Opinion | How To Fix Formula One?

[DB_1973]

I think to let F1 be F1. What I would like to see is a world V8 supercar championship. For me the aussi series is one of the best going. No need to develop new tracks for these cars most of the classics would work perfect.

 

[DB_1973]

Another quick thought. If F1 was on regular network tv again it would probably greatly help the sport. Just like boxing the paydays may be bigger PPV but as a kid in the early 80s I saw all the big boxing matches live. But with a father that was not a boxing fan I never say one tyson fight live because he was not gonna spend the money. Just like F1 during my teen years, when i watched ... on whatever major network carried it.

 

[SagastiF1pro]

Formula One Grand Prix racing has been around for a heck of a long time, celebrating a 70th anniversary this year no less, but some fans feel it is broken in its current form.. this is how I propose fixing it...

I've spoken about this before at RaceDepartment (actually, many, many times), but I want to get back on the virtual high horse and have another go at sharing my words of wisdom (cough) to the wider world of the sim racing community here at RD...

I firmly think the sport we love is broken, very, very broken. Grand Prix racing has taken a dramatic turn for the worse in the last few years, and I believe the product we have now vastly distracts from everything that makes motorsport great.

For me, motorsport should be about the art of the best drivers fighting against each other for every inch of tarmac on the track. It should be a sport that is hard, where only the most physical, brave, dedicated and talented rise to the top. It should be a sport about risk and reward, it should be something normal people watch and think "I can't do that". It should be a feast for the eyes and the ears and the senses. Motor racing should be awe-inspiring, scary, fascinating and above all else - an environment where drivers can race hard against each other, overtake and pay the price if they push over the edge too often (without a reasonable fear of death, of course).

For me at least, the bleeding edge of technology is an absolute irrelevance in Grand Prix racing. I'm not a Luddite, nor am I adverse to change - far from it in fact. However, for me, high technology isn't the point of motor racing. The point is in the bloody name - RACING!

Mega engines with high fuel efficiency, cutting edge aerodynamics, energy recovery... all these things add nothing to what matters the most; the spectacle of the actual race on circuit. Look at karting - nothing trick or tech heavy in those things, and they almost always provide exceptional racing.

Don't get me wrong here, technology developments have a part in motorsport, that's pretty much the whole reason endurance racing was designed for - so keep the innovations in that series. Create new classes to accelerate new technology development, it's all good (in fact it's fascinating) to see different technological directions competing against each other in 6, 12 and 24 hour prototype racing, but it 'aint for Formula One folks. I believe Formula One should be the pinnacle of racing, the absolute top level where people go to watch brilliant drivers fight against each other on brilliant circuits, and race each other close, hard and fair throughout the field.

So Paul, you've done plenty of complaining but offered no solutions so far. How do you propose encouraging this utopia of technology light, racing thrills heavy motorsport? Give me a moment of your time dear reader, and I will attempt to explain:

Simplicity. That is the key.

Drop aerodynamic dependence by a considerable margin - let's say around an 85% reduction should do the trick. But aerodynamics help the cars go quickly around corners I hear you cry? My countenance to that would be... since when does overall speed and laptime matter? If you were a fan of Grand Prix racing back in the 1990's, where sometimes the laptime differential between first and last could be north of 6 or 7 seconds, could you really tell the difference between the speed of the pole sitting Williams and the last place EuroBrun? Not really. Actually, because said EuroBrun was such an awful car (insert any relevant team name into the mix here, I'm not specifically picking on EuroBrun), it was far more dramatic to watch that team driving and sliding around the track than the planted Williams / McLaren / Ferrari of the day...

Speaking of sliding...

As well as a massive reduction on the aero, which kills the opportunity for cars to run close together due to the dirty air of the lead vehicle disrupting the balance of the car behind, I would like a much bigger element of mechanical grip reliance applied to the equation, with standardised front and rear wings that are designed alongside the regulations to ensure drifting the car around the corner is far quicker overall than the point and squirt nature of the current formula.

Couple this with rock hard tyres that are good for a full race weekend, and brake materials that considerably extend the braking distance required to slow down the cars, and for me at least, you are already well on the way towards making close racing considerably easier to achieve (and thus, more overtaking), as well as ensuring the actual spectacle of the cars lapping out on circuit is far higher than is the case now. The idea behind all proposed changes is to make the cars slower, easier to race closely together and substantially increase the possibility to get alongside a rival inside the braking zone. Let's face it, the braking distances today are so short it is almost impossible to position yourself for a pass before the whole deceleration zone is done and you are out the corner and back on the power...

Regarding the sliding is faster than precision side of things, I'm a firm believer the spectacle of racing is far more important than breaking overall lap records and achieving ridiculous speeds in the corners. Yes, watching a modern Grand Prix car turn on a dime at 180mph+ through Copse Corner is an impressive sight, but I'd argue watching Ronnie Peterson drifting a Lotus through the same corner at 140mph is far more stimulating to the senses...

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Next up I'd throw out the paddle shifters and replace them with a good H-Pattern box. Yes, this is a hark back to years gone by, but the skill required to shift a car while sideways at speed is a lost art form in open wheel racing. With manual gearboxes, this skill set really goes some way towards elevating the super talented drivers who can do just that, from the mere ordinary that avoid it by leaving it in a non optimal gear until it is an easier proposition to shift presents itself. As an added bonus, having to manually shift a h-pattern gearstick is also another potential variable in the driving experience, which could lead to mistakes, and encourage overtaking opportunities for the car(s) behind. No bad thing, even if in this proposed formula overtaking is a far more likely prospect than is the case today. Increased skill, added variability into the racing, gives potential advantage to the really talented drivers - what's not to like

So we've covered off the aero, mechanical grip, tyres, brakes, gears and the overall visual experience of watching one of these cars lap the circuit. What's next?

Engines.

I am absolutely no fan of the current hybrid formula from a sporting perspective. They sound garbage, too expensive, far too complicated and not enough manufacturers involved, with too high of an entry barrier for new brands to enter and be successful enough to stay around. Also, as is always the case with these things, current Formula One is way over reliant on manufacturer support... and we all know about that, inevitably manufacturers leave (anyone remember Toyota and BMW..?).

From a technology point of view, and road relevance pushing boundaries of what is possible, these engines are fantastic and should be applauded, but like I said earlier, Formula One should be a great sporting spectacle, not a technology showcase. What I propose is to move these sorts of engines over to WEC / IMSA / Le Mans, and let's have a nice selection of V6, V8, V10 and V12 normally aspirated monsters that scream and growl and grab you by the scruff of the neck to demand your undivided attention!

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With the engines I would go back to the very basics, governing the motors through a simple set of regulations that encourage the return of bespoke engine manufacturers into the sport. Of course, manufacturers might like a piece of the pie and come back too, but I'd love to see old and new manufacturers joined by the likes of Cosworth, Hart, Judd and the likes, with potentially 7, 8, 9, 10 different manufacturers of various size and prestige producing engines for the field to use. Variety is the spice of life!

With multiple engine designers now lining up to join our formula, I would like to see a set of regulations developed that ensure no one specific style of engine is the choice design to run - potentially this could be achieved by some kind of fuel usage restriction (so a V12 for example car run very fast, but has to throttle back to make the end, whereas a V8 and run flat chat for the full race). To give you an idea of what I mean, look up Mika Salo in Tyrrell Cosworth at the 1997 Monaco Grand Prix as an example.

Furthermore, I would implement a rule where only x number of each engine type are allowed in the field, so the manufacturers would each build their engines to whatever size they choose, and the teams would for instance have to select a first choice, second choice and third choice engine type. This would be randomly selected for each team, and if our example team x get choice x, they could then negotiate with the manufacturing brands of that style for a supply deal. This could be success weighted of course, so you don't get Mercedes stuck with a crappy Yamaha V6 !

This doesn't sound plausible does it? Because surely the manufacturers would only want engines good for their brand? So Mercedes would want just a Mercedes V10 etc etc? Well don't forget, this new formula is designed for the racing side of the sport, not business, so with reduced costs, some part standardisation and accessible engines, I would expect to see a considerable increase in high quality teams that are not associated with a big bucks car manufacturer getting involved. Gone will be the days of he who spends most wins under the corporate banner, and back into the fold would be Ferrari versus the Garagistas... which will probably mean over subscribed grids, and a return to pre-qualifying again (although this time, with the world having moved on, the level of these Garagistas should be far, far higher than some of the joke outfits of the early years...).

So here we now have cars that can race each other closely, overtake, look absolutely fantastic when lapping on track, manual gearboxes that sort the good from the great and encourage mistakes, massively reduced costs to allow a whole variety of new teams into the sport (and with it come more drivers), engines that sound varied and exciting, new engine brands on the grid, and variety throughout the field. Sounding good to you yet?

What's next?

The calendar, that's what!

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22 races, much as I love watching racing, is far too many. No longer do the races really hold a special sort of atmosphere for either the teams, or the fans watching. If you are a football fan, imagine holding the World Cup every 6 months. It would be fun for a while, but after a bit it starts to lose its edge and special appeal. It becomes just another tournament. That's what is happening to Formula One right now. Back in years past, a Formula One Grand Prix was an event. Something to get excited about. Get the Sunday dinner out the way quick, settle down on the sofa with friends and family, and really soak up the special feeling of watching something major. Now, we have that many races that missing one or catching it on highlights really isn't that big of a deal. Same for the drivers and teams, so many events, they all kind of merge into one. Make a mistake at round 2, no worries, you have 20 more races to catch back up again. Not great.

I would drop the calendar down to 14 rounds, selecting only the best of the best circuits and locations, and plan the schedule accordingly so teams are less in need of shipping stuff via air freight, and can go the more environmentally friendly and cost effect sea freight route from race - to - race. I'd also ensure at least a two or three week gap between each Grand Prix, to try and keep them distanced enough to make them feel special again.

An added bonus of the reduced race quantity and frequency would be to encourage the drivers to find rides outside of the sport during the downtime (no testing in this brave new world). It used to be great to see the stars of the day in different series trying their luck. The legendary Jim Clark drove rally, BTCC, F2, IndyCar and pretty much anything he could lay his hand on. Once, Stirling Moss claimed to have raced something different every weekend for a full year! Just image getting the opportunity to watch Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen race a saloon car at your local event one weekend, just for the fun of it!

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Because our new cars a slower than before, this also opens up the opportunity to return to more racing friendly venues in our new 14 round schedule. No longer are we chasing corporate dollars here, going to places with Tilke built borefest tracks and no crowds. We can get back to proper circuits, with gravel traps (to penalise those who screw up), and bring back such brilliant venues as Imola, Estoril, Adelaide, Kyalami and so forth. In fact, due to the regulation change (and hopefully this type of racing style would be adopted by junior formulae too), new tracks could be built in a far more dramatic fashion that the safe and sterile syndrome that seems to characterise modern circuit design (oh, and I'd ban Tilke too). Now you would have racing where the fans are, on tracks that showcase the cars and let the drivers race, with a penalty of gravel trap beaching for those who get too far over the edge - mega! Added change, I'd keep the schedule fluid, and increase the possibility of switching up some tracks each year, rather than locking in a venue for 5, 10, 15 consecutive seasons. Certain tracks, such as Monza, Silverstone, Spa, Monaco would have protected status.

As for the weekend format itself, that too would come under the big heavy banner of change that I'm proposing here. One of the key issue with modern racing for me is that the teams are all so professional, so sorted and in command of their environment now. The cars are practically perfectly setup at optimal configuration right from the get go. So I'd ban simulation tools and technical telemetry, and give the teams a single 60 minute practice session to setup their cars for qualifying and the race. Oh, and I'd run it on Saturday morning, with qualifying lasting for 60 minutes in the afternoon. For the race itself, I think the current distance is perfectly fine.

With this change, I would hope the skill of setting up the car is firmly back in the hands of the driver and his / her engineer, again, allowing the more skilled pilots to have a greater input into success. Added bonus, this condensed schedule and lack of telemetry ramps up the pressure for people to get it wrong, and brings into play the potential curve ball of faster drivers making errors in setup or crashing in practice, starting lower down the order than they would normally. These are ingredients for an exciting race weekend.

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While we are at it, I'd throw together a special event on the Friday where the F1 drivers race against the local hero's and special guests in one of the national series cars (something single make to ensure fairness). Added entertainment for the fans, and a great showcase for local drivers and up and coming stars to compete in equal machinery with the big boys (thinking about Senna blitzing the field in the Mercedes one make cup event back in the early 80's here).

Also, while we are at it, let's put together a legends race like the short lived Grand Prix Masters series tried to achieve back in 2005. It could be a series where retired drivers over 45 years of age get together in a single make car for a short 10 lap race on Friday afternoon. Probably something rear wheel drive, tin top, that allows a bit of rubbing and bumping... that would be fun, and the subject of another article all of its own further down the line...

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A compact schedule, plenty to entertain the TV and trackside audience, showcase for youngsters, added jeopardy for the starting grid order but not through artificial means (those doing the best job still come out on top), tracks that bring good racing and cater to dedicated fan bases, increased importance towards each Grand Prix... all makes up a pretty decent bash at how the series is presented I reckon...

Another interesting new idea I'd like to see thrown into the mix, and I admit this one is dangerously close to being a gimmick, but should be ok I hope, is to have an extra car on the F1 grid run by an independent outfit (like Paul Stoddart does with the F1 experience car). The team will attend each race weekend and field a special guest driver who isn't eligible for points. I suspect this driver would get a couple of hours running on Friday as extra track time to get them up to speed, and of course they would have to be suitably qualified for the role, but this could be an exceptional way to add another really interesting point of discussion for the fans, and could even give opportunities to drivers that otherwise might not have the exposure without it.

Here I'm thinking the drive could go to a local star of that country (imagine Mick Schumacher at the German Grand Prix for example), or maybe an IndyCar or Nascar star for the US round, Jamie Chadwick for the UK race - the possibilities are endless here. Would be a nice fun element to add into the race weekend, and could even uncover some surprise talents.

So in the age old tradition of a good bullet point list (for those that can't be bothered to read the article), these are the key features (for me at least) that would make Formula One great again:

• 85% reduction in aerodynamics.
• Remove electronics (dash readout / energy recovery / other modern trickery)
• Standardised front and rear wings (and whatever other bits are needed) that ensure sliding is quicker than neat driving.
• Heavier reliance on mechanical grid.
• Considerably extended braking distances.
• Hard tyres that last full race weekend without drop off in pace.
• Open regulations on engine size (V6/V8/V10/V12) with no turbos - restricted by fuel usage to ensure no one specific type of engine is dominant.
• Massive engine complexity reduction to encourage boutique engine builders to join the grid.
• Return to manual h-pattern gearboxes.
• Calendar of races on tracks that support good racing.
• Reduce championship length to 14 races.
• Abolish pit-to-car radio except for safety reasons.
• Remove telemetry.
• Change race weekend format to 60min Free Practice, 60min Qualifying and current race length as is now.
• Guest driver per race event in the FIA run car.
• Reintroduce gravel traps.

Just to finish off this here massive rant of text, I want any of you who don't particularly agree with my sentiments to think about this for a minute. I got hooked on Formula One early in my life, as I'm sure many of you did too, and I clearly remember being awed by the sight of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell banging wheels. engines screaming, sparks flying. sliding the cars out of corners and then getting out of their vehicles covered in sweat, looking like two real titans and gladiators of men. Hero's if you will. That day (ok, it wasn't my first race but I'm trying to make a point here...) I was blown away by the whole sight, sound, drama, danger, noise, excitement of the whole thing... it was intoxicating.

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Does that happen in modern day racing? Do those senses get stimulated watching an inch perfect display of class that modern Formula One cars inevitably produce? Saving tyres, passing under DRS, performing undercuts in the pits? Hmmm.

Going trackside, my first real life Formula One race was the 1996 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. I remember pulling up at the car park (a good way away from the track, but don't get me started on my opinion of the spectator experience at Silverstone), and walking the near endless distance to get trackside. I could hear the cars an age before we got anywhere near the viewing spot, and it sent the hairs on the back of my neck standing on edge! Not to mention the feeling of velocity as the cars whipped past me into the (now sadly lost) Bridge corner toward the end of the old Silverstone lap layout... pure, unadulterated excitement. Senses blown.

Those feelings, ladies and gentlemen, are what I firmly believe hook people into our sport for life.

When you can watch a driver doing things that look near superhuman to the everyday person, going sideways at 150+ mph while taking a hand off the wheel to shift gears, that is the stuff of lifelong passion, even if that person is out front and dominating the race (as always happens in the racing world, come what may with the regulations). That is the stuff of legend, that, that is motorsport.


To illustrate my point in a way that words just cannot do justice, I invite you to check this video of Ricardo Patrese in the 1989 Williams Renault FW12C at the legendary Jacarepaguá circuit in Brazil:

Or heading a bit further down the grid, how about some Michele Alboreto action onboard the awful 1990 Footwork Arrows at the Mexican Grand Prix:

Now compare it to Lewis Hamilton setting Pole Position at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos :

Or Charles Leclerc setting the pace in his Ferrari at Mexico last season:

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my proposal to fix a broken Formula One.

What are your thoughts on current Formula One? Is it great as it is, could be better? What would you change given the chance (if anything?).
Let us know in the comments section below!​

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I actualy don't have any words to describe what you said. It's completly true

 

[John Kerry]

To all those who say that F1 should not revert back in design or formula, they may have forgotten that at one time they had skirts and then they banned them, at one time they had aerodynamic underbodies and then went to flat underbodies, at one time they had turbo engines and then they banned them, at one time they had refueling and then it was banned. So it is not "going back to the old days" but as someone said above, it is shifting development and innovation in order to improve the quality of racing.

 

[TheGrunt]

These same things about F1 are thrown around constantly, there is nothing original in the original post: Simpler aero, NA V8s, manual gearboxes etc. If you really look at F1, it is just not that simple to go back to something that was 30 years ago.

First, F1 has always been the pinnacle of motorsports also technologically. F1 cars in the 80s or 90s weren’t old school monsters but the most advanced open wheelers of the time. If you take this away from F1, will it be F1 anymore?

If you accept the above that F1 could and it would need to change profoundly from what it always has been, it all comes to question how to do it. F1 has been always about teams building their own chassis. With this in mind you cannot make teams to unlearn all their knowledge, so you really need to enforce specific and strict rules about how the cars should be. This in turn would mean that the series would become practically a spec or at least semi spec series; there again would be very limited possibilites for the teams to develop and no matter how you want to wrap it, it surely starts to look spec.

If everything above still sounds great, the next hurdle would be getting the teams to go with it. One of the biggest mistakes F1 has done in the last two or three decades is strong catering to manufacturers. Manufacturers are in F1 90% for marketing purposes. That is also why we get ultra expensiveand complicated hybrid engine packages. They also bring this clean, professional and almost bland feel to the series. F1 didn’t want EuroBruns, Andrea Modas or Lifes to the series any more, but big bucks manufacturers who would bring professionalism and seriousness to the series. This focus has had huge impact to the series, where those privateers which still exist struggle and are tied to the manufacturers at least through power unit customer deals. Because manufacturers have supported these expensive rules changes, such as hybrid power units, there is no room anymore for small race engine shops, such as Judd anymore. So, to change F1, most of the manufacturers would need to go and more privateers would be needed. And to make that happen, budget caps would need to be in the ball park of 75 million, not 175 million and it is the only way to make F1 more equal opportunity and accessible to smaller teams.

Now if all that would happen, I don’t think F1 would be regarded as the pinnacle of motorsports anymore. And that is the real problem of F1, the requirement to be the pinnacle in every aspect.

Edit: I don’t actally see the reason why F1 would make that change. Let F1 be what it is and if you want close racing, then watch other series, like IndyCar, Supercars or whatever tickles you. F1 has certain DNA and I really don’t want to erase that although of course I also would like to see better competition. F1 still is amazing spectacle and that is the probably the biggest reason why I follow it.

 

[manu68]

Why not? As Paul inferred: It takes a certain level of skill to drive a car fast with a manual gearbox, even one with a dog box. I can remember many, many times that passes were made in races because a driver missed a shift and I can remember sim races of my own where my own missed shift, or the missed shift of a competing driver, resulted in a pass or even an unexpected win.

F1 drivers are supposed to be the most skilled racers on the planet. Every one should know how to use a manual and using one is definitely an ability that must be developed.

I love to drive myself with manual gearbox, but a lot of great racing has been made with more modern sequential gearboxes (not speaking also about Rally)
It was just to mention that we have to live with our time.
The youngest pilots have maybe never drove a car with manual clutch and gearbox after all.

 

[Interslice]

The day it started to die as a sport for me was the mclaren one two at melbourne when they lapped the entire field. Coultard wasn't even one of the top 10 drivers on the grid. It had a few good years here and there afterwards before it all went to shite with no refueling, hybrids etc.

Use to love watching the smaller teams like jordan and sauber punch well above their weight by signing talented drivers and crew from grassroots and f3. Selling on these drivers, who could exhibit their talent and true value on a more even playing field, was one thing that could keep these teams alive.

 

[Eagle Racer]

This is stupid and I hate hearing people say it. Formula One has always been about being at the forefront of technical advances, and pushing the sport back to the 70s does exactly the opposite. The modern aero and electronics in the cars is all helping to push the cars and drivers to the limits of modern racing, if you take those away it just becomes classics racing. Get your head out of the past and move with the times.

 

[Rob Every]

Why should anyone move with the times?

I am quite prepared to if the spectacle and interest is there, but it is nt.

I do not enjoy Formula E, I ave tried it, it is garbage, but I appreciate the tech, I do also in F1, but the tech is now a bigger thing than anything else, and the spectacle is ruined by the tracks, rules and drivers most of the time.

 

[Vtecb18a]

ban Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and other 200+ GP liabilities and let the youngsters race. Kimi can stay since he isnt competing for win but it would be nice if he retired already. Change the rules and ban DRS. Since there is no way f1 will ever bring radical cars and radical designs instead we will probably be stuck with vacuum sounding shitboxes for a while atleast we can get rid of the gramp drivers and let drivers like Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris, Sainz take on the main role since they are so eager to win races.

 

[jamman39]

In the short term replace DRS with Push to Pass
In the long term come up with soapbox regulations: the car must cost $(X) or less, and must be able to fit inside a box with ( Y) dimensions. Everything else is left up to the creativity of your engineering team
F1 is at its best when engineers change the game, Lotus’ light chassis and rear mounted engines. Or Ground effects. Or active suspension. Newey’s coke bottle design and blown diffuser. But currently every time someone’s comes up with the next brilliant idea it gets banned for the next race or the next season

 

[The_Grass]

Remove all the Button's and drive again, pitstop refueling...

 

[Antony Snook]

The problem with Formula one is as quoted by Murray Walker Libertey Media is killing the sport. Jean Todt is the leader of the FIA but he seems not to be doing anything for F1. The sport is governed by a table or committee if you will. Ideas come out and people argue over them. Leaving the best ideas unpopular with the rest. What you need is a dictatorship like with Bernnie & Max. This is what you will do and if you don't want to do do go elsewhere attitude is vital.
Due to Virus we have not had a race but once the AMG-Mercedes rolls out with the trick front suspension chaining the angle of displacement on front wheels teams will protest. Its legal for the regulations but other teams don't have money to do the same. And it is only legal for a year. or whenever they bring in the new airo package. So in a way the teams run the sport over the FIA. Becuse the FIA is to soft and dose not want to make waves and upset anyone. There is the rules of FIA and then teams calling for legal ideas to be banned. Maybe the FIA should be a group of owners and designers. In the end it will end up like the house of commons or any other building of politicians. So you have one person ie Bernie Ecolostone and a assistant to run the show. It will scare teams out of F1 but may even bring teams in. People don't give Bernie and Max credit for what they did, Ok some of there methods where wild and controversial but name a member of parliament that is not. At least one that get's thing's done.

Other problems are budget that is very hard to regulate in a sport where innovation is key. Aerodynamics because rules allow teams to manipulate shape of the rear body and make slip-streaming almost impossible. Because it is there interest to keep car in front or a rival driver.

I want to see teams have option to change car setup during and between sessions espeshaly from a dry qualifying session to a wet race. It was ok in the 80's. It may need some work to police teams and prevent them from doing tricks to car but video surveillance can fix that.

I want to see points for all drivers so 20 point positions for 20 cars. A retirement will mouve a car up a place so that will give teams a incentive to finish. I am shore a driver outside top 10 will just park the car and go home. No points no reason to go on. Team will make up something like gearbox or hydraulics as a excuse.

At least that is what i think

 

[Antony Snook]

add ramps

Watch the Nurbergring races from the days of Jackie Stewart around the 60's. The cars bounced of the bumps in road like a rally car. That is why there suspension damage for teams. Not to mention the pain in the back from sticking the landing. We have come a long way since then and know better.

 

[Antony Snook]

And sprinklers!

I thought they would do that at Paul Richard but its a safety issue.

 

[Antony Snook]

In the next 20 years we will say this was the best eara. Old stuff looks better because you see the good and less of the bad.

The future of formula one is formula e and i tried to watch it, but it is not as exiting.

 

[Antony Snook]

It's needs to go back to old school, let the drivers drive show their real talent, get rid of the electronic shite, manul gear boxe's, let them be men not puppets, bring back refueling, and make the cars identical like that A1 series, you can only adjust areo and so on..

F1 is about technology which moves forward. If it goes backward INDY CAR would be the pinnacle of Motorsport. A sad day as i cant stand INDY CAR.

 

[Antony Snook]

Also, bring back old circuits like the old Hockenheim or even the Nordschleife to the calendar. That would be awesome!

The reason you cant run Nordisclife is it is big. It is impossible even with today's technology to facilitate some kind of medical team communication around whole track. Niki Lauda had a accident and medics where to far away to get there. But a beautiful circuit.

 

[Deleted member 6919]

F1 is about technology which moves forward. If it goes backward INDY CAR would be the pinnacle of Motorsport. A sad day as i cant stand INDY CAR.

It might be for technology to move forward as we already know, but for the driver ability it's moving backward.

 

[Amanda]

The reason you cant run Nordisclife is it is big. It is impossible even with today's technology to facilitate some kind of medical team communication around whole track. Niki Lauda had a accident and medics where to far away to get there. But a beautiful circuit.

If we allow 24h races with more than 150 cars on the night and rain there, then it should be possible to have 1 to 2 hour F1 races.

Unless, of course, you think the track doesn't have enough medical equipment and personnel these days, in which case we must think if we consider the lives of the VLN and 24h drivers as "lesser".