it could have been a better point!
Whiles away the time between races and I do personally quite like making and reading predictions between races, and predictions of what's going on behind the scenes. I suppose more than anything it's just a modern version of pub b
ks Half the posts in this forum are uninformed guesswork. The other half are uninformed rebuttals. Some people think their opinions are worth more than those of others, but they're all just personal opinions. Unless and until we have Toto, Lewis and Seb personally posting in here, that's all it is. Just a bit of fun.
dr_gn said:
But...why? As far as I could tell, most predictions were from random people with little or no more knowledge or insight into what’s going on than anyone else. Of course you get the odd sage who once got within 10 metres of the paddock fence in 2008, but It’s...daft
I think some are better at balancing what is known publicly and making a semi-educated guess about what it likely to play out as a result. And all the back and fourth posting ahead of finding out is basically a competition to see who can get as close as possible to being correct I'm OK with that on the basis that I'm normally often nearly always spot on. Sometimes... On a good day at least
I suppose the other use of a forum is for people that don't fully understand an aspect of the sport to come and ask a question. We all then scramble to answer the question better than one another - and then argue about who's answer is best. That's a useful service.
thegreenhell said:
Half the posts in this forum are uninformed guesswork. The other half are uninformed rebuttals. Some people think their opinions are worth more than those of others, but they're all just personal opinions. Unless and until we have Toto, Lewis and Seb personally posting in here, that's all it is. Just a bit of fun.
Nice to see that you've cracked what forums are all about.Hello, a new member here. I will be honest and admit the first F1 season I watched was 1970, I saw highlights of the Monaco race and I was instantly an F1 fan for life.
Does F1 suck theses days? well I'm sorry to say yes I think it does. I think the current Mercedes domination has made F1 very boring indeed as most of the times you know who's going to win after 1-2 laps, sometimes after 1-2 corners. also I think part of the problem is the cars are simply too easy to drive and they are not even racing flat out most of the time (ie: being told to take care of the car/tyres only 2 laps into the race) I remember the Schumacher Ferrari years making racing boring but it never was as bad as it is now and their domination really was only 2002/2004 and not six years in a row like Merc currently. I want to see drivers pushing hard and cars that take skill and talent to race, these days it looks like they are out for a sunday stroll sometimes.
I think the pirelli tyres are a huge problem also, perhaps we need a 2nd tyre manufacturer in F1 to shake them up.
I had hoped the 2021 rule changes would shake things up a bit but alas that's not happening now.
Does F1 suck theses days? well I'm sorry to say yes I think it does. I think the current Mercedes domination has made F1 very boring indeed as most of the times you know who's going to win after 1-2 laps, sometimes after 1-2 corners. also I think part of the problem is the cars are simply too easy to drive and they are not even racing flat out most of the time (ie: being told to take care of the car/tyres only 2 laps into the race) I remember the Schumacher Ferrari years making racing boring but it never was as bad as it is now and their domination really was only 2002/2004 and not six years in a row like Merc currently. I want to see drivers pushing hard and cars that take skill and talent to race, these days it looks like they are out for a sunday stroll sometimes.
I think the pirelli tyres are a huge problem also, perhaps we need a 2nd tyre manufacturer in F1 to shake them up.
I had hoped the 2021 rule changes would shake things up a bit but alas that's not happening now.
LetsgoV10again said:
Hello, a new member here. I will be honest and admit the first F1 season I watched was 1970, I saw highlights of the Monaco race and I was instantly an F1 fan for life.
Does F1 suck theses days? well I'm sorry to say yes I think it does. I think the current Mercedes domination has made F1 very boring indeed as most of the times you know who's going to win after 1-2 laps, sometimes after 1-2 corners. also I think part of the problem is the cars are simply too easy to drive and they are not even racing flat out most of the time (ie: being told to take care of the car/tyres only 2 laps into the race) I remember the Schumacher Ferrari years making racing boring but it never was as bad as it is now and their domination really was only 2002/2004 and not six years in a row like Merc currently. I want to see drivers pushing hard and cars that take skill and talent to race, these days it looks like they are out for a sunday stroll sometimes.
I think the pirelli tyres are a huge problem also, perhaps we need a 2nd tyre manufacturer in F1 to shake them up.
I had hoped the 2021 rule changes would shake things up a bit but alas that's not happening now.
Many of the drivers are very skilled and talented, though some are clearly there for other reasons. Does F1 suck theses days? well I'm sorry to say yes I think it does. I think the current Mercedes domination has made F1 very boring indeed as most of the times you know who's going to win after 1-2 laps, sometimes after 1-2 corners. also I think part of the problem is the cars are simply too easy to drive and they are not even racing flat out most of the time (ie: being told to take care of the car/tyres only 2 laps into the race) I remember the Schumacher Ferrari years making racing boring but it never was as bad as it is now and their domination really was only 2002/2004 and not six years in a row like Merc currently. I want to see drivers pushing hard and cars that take skill and talent to race, these days it looks like they are out for a sunday stroll sometimes.
I think the pirelli tyres are a huge problem also, perhaps we need a 2nd tyre manufacturer in F1 to shake them up.
I had hoped the 2021 rule changes would shake things up a bit but alas that's not happening now.
The car’s do rake an awful lot of effort to drive close to their limits, unfortunately that’s generally just for a short time in Saturdays.
As for the 2021, or more accurately 2022 car design rules, they’ve just been changed, again, this week. Third significant change in the last month. We don’t yet know what the cars will be like.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 10th July 11:25
LetsgoV10again said:
Hello, a new member here. I will be honest and admit the first F1 season I watched was 1970, I saw highlights of the Monaco race and I was instantly an F1 fan for life.
Does F1 suck theses days? well I'm sorry to say yes I think it does. I think the current Mercedes domination has made F1 very boring indeed as most of the times you know who's going to win after 1-2 laps, sometimes after 1-2 corners. also I think part of the problem is the cars are simply too easy to drive and they are not even racing flat out most of the time (ie: being told to take care of the car/tyres only 2 laps into the race) I remember the Schumacher Ferrari years making racing boring but it never was as bad as it is now and their domination really was only 2002/2004 and not six years in a row like Merc currently. I want to see drivers pushing hard and cars that take skill and talent to race, these days it looks like they are out for a sunday stroll sometimes.
I think the pirelli tyres are a huge problem also, perhaps we need a 2nd tyre manufacturer in F1 to shake them up.
I had hoped the 2021 rule changes would shake things up a bit but alas that's not happening now.
Tyres have always had to be managed. In the turbo years, a race was nothing more than three, normally, sprints. I prefer the current, historical style of racing, with a beginning, middle and end with the pace car upsetting the best laid plans every now and again. Does F1 suck theses days? well I'm sorry to say yes I think it does. I think the current Mercedes domination has made F1 very boring indeed as most of the times you know who's going to win after 1-2 laps, sometimes after 1-2 corners. also I think part of the problem is the cars are simply too easy to drive and they are not even racing flat out most of the time (ie: being told to take care of the car/tyres only 2 laps into the race) I remember the Schumacher Ferrari years making racing boring but it never was as bad as it is now and their domination really was only 2002/2004 and not six years in a row like Merc currently. I want to see drivers pushing hard and cars that take skill and talent to race, these days it looks like they are out for a sunday stroll sometimes.
I think the pirelli tyres are a huge problem also, perhaps we need a 2nd tyre manufacturer in F1 to shake them up.
I had hoped the 2021 rule changes would shake things up a bit but alas that's not happening now.
Merc's domination isn't total. Look at last season. For the second race, Ferraris had the front row locked out. Their second driver went off into the distance and the two Mercs gave up chasing. The second Ferrari driver threw away what was probably a first place as it turned out.
Also, the midfield racing was thrilling, with lots of thrills and spills. It was surely the highlight of last season, and it was for 100% of this season's races.
You say you want to see driver's pushing, to paraphrase, at 100% all race. I don't think that's ever been the norm. The '87 British was a walkover for Williams, but was remarkable as Mansell pushed hard for about 50% of the race. It was superb. It was magic. It was memorable. But the third place was lapped. That's domination, not what we see today.
For real on-the-limit, non qually lapping, the last two laps of the McLaren in the hands of Norris showed two things: he was committed, and that there was no way he could have done that for every lap.
There are things wrong with the current regs, but making cars easy to drive is not one of them. See Ricc yesterday, or Vettel most Sundays, for details.
The norm is that one car/engine will dominate. Williams and McL dominated a decade. RB took up the slack when Ferrari imploded. Now Merc. It's now the same as it often is.
Do you like how the cars look?
Do you like how the cars sound?
Do you like the circuits?
Do you like the current regulations?
If the answer is No to most of the above, then modern F1 will suck for you.
If these matters are of no significance to you, then you will think that modern F1 doesn’t suck.
They matter to me so I just can’t like what F1 is today. No argument or attempts at persuasion could ever change my mind.
It’s a matter of taste and opinion and such matters are always subjective.
Do you like how the cars sound?
Do you like the circuits?
Do you like the current regulations?
If the answer is No to most of the above, then modern F1 will suck for you.
If these matters are of no significance to you, then you will think that modern F1 doesn’t suck.
They matter to me so I just can’t like what F1 is today. No argument or attempts at persuasion could ever change my mind.
It’s a matter of taste and opinion and such matters are always subjective.
Eric Mc said:
Do you like how the cars look?
Do you like how the cars sound?
Do you like the circuits?
Do you like the current regulations?
If the answer is No to most of the above, then modern F1 will suck for you.
If these matters are of no significance to you, then you will think that modern F1 doesn’t suck.
They matter to me so I just can’t like what F1 is today. No argument or attempts at persuasion could ever change my mind.
It’s a matter of taste and opinion and such matters are always subjective.
Yet you're on a forum to discuss F1, on an internet that didn't exist back when you liked F1.Do you like how the cars sound?
Do you like the circuits?
Do you like the current regulations?
If the answer is No to most of the above, then modern F1 will suck for you.
If these matters are of no significance to you, then you will think that modern F1 doesn’t suck.
They matter to me so I just can’t like what F1 is today. No argument or attempts at persuasion could ever change my mind.
It’s a matter of taste and opinion and such matters are always subjective.
How did that come to be?
AJB88 said:
it was an exciting qualifying that's for sure, just ruined it (for me) with Hamilton walking away with it in the end, watching all them other drivers who thought they had a chance, Max I think would of got it had he not screwed it on the 2nd to last corner.
No.One of the greatest wet drives in recent history isn't 'walking away with it'. And Max's lap until he lost it was astonishing, I thought he'd take P1. But even before he lost it, Lewis's was superior. And that's before we factor in that Lewis didn't lose it
Are you saying that qualifying was ruined for you due to the fastest person going fastest?
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