Great race!! But what was the bigger factor - the weather or the rules??

Tristan · 10 Mar 2003, 15:38 (Ref:531515)

Frankly, I'm amazed this topic hasn't surfaced yet!!

Speed · 10 Mar 2003, 15:41 (Ref:531519)

You can add "driver errors" on your list.

ASCII Man · 10 Mar 2003, 15:43 (Ref:531524)

Probably the weather, but alot more factors were decisive for the outcome (weather, rules, driver/tactical errors, etc..)

Glen · 10 Mar 2003, 15:51 (Ref:531538)

Weather, first-race nerves, rules. In that order. Also - very rare off day for the red team and for Schumacher.

I was surprised at how ready many teams were to put an extra stop, or even two, into the normal race schedule. McLaren switched to the smart strategy - they should have started on a one-stop. It doesn't matter if you qualify near the back of the grid... the quickest way to the full distance is still the quickest way.

Red · 10 Mar 2003, 15:59 (Ref:531558)

Besides Driver errors, team errors. There's another thread, I stand to my point. The race was entertaining but not great.

Bah, OK-OK, I'm still ****ed off that Red-boys blew it big time! But I gueass that every once in 50 races it's excusable. Still it looked artificial.

BootsOntheSide · 10 Mar 2003, 16:04 (Ref:531565)

I don't think we'll be able to give a defiante answer until we've had at least one fully-dry meeting. But I think the rules did have a big effect. The shuffled grid ensured lots of ebbing and flowing in the order throughout the race - Trulli, Frentzen and the McLarens especially. The McLaren guys would've still taken a while to get through the field, and added lots of excitement and intrigue in doing so, remember Hungary last year.

Red · 10 Mar 2003, 16:10 (Ref:531575)

The "grid shuffling" actually bothers me. If not for it, the Mac-boys were fighting for the pole. On the other hand I don't mind the "no refuelling before the race" rule. But as you said, at least a couple of races are still needed...

gfm · 10 Mar 2003, 16:27 (Ref:531608)

I didn't think it was a good race; entertaining yes, but a poor show considering the money and professionalism F1 is supposed to exemplify.
I'm embarressed to watch spins and offs because you get better stuff from Formula Fords most weekends.
I didn't like single lap qualifying as there seem to be too many distortions to a simple motor race and qualifying sessions when they are all out, was really a spectacle in it's own right. And if these changes are designed to make it more like a lottery and break up one team's advantage, I agree, more races still needed ... it's making people appear duffers.
Starting a race from the pit lane is a nonsense IMHO.
I'm always impressed by so much fight coming out of Raikkonen (sorry).

avsfan733 · 10 Mar 2003, 16:45 (Ref:531645)

I really didn't think that the rule changes had anything to do with the results of the race. It was like any other race where the stratergy of tires and/or setup was an issue. Some people got it right, others wrong. Did the rules really change anything in the way everyone finished... I think not

Smokey 6 litre · 10 Mar 2003, 16:47 (Ref:531647)

i loved the race, the outcome was great, and my parents were almost woken up by me and my brother celebrating when TGF was forced off the track by Raikkonen, and when we saw the TGF had bits of his car falling off.

Red · 10 Mar 2003, 16:49 (Ref:531650)

Quote:

Originally posted by avsfan733
Did the rules really change anything in the way everyone finished... I think not

I don't think that either. Weathert or not, I believe that the rules might make first couple of laps... erm... entertaining. But that's about all. That's why I call it artificial...

R · 10 Mar 2003, 22:26 (Ref:532107)

It was a great race, and a fantastic start to the season. May we see more of this! Hurrah!

As for what contributed to making the race the magnificent spectacle that it was, I don't think one can give a definite answer in black and white. I'd say it was a combination of three factors: The new rules, the weather, and driver errors. And like Glen, I was surprised at how ready many of the teams were to add extra stops. In many ways, the race was more reminiscent of a Champ Car race than an F1 race.

**Adam43** · 10 Mar 2003, 22:32 (Ref:532118)

Quote:

Originally posted by Tristan
Frankly, I'm amazed this topic hasn't surfaced yet!!

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...threadid=34821

**Adam43** · 10 Mar 2003, 22:40 (Ref:532131)

I think the new rules might have clouded some of the teams thinking. Especially at the key moments at the begining of the race.

I think Glen is spot on with his views on strategy. I too am surprised how many teams seemed to be going for more stops because of the new rules. It is still early days (after one race), but I reckon that you should still do what is theoretically the quickest strategy for the race.

It is quite possible that after a few races everything will settle down. The teams will have learnt what works by trial and error and some of things that happened in Australia just won't happen.

Maybe changing the weekend structure every year (or every race) is the key to making it exciting. That and turning the sprinklers on at some random point over the race!

mac · 10 Mar 2003, 23:00 (Ref:532156)

A little of column A and a little of column B.

avsfan733 · 10 Mar 2003, 23:04 (Ref:532163)

Quote:

Originally posted by R
I was surprised at how ready many of the teams were to add extra stops. In many ways, the race was more reminiscent of a Champ Car race than an F1 race.

I think it shows how many of the teams are really on the pace this year as opposed to in the past. the two tiers have lessened in their gap (at least until Merc/Ferrari introduce their new cars) and the teams have begun toi at least in the upper middle of the pack flow together in good competition.

f1manoz · 10 Mar 2003, 23:27 (Ref:532192)

Weather conditions combined with driver errors made the race more exciting, but the rule changes are promising at least.

J.McClane · 10 Mar 2003, 23:36 (Ref:532201)

Thats F1, well that i what it used to be like. Very unpridicable.

You can't really balme the rules or the weather.

It was a classic F1 race where anything could happen.....and it usually does.

racer69 · 11 Mar 2003, 06:51 (Ref:532408)

Weather

Vw gti 16v · 12 Mar 2003, 16:14 (Ref:533945)

I think it was a bit of both becausein the old rules they could have changed the tyres earlier which meant ferrai would have won yet again

Red · 12 Mar 2003, 16:24 (Ref:533958)

Actually Ferrari DID change the tyres before the race. That's precisely how they lost the race.

Red · 12 Mar 2003, 16:37 (Ref:533972)

On the other hand, if Ferrari got a pole, 1 second ahead of the next competitor, ON WET TYRES, then no imaginable rule can save the rest of the grid!!!!

Hugh Jarce · 12 Mar 2003, 17:04 (Ref:534006)

Let's look at the key issues that shaped the race.

RB skidded on oil, or crashed as a result of the painful HANS.

JPM lost it by pushing too hard.

MS's bargeboard flew off.

BAR naffed up their pit stop it appears through spite.

Safety Car closed up the gaps.

DC had a steady race and made no mistakes and won as a result of the other issues.

None of these appear to me to be due to rule changes, major weather issues but the cut and thrust of a great GP.

Red · 12 Mar 2003, 17:13 (Ref:534016)

None of the above appear to me as "great". Same problem that I have with the 1999 season. It really had the greatest rate of blunders per season in motorsport history, yet it still is percieved as the best season lately. And the Safety cars, altough necessary, artificially closed the gap. Nope, the race was far from being "great".

eclectic · 12 Mar 2003, 17:50 (Ref:534062)

Here's a thought, why do we have such slow safety cars? Is it really necessary to drive that slow to keep the marshals safe while clearing debris?

View Poll Results: What was the BIGGER factor on the racing on Sunday??
Weather conditions	25	69.44%
Rule changes	8	22.22%
Driver errors	0	0%
All of them	3	8.33%
None of them	0	0%
Voters: 36. You may not vote on this poll

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