[Official] Rate the Grand Prix: Australian Grand Prix 2015

[Born Racer]

What score do you give it?

Sometimes people give a score based on the entire Grand Prix event, or taking into account qualifying. Please state if you're doing so (it might help any statistical compilation at the end of the year!).

[Another Bob]

Eleven Cars finish, embarrassing, the field had better reliability last year. Mercedes procession, snooze fest and it was late afternoon for me. Disappointing. The race was all over at the first corner. I cannot believe how far ahead Mercedes is and how much work every other team has got to do to even get on the same lap.

[m355y]

Worst season-opener I can remember. Terrible.

[MCWB]

One dominant team, the rest fighting over scraps, little overtaking, high attrition, bulletproof tyres. Deadset snooze-fest.

[TheNo1F1Fan]

5. This season-starter was with less drama, but there was a good overtake from Ericsson on Sainz though.

[Paradise City]

5 for the GP. The Mercs dominating doesn't faze me. That's the way the cards fall sometimes. But the race lacked life by the elimination of several key drivers and a fragile and/or outright slow state of the Renaults and Hondas.

[Beryl]

Cars looked great in the Australian sunshine. The weather really was great.

[GTRMagic]

The strategy stuff didn't work, didn't draw you in to build the interest

It will get better when Renault & Honda get their stuff together.

[billybanana]

It just reinforced my dread for the rest of the season. Another Hamilton borefest. I doubt Britney has the mettle to match it with him anymore.

[Taxi645]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

5 for the GP. The Mercs dominating doesn't faze me. That's the way the cards fall sometimes. But the race lacked life by the elimination of several key drivers and a fragile and/or outright slow state of the Renaults and Hondas.

I reckon "how the cards fall sometimes" is not a accurate representation of the current state of F1.

The corporate power/finance of Mercedes means they have been untouchable for more than a season and will remain so this year. The sport is being killed because the financial distribution between the team only expands the problem.

I find the discussions about the more exciting cars quite silly. I don't want more exciting cars, I want more exciting races. Exciting races for me means a way more level playing field between the teams, so we have lot's of tight duels on the track and not teams that may or may not be able to participate because of the state they're in.

Unfortunately, money and brand value have been way more important than the sport itself for a long time in F1. The financial crises has just made the problem more apparent.

[Marcus666]

The best thing about this GP?
It reminds me that the Indycar season starts in 2 weeks!

[gomick]

Originally Posted by Marcus666

The best thing about this GP?
It reminds me that the Indycar season starts in 2 weeks!

I thought the same thing when 13 cars where running by lap 2... I gave the race a 1 - didn't mind missing the middle 20 laps or so!

[Reload]

Originally Posted by gomick

I thought the same thing when 13 cars where running by lap 2... I gave the race a 1 - didn't mind missing the middle 20 laps or so!

Any truth to the rumour that when they interviewed Arnie after the race that he said " I won't be back" ?

[craig1]

You know, I’m one of those forum users who very rarely post stuff.
I usually just check in to check news and stuff, don’t even sign in much.
Sometime though you just have to say something, vent sort of I guess.

I got home to catch the last twenty odd laps of the OZ GP and watched a bit of the previous day or so, wow. What has F1 become?

That would have to be one of the most boring as bat sh#t, over hyped, poor excuse for car racing events you could be unfortunate enough to waste your vision on.

Honestly a fungus growing contest would be better viewing. How the commentary team managed to talk up what was being shown without nodding off just amazes me.

Watching as smiles and pats on the back are given for the few people who managed to get a car to go around a lap without stopping or blowing up appears to me to be comical.

What an utter farcical exhibition.

I know F1 is supposed to be about the pinnacle of car racing with all the tech stuff and the best people, but what about the actual car RACING part? Someone somewhere has forgot about the primary reason people watch car racing.

From the lounge room it would seem all anyone was doing was plodding around in first gear trying not to break something or blow it up.

What utter trash.

Millions, billions spent on that! You’ve got to be kidding.

[Flavio Galtieri]

Well, like a lot of us hard core fans I got up at some ungodly hour to watch.

I think casual viewers will turn off in droves if Bernie doesn't fix the income more equally, and soon. If you are not a passionate fan it was a borefest, even if you are it was the worst race I've seen for many a year.

[AnEmmoFan]

The race was a terrible indictment of current F1. Not enough cars, commercial interests overriding sporting rules. Teams were seriously unprepared for the season, that implies more testing is required. Looks like the F1 website wants to start charging for access. I am not so sure that it was a good idea of the FIA to sell its commercial rights to Bernie without retaining more control. I.e. These rights should not be allowed to be on sold to others. F1 is a mess!

[helgi]

3. Who can explain why F1 can not go GT way and have some all-season entries and race-by-race entries as it was in 70's? I know - it's a special super-dooper glamour club, the "pinnacle" of motorsport and so on and on. But with no fresh blood flowing in a natural way it goes to a dead-end. If there would be a possibility for some teams to buy a car and enter for the event they choose (suitable for sponsors, for example) a really talented drivers could show their best. Other way F1 should deal with something like GP Australia 2015 all the way round.

[Another Bob]

Well said Craig 1 couldn't agree more.

I was looking forward to this season thinking the racing would get tighter.

Wow, how wrong could I be!!!!

"Helgi", I have been thinking the same thing for probably 2 years now.

WEC seems to have the right idea. Set a parameter and let the teams work out how they want to achieve it.

F1 is all about micro manage. " A team member will not take a dump between the bah bah bah and the bah bah bah." " The front jack man will not blink between bah bah bah and bah bah bah." What a load of tosh.

Teams are run by lawyers and the likes, not engineers and innovators!!!

Between teams going broke because the system wont pay them enough, rules that won't let you innovate, TV viewing and website information being put behind pay walls, I've just about had enough.

I'd enjoy watching some entry level motor racing on something like "Speed Week" before this rubbish.

F1 is slipping down my must watch list.........quickly.......very, very quickly.

[Kingair]

Boring, boring, boring.

Thank god it was on free TV, certainly wouldn't have paid to watch!!!

May watch Monaco, that will be about it for the year.

Was thinking of going to Singapore or Monaco next year, may look around for another motor sport event instead.

[garcon]

There's not much I can add that hasn't already been said.

But please let's not fall into this trap of blaming the dominant driver/team for the 'borefest'. It's not their fault nobody else can get their act together.

[garcon]

P.S. I've just bought tickets for Spa. Thankfully the F1 race will be a mere sideshow to an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable weekend!

[brands]

Dull as ditchwater.
Melbourne doesn't work with the latest F1 cars, the same as many current circuits.

Best bit of the GP was catching a glimpse of my WEC tickets for Silverstone

1

[Another Bob]

Garcon, enjoy Spa, despite F1 it should be a good weekend.

I don't think anybody is blaming a driver or two, its the F1 system that's broke, not the drivers. We all realize that.

[Jordan 199]

Ugh. Glad I didn't bother getting up early to watch that. A Mercedes 1-2 is what I've come to expect now, but the rest of the race has to be interesting too right? Meh. Not much fighting between whoever was left. Arnie on the podium was the highlight.

A 3 for me. The fighting between the newbies in the points was the best on track stuff for me. Worst season opener for a while.

[djinvicta]

I cringed when Martin Brundle live on Sky gave it a 5 out of 10, and Damon a 6 out of 10. Ouch..