After Bahrain do you agree with Bernie?

[karimbo]

Ecclestone said that, because of the new rules, the F1 spectacle is not good enough.

After watching the Bahrein Grand Prix, do you agree with him?

I don't!!

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by karimbo

Ecclestone said that, because of the new rules, the F1 spectacle is not good enough.

After watching the Bahrein Grand Prix, do you agree with him?

I don't!!

I certainly don't agree with Bernie, but then I think Bernie lost touch with reality years ago and I don't think I can remember the last time I agreed with him on anything.

I hope this race showed what we can expect from the new F1 but most of all it was great because team mates were allowed to race, imagine how different it would have been if massa/bottas and rosberg/hamilton were made to play follow my leader. If the team owners really care about the show they need to continue to let the guys race.

[Teretonga]

Bahrain made Bernie and any of those complaining about the new F1 technology look silly.

It was fine. The problem is not the technology.

[Salamus]

Lauda certainly doesn't agree. He flat out called everyone who thought the racing was boring an idiot.

[GolddustMini]

I didn't agree before and I certainly don't now!

[Starfish Primer]

You should stop taking Bernie seriously. He can say one thing and the opposite in less than 20 minutes.

[Tucky]

He's probably changed his tune now as well! Ferrari are still complaining though, everyone can see its just sour grapes.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Honestly, the sooner Bernie retires to his Hobbit hole the better for F1. Although at least he still provides entertaining if head scratching soundbites for fans and the media.

[Gingers4Justice]

I think there's an element of truth in some of the things he's said, but the way he put them has made him look very silly.

The sound of the cars is a serious issue for me. When I go to a GP, I want all my sense pounded. For the kind of money it costs to go to a race, I wouldn't even entertain the idea of seeing these cars live with the sound as it is.

I also think the philosophy behind the rules is a bit confused. Sports cars, Touring Cars and Rally Cars need to be road-relevant. I'm not sure F1 needs to be. Nobody watches F1 because the cars are a bit like what might be on the front drive in a couple of year's time - they watch it for the personalities, the speed and above all, the simple element of racing. Other areas of motorsport have the road relevancy thing covered. I'm also unsure how much the general public will buy into F1's green credentials if they're going to floodlight a 3 mile circuit in the middle of a desert for several hours on end...

I also had a concern for this fuel formula, as I was worried that the rule makers were essentially trying to cram the strategies and nuances of endurance racing into 90 minute GPs. It works fine over 6, 12 or 24 hours but I was concerned that this wouldn't really work over a GP distance.

Today, however, did much to dispel those concerns as Bahrain is a particularly fuel-heavy track, but the racing was at times - and I can't think of a better cliche - Formula Ford-esque. The cars aren't anywhere near as noticeably pussy-footing about as they were last year with Pirelli's bubble gum tires.

I don't buy into this idea that these new rules have somehow saved the sport from an inevitable descent into some irrelevant abyss, but I am glad that the series is no longer neither one thing nor the other, like it had been the past few years.

Strip it all down then, and the main issue is the sound, and that's what has upset people the most anyway. It makes no difference to me as a TV viewer and I actually prefer the tone of these new engines compared to what the V8s were at the end of their life - they just don't make anywhere near enough noise to match the spectacular speed and torque.

So after Bahrain, do I agree with Bernie? A little bit, but a lot less than I did before...

[Knowlesy]

My general rule in life is to adopt the opposite stance to Bernie.

He is the worlds most boring contrarian and, eventually, everyone will stop paying him any attention.

[beau1]

So far we've had one average race (Melbourne), one terrible race (Malaysia) and one cracker (Bahrain). Sounds like the usual start-of-season inconsistency to me. I don't think we'll really be able to tell how the rules have affected things until Europe.

Bahrain has been decent for the last couple of years so it isn't really a surprise it was a great race today. Malaysia was one of the worst GPs I've ever seen and hopefully, now that everyone has a bit more confidence we'll see more races like today. However, if we have more Malaysia-esque races then the sport really won't be living up to its potential as a spectacle.

[wolfhound]

That was 57 lap formula ford race at its best.

Bernie when did I last agree with him?

[Knowlesy]

Originally Posted by beau1

Malaysia was one of the worst GPs I've ever seen

You can't be serious? It was a bang average race I would say. Not one to watch again, just normal stuff. You can't have been watching long if that is one of the worst GP you have ever seen.

[beau1]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

You can't be serious? It was a bang average race I would say. Not one to watch again, just normal stuff. You can't have been watching long if that is one of the worst GP you have ever seen.

Since 1994 and we can add into that some classic races. And yes, it was one of the worst GPs I have seen. There was nothing of merit at all. It was dull, dull, boring and dull. It was as bad as the season opener in 2009 (? may have been another year) with the new tyre regulations, which was also one of the worst races I've seen. At least Indy 2005 had a bit of racing between the Ferrari's along with the battle for third and some decent crowd action. Malaysia had nothing.

Maybe, we have have been spoiled in recent years with races becoming exciting in the last phases but Malaysia was truly dismal. One of the few times that I regretted getting up to watch the sport.

I'd say Australia was your typical average F1 race. If want me to rate them I'd say Australia 6/10, Malaysia 3/10, Bahrain 8/10.

[Knowlesy]

There was some good racing in Malaysia though at various stages. It wasn't a thriller, it was just... Malaysia. I always find that particular race a bit odd and often wish I had waited for the repeat, but it is too early in the season to do so!

Worst races ever are thrillers such as Spain 1999, Hungary 2004. Races that reduce grown men to tears.

[GT6]

The problem with this race was that the best racing was between team mates and not between teams

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by GT6

The problem with this race was that the best racing was between team mates and not between teams

What about Force India, Williams & Red Bull. They all seemed to be at for most of the race although I only saw the highlights.

[Moneyseeker]

It was certainly a great race and I think there are a combination of factors.

Bahrain has delivered some god races in the past and the DRS worked well there.
All the drivers ended up in their correct positions and ale to race each other - by this I mean we didn't have faster cars stuck in the midfield for the whole race in traffic
Teams are more on top of the cars
Hungry team mates - the driver swaps have made all the drivers want to establish themselves and they WANT to race each other hard
Teams not interfering in the battles it was good to see team mates racing each other with no quarter given or asked
Even Seb found himself in a race with his team mate...

I am getting used to the noise, although strangely the team radio wasn't as clear as in Aus and Malaysia?

Having said this, I caught some of the GP2 races and they sounded much better!

[Kempi]

Originally Posted by GT6

The problem with this race was that the best racing was between team mates and not between teams

And the problem is exactly what? Is it not racing when it is between teammates?

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by GT6

The problem with this race was that the best racing was between team mates and not between teams

But that's not the circuits fault, or the rules, or the engine.

[Knowlesy]

Originally Posted by GT6

The problem with this race was that the best racing was between team mates and not between teams

Good god, man.

[steve_r]

3 RACES - One Brilliant, one reasonable, one poor.

No bedwetting required.

[Catingaround]

The only hangup with 2014 so far would be the sound. I like the noise they make, but long for higher revs and more dB's.

[csirl]

Funny how F1 putting out a some spin about it being a good race gets repeated around the media - shows what good PR can do for you. There is a big difference between PR spin and reality.

But were we watching the same race? I found it boring. One team took the lead and romped away from all the others. Even when we got a safety car to bunch up the field - you would think giving others a chance to win - the same two cars romped away again with no prospect that they would ever be caught. The result was never in doubt, baring some freak event. Boorrrrringgg.

Look at the result. With the exception of an out of place FI car which had some mechanical troubles, all of the top ten are Noahs Ark style. Boorrrringgg. This suggests that the race was not a contest - the outcome was predetermined by the relative strengths of the cars. The drivers had zero impact so long as the car was kept on the track. Is this what people want? Drivers having no impact on the result?

[Knowlesy]

I agree mate, the portents are not good.

Imagine a season of two drivers battling for the lead, with a field of cars behind battling for the other places.

Sends a chill down my spine it does.