F1 weekend format shake-up (again)

[Matt]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

"Dash for the Cash" how terribly trite....

What's wrong with it, I'd like 10 GOOD reasons.

[Dutton]

1) It is not actually necessary with respect to preparing for the race. Any information gained can be obtained without the "dash for the cash" angle. Regular practice achieves all that is necessary.

2) All it does is give yet more money to those who don't need more, for no real reason.

3) It wouldn't achieve the seemingly intended aim of those looking at it.

4) The only reason teams would get involved is because they would have to, as opposed to choosing to.

****

I'll need to ponder a bit further because it gets difficult to find things that aren't variations of the same themes.

The alternative side to this is asking for 10 GOOD reasons that it is such a good idea that is should be implemented.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Dutton

1) It is not actually necessary with respect to preparing for the race. Any information gained can be obtained without the "dash for the cash" angle. Regular practice achieves all that is necessary.

2) All it does is give yet more money to those who don't need more, for no real reason.

3) It wouldn't achieve the seemingly intended aim of those looking at it.

4) The only reason teams would get involved is because they would have to, as opposed to choosing to.

****

I'll need to ponder a bit further because it gets difficult to find things that aren't variations of the same themes.

The alternative side to this is asking for 10 GOOD reasons that it is such a good idea that is should be implemented.

You only need one reason for why it should be added. It's fun.

[Dutton]

Oh, so your case only needs one reason, but mine would need ten specifically GOOD reasons? That seems completely fair.

I will provide just one reason for my side, then. It adds nothing of genuine use to the race weekend.

We as spectators may enjoy watching the action from the sidelines, but that doesn't mean what we are watching is some kind of purpose-built entertainment product (in my eyes, at least); the entertainment aspect should simply be a natural by-product, as opposed to the aim of the operation. It is a serious endevour, and should, in my view, be treated as such.

[Teretonga]

Once upon a time we watched sports events for their own sake.
We couldn't get to see WDC events unless they were nearby because of the costs of getting to them.

When we got them on TV as edited highlights packags it was like heaven.

Then we got them live and that was like being there. It was fantastic. But we watched because we wanted to be at the event and TV live was a 'nearly there' experience. But 16 times are year was in danger of us taking them for granted.

Now TV is more important to the event then the event themselves and they are like 'made for TV' spectaculars....
But like most made for TV spectaculars if we get too many of them they become trashed because like any soap opera they are pitched at the lowest common denominator, and the producers aren't interested in the event, only in their financial business that enables them to make the programme.

Everything is calculated to bring in the viewer, push up the ratings, reap the financial rewards. Quality and art are of secondary importance.

So it now is with F1. 17, maybe 18 or 19 times a year we get the 'TV spectacular' but its all wearing thin and the sameness, the drivel the sport goes through is all a bit nauseating, and after the last five or six years of it the people who made a special effort because it was something special are fed up with it.

So now the stars of the show want to spice it up? Sorry guys. Watching some pointless display of greed for a million dollar fastest lap shootout will not draw me or many casual viewers.
To a casual viewer it would be about as exciting as a rodeo in Montana putting up half a million dollars for a bull riding competition. Or a little town in Spain putting up a monthly prize of a million dollars a bull fight and then broadcasting it around the world in the hope that millions of people will tune in and justify a hijack of the ratings and therefore huge television rights money.

That wouldn't draw many viewers world wide and neither will this revamp.
They have lost sight of the whole goal. the TV event isn't the reason people originally tuned in. They did that because they could see something they loved being broadcast live, even when they couldn't be there.

F1 is a race day, an event that people who follow motorsport would love to be at. Now
Silverstone is gone, Hockenheim is emasculated, we have lost Imola, Monza is full of chicanes.

We get sick nonsense like the driver getting a $10000 dollar fine after the race when other competitors in lesser classes got stop and go penalties, and at the next race the same driver is elevated to win over someone who drove the pants off everyone else on the day, and two races after that he has another pit lane infringement and gets the penalty he should have got at Valencia but didn't because he was leading? There is no sporting consistency.

And Bernie and the FIA want us to look at this as a serious international sporting competition? Seriously? No way. The teams may be looking after themselves but no one is looking after the sport any more, and so it becomes about as useless or useful as a soap opera, which it is in serious danger of becoming.
Completely irrelevant.

[racer69]

Why not just the current Friday format, but put some prizemoney for quickest at the end of Q1, and more money for the quickest at the end of the day....

If they want to shake it up for fans, do something about the actual racing, what happens on Friday's ain't the problem at the moment

[Pingguest]

Bah, I'm getting tired of those artificial 'improvements' to 'spice up' the racing.

[Dutton]

I think a lot of us are the same, although I think we, including yourself I presume, are quite beyond the "getting" stage.

This virus, and I struggle to find a more appropriate word to describe it, is grabbing hold of more than just F1.

I really do worry about what kind of state things are going to be in, to pick a time frame, 15 years.

[Pingguest]

Formula 1 was characterised by purity until the mid-1990's. Without artificial features most races were quite exciting. Some would say despite the lack of artificial rules, but I think most of the excitement were due to the lack of those rules. Formula 1 was originally found as a European form of open-wheel racing, meaning fairness over entertainment. This made Formula 1 to have enough room for revolutionairy technical innovations and lacking rules to 'reduce costs' and 'to improve competition'.

Sadly, the FIA have taken over too much from the US racing series. They have tried to copy the American efforts to 'reduce costs' and 'improve competition'. I never liked the artificial features in US racing, but those features have an even worse effect on the racing in Formula 1. The artificial, typically American rules don't fit in an European racing series.

[dazbaz_99]

I wouldn't mind a revamp of Friday practise. Make the afternoon session competitive. Top 10 drivers get points 1-10 that contribute to a seperate 'friday competition'. The driver/team with the most points at the end of the year gets a cash prize and trophy. Could even incorporate a pitstop challenge into this format? $1mill per Friday prize fund seems a bit OTT if you ask me though.

Keep Saturdays as they are. I would also like to see a return of Sunday morning Warm ups too.

[Dutton]

With parc ferme rules, the teams aren't going run in a warm-up. Well, maybe some of those outside the top-10 will (like Force India lapping for sponsor exposure, or something). Overall, though, I am not convinced such a thing would be much of a success with parc ferme conditions. I suppose as long as it didn't affect any support series, well, it couldn't really do any harm to bring it back.

Whilst I would much prefer Friday practice was just left alone, there is one way in which I could swallow farting about with it without grumbling too much. I would want this to be an extra session, rather than curtailing/replacing existing ones (well, maybe chopping 15-minutes off of both FP1 and FP2 would be bearable), but it would be a session where the "prize" would be setting the pecking order for choosing pit allocations for the next GP. For example, this extra session on the Friday of R3 would determine the order in which the teams would then pick their desired pit position for R4. R1 would just have to be determined by the final positions of the previous season's constructor's championship.

I don't particularly like the above suggestion, but I would far prefer it to some "dash for the cash" (or points, or whatever). Some may argue that something like pit-order is not going to really going to stir any interest in spectactors/viewers, except for, perhaps, the more hardcore: it wouldn't achieve any purpose in the name of attracting more attention, or whatever. I would say I totally agree with you, but would add this is absolutely the same for a "dash for the cash", or whatever.

What I have suggested above I am not holding out as some brilliant, magnificent panacea; indeed, I would suggest not doing it at all. I would absolutely hold that any of this additional/altered pap is a complete waste of energy.

[Marbot]

F1 audiences are apparently dwindling.ITV didn't lose its contract-it gave it away! Singapore isn't a night race because it looks prettier.

FOTA are trying to do something to keep the viewing public interested and unfortunately that doesn't only include those that thought F1 was brilliant some years ago.

[Dutton]

I think it would be better if they focused their energies on getting things like close-combat friendly car designs, letting fans get closer to the pits, genuinely-educating-media-comments, compulsory open radio communications, and such, as opposed to gimmicky stuff. I suspect these kinds of measures would serve more to capture interest than largely pointless gimmicky stuff.

The big thing they should be focusing on is car designs that actually allow for decent on-track battling being far more common. I know we have the working group, and such, but, well, I just think that having FOTA also putting their energies into this aspect can only be a good thing.

Sorting out the cars so that they are far more "racing friendly" has to be the single most effective thing for improving popularity.

[davyboy]

OK, here are a couple of ideas for the weekend.

1. The karting approach.
Have 2 heats and a final. The grid positions for the first heats are determined by lottery. The second heat's positions are the inverse of the first. The outcome of the two heats determines the grid position for the final. So, one 15 lap heat on Friday, one 15 lap heat on Saturday and the GP on Sunday.

2. Spec. car qualifying.
20 spec. Porsche 911GT3s, bedecked in the sponsors logos of the GP teams and prepared by the GP teams are used for 2 qualifying sessions - one on the Friday and one on the Saturday. There's a dash for cash on both days - say USD1M for the fastest time... and it goes to the drivers' chosen charity ! [A driver getting an extra USD1M appears grotesque really].
The outcome of the 2 sessions determines the GP grid for Sunday. So you would set your F1 car up for the race through lots of free practice on the Friday and Saturday... but you would qualify in the Porker.

[John Robinson]

How about 'Max, Camera, Action'?

Or 'Contract or No Contract'

Or 'Strictly Come Racing'

Get Brucie on board. You know it makes sense.

F1 management? It's got to be 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue'

[Matt]

Originally Posted by davyboy

2. Spec. car qualifying.
20 spec. Porsche 911GT3s, bedecked in the sponsors logos of the GP teams and prepared by the GP teams are used for 2 qualifying sessions - one on the Friday and one on the Saturday. There's a dash for cash on both days - say USD1M for the fastest time... and it goes to the drivers' chosen charity ! [A driver getting an extra USD1M appears grotesque really].
The outcome of the 2 sessions determines the GP grid for Sunday. So you would set your F1 car up for the race through lots of free practice on the Friday and Saturday... but you would qualify in the Porker.

I actually like that idea.

[the sniper]

Here's a revolutionary idea that would increase interest in Fridays, have two qualifying sessions. One on Friday, one on Saturday.

Here's another idea, have Dallara make their GP2 cars a couple of seconds per lap faster and let the GP2 teams enter F1. Then (this is the crazy part) have all the teams enter a knock out format qualifying session, but the twist is that the slowest drivers don't get to qualify for the grid or race!

I know my ideas are pretty 'out-there' but I think they'd make Fridays, and Formula 1 as a whole, much better...

[RotorFan]

Will it be subliminally sponsored by Peter Jackson?

[RotorFan]

Originally Posted by Dutton

I find it so condescending when I see that the important people in sports seem to value my mind so lowly that I am unable to simply appreciate viewing genuine preparation activities. I apparently need some gimmick to keep my small mind interested

Thats how I see it too. Unfortunately these days we need to cater for the lowest common denominator.

[staid davenport]

Instead of a morning warm up they should make the drivers run round the track for money. Maybe for just a lap (I've run around silverstone before - its not that far) would be great entertainment....well more entertaining than Porshe racing...

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by staid davenport

Instead of a morning warm up they should make the drivers run round the track for money. Maybe for just a lap (I've run around silverstone before - its not that far) would be great entertainment....well more entertaining than Porshe racing...

You'd rather watch jogging than an F1 practice session?

[Mystery]

Originally Posted by Marbot

F1 audiences are apparently dwindling.ITV didn't lose its contract-it gave it away! Singapore isn't a night race because it looks prettier.

FOTA are trying to do something to keep the viewing public interested and unfortunately that doesn't only include those that thought F1 was brilliant some years ago.

So what's their "big idea" then? Have an extra race in a slot no-one watching anyway?? Great work boys.

I think they'll find that audiences were bigger when races were more unpredictable. You know way back when cars didn't look like they ran in little slots and when overtaking wasn't quite such a startling suprise. When cars actually ran some risk of packing in quite frequently.

Originally Posted by RotorFan

Thats how I see it too. Unfortunately these days we need to cater for the lowest common denominator.

Why??? Why do we have to? Where is it said that the needs of the TV audience should take priority over the sport itself? Why does F1 think that is necessary when other sports have managed to retain their simplicity?