Webber leaving because F1 aint what it use to be

[Condi]

Interesting interview on Top Gear last night. Said about not being able to push any more and how much the sport has changed. Also about how next year they are supposed to be saving fuel.

Hit the nail on the head for me, and why, although I still watch the races (have done since birth!), interest is rapidly vanishing. If given the choice I would rather watch the MotoGP.

Does anyone else feel the same? Has F1 lost it way? For me it used to be the pinnacle of motorsport. Now it is more about who can save tyres than who can race fast. A sad way for the sport to end up.

[davepoth]

Silly that endurance racing is effectively flat-out all the time but an F1 "sprint" race has to be all about going gently.

[designndrive62]

I would agree. To me f1 is having trouble deciding what it wants to be at the moment with its half hearted enviornmental efforts, poor spectator care/value and who it's relevant to and as such has ended up in dodgy territory where it is satisfying absolutely no one.

[LiamM45]

It's interesting that in even machinery Webber is quicker than Vettel... Maybe it was engineered for TV, whatever, but 9 tenths of a second is a lot!

[Condi]

LiamM45 said:

It's interesting that in even machinery Webber is quicker than Vettel... Maybe it was engineered for TV, whatever, but 9 tenths of a second is a lot!

I doubt it was set up for TV, but doing a handful of laps in a strange car is totally different to doing hundreds of laps over a race weekend in a car you've been driving for months if not years.

[zac510]

Well he's going to be disappointed with endurance racing because they're introducing fuel flow restrictions aswell!

[Eric Mc]

They're the same reasons Keke Rosberg said he gave up on F1 - 30 years ago.

[hornetrider]

F1 has lost its shine for me. When a car loses a pile of front wing aero in a collision but can still maintain lap time, that tells you how far off the potential pace they are running.

[Gwagon111]

F1 changes all the time, it's the nature of the beast. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Those who can't, or don't want to adapt, will get out.

[rsv696]

Condi said:

If given the choice I would rather watch the MotoGP.

No longer on Freeview as of next season Buggered if I'm paying extra to watch it, so I guess it's F1 for my motorsport fix now...

[playalistic]

Gwagon111 said:

F1 changes all the time, it's the nature of the beast. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Those who can't, or don't want to adapt, will get out.

I don't think you squeezed enough cliches in there.

[SAGTAFF]

Lost interest in F1 after going to Silverstone last year. Such a rip-off with poor spectator facilities. OK, the cars are mentally quick but where is the skill when there are such huge run off areas? Monaco and Canada are the only interesting GP's for me.

Tomorrow night ITV4 are showing the highlights of the WRC, Finnish round. After years of decline, that sport is slowly looking on the up - the Finland round was a belter. Those guys are nuts!

[ewenm]

zac510 said:

Well he's going to be disappointed with endurance racing because they're introducing fuel flow restrictions aswell!

But you'd expect that in endurance racing. You shouldn't expect it in F1.

[Eric Mc]

Fuel conservation has been an important part of Grand Prix racing at various times in its history - depending on the formula in use at any given time.

It was very important in the 1950s and again in the 1980s.

I just think its one of the technical aspects of the racing that has its place.

[Condi]

ewenm said:

zac510 said:

Well he's going to be disappointed with endurance racing because they're introducing fuel flow restrictions aswell!

But you'd expect that in endurance racing. You shouldn't expect it in F1.

This exactly. F1 should be almost rule-less IMO so designers and drivers can push the envelope. Okay, safety should be important, but saving the environment should not. The fuel saving is laughable when they ship 40 trucks around the world on a weekly basis.

[Eric Mc]

Tell that to Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio or Stirling Moss.

They had to cope with fuel burn issues.

As did Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna etc etc.

Tell me the racing was rubbish in those eras.

[ewenm]

For me the issue at the moment is the combination of having to be careful with fuel and careful with tyres - that's fine when they're 30s clear and managing the race, but disappointing when fighting for position that they can't drive as fast as possible for as long as needed.

Anyway, OT. Webber probably ants a new challenge and may well be bored of the F1 political circus.

[Papa Hotel]

ewenm said:

Anyway, OT. Webber probably ants a new challenge and may well be bored of the F1 political circus.

Or maybe he's just finally realised he was never world champion material and is too old for F1.

[Chris944_S2]

If he was 26 instead of 36 do you think he would be leaving F1?
Of course not. It's not the tyres that are making him leave, it's because he feels it's time to call it a day. The tyres are an excuse, he may not like them but they certainly aren't his main reason for leaving.

[Bill Carr]

Papa Hotel said:

ewenm said:

Anyway, OT. Webber probably ants a new challenge and may well be bored of the F1 political circus.

Or maybe he's just finally realised he was never world champion material and is too old for F1.

Quite. I think the "it's changing" thing is a smokescreen, a useful excuse. After all, which racing driver wants to admit they are no longer fast enough to race at the top level?