When will you stop watching?

[Mr V]

Although better than the Hungarian race, you guys out there are still saying how boring yesterdays race was. I, personally thought that it was a good race from p3 backwards, but concentrating on p3 isn't the WDC. With the way the F1 cars cars are now, not allowing for plenty of overtaking oppertunities, same goes for the tracks, (well, most of them anyway!), the fact the the number 1 team in F1 at the moment will only allow one driver to win the WDC, the fact that the 2nd and 3rd teams haven't upped their game enough to challange for the WDC. How long will you carry on watching?

There's even talk of Schuberth designing a crash hat for the World Champion that is laser guided to show him the exact line of his fastest lap so that he doesn't deviate from that line! All the things i have mentioned are killing F1, but somehow, i can't see myself not watching F1! I remain ever the opptomist, that Williams and JPM or McLaren and Kimi will start winning, as opposed to knowing who's going to win before the teams have even reached the track on a wednesday!

[Sato san]

no ..i'll never stop watching i dont think...as long as we have drivers with natural flair , i will always be there watching .

[AllonFS]

As I said in another post, I have finally made the decision to stop watching the races live and just to watch the video later on fast fwd. A sad day for me, but at least I will lose the awful sense of disappointment that I get at the end of each race these days. I really don't care who wins, I just want to see racing and overtaking by those upfront. I sit in a procession every morning in rush-hour, I don't want to watch one in F1.

[Hugh Jarce]

I will keep watching - even though it's depressing to see your favourites blow up most GP's.

I keep reminding myself, Ferrari WILL be beaten one day! That's not a vain hope, they will. All sports run in cycles - they will not maintain such a dominence forever. It may take key personnel to change, or complacency to creep in but at some stage they will start losing.

So, I live in hope that I won't have to wait until I am drawing my pension and supping ginger wine for that day when true 'races' take place again.

[Liz]

I basically quit watching in 1994. Now I just wait to hear that TGF won and which Williams came in third.

When TGF retires I will try again.

[f1manoz]

I've not watched four races this year so far, including the last two in succession. And this is quite a stat considering I only missed two races - both Canadian as they are on at 3-4am here - between 1994-2001.

What's the point when you know who's going to win anyway. I'll keep taping the races just in case something major happens, if not I'm not watching again until next year.

[Super Tourer]

I've been following F1 for about 25 years, barely missing a race (on TV!), but I have to admit to being bored to tears the last couple of races....it's probably only a matter of time before I just watch the start and the first few laps. It's a sad thing to admit, but it just doesn't hold my attention. There's more spectacle and interest off track than on it.

We know already that Monza will be a Ferrari front row, followed by a stage managed 1-2 at a canter....

[steve_r]

Problem is, you never know when a decent race will come along. The next GP might be a cracker.... but probably won't be. But I think I'll watch just in case (This has been my attitude all season)

[josvandeperre]

Its sad that this should even be up for discussion - tennis has similar problems with the Williams sisters for the girls and men's power tennis - no-one cares anymore - I still get excited even at the idea of driving past a race track but yesterday having rushed back from Pembrey I ended up reading the papers - maybe fast forward is the best solution

[Lee Janotta]

I stopped watching in '92 when Mansell dominated, and I didn't start back up until '97. I think I may be reaching that point again. The politics are far more interesting that the racing, and that's never good.

[pole2pole]

The problem is that ferrari have a car which is miles ahead of any other car out there and sometimes we see a close qualifing sesson and we think ok this will be a close run thing but then in the race like yesterday the ferraris run away at 2 seconds a lap. When you see red schumi coming in for his first stop and returns to the track in second place that says it all. But what makes me mad is that ferrari have said that there drivers will not be racing each other for the rest of the season! and theres me thinking that f1 was the best racing on earth. If it wasnt for the skyf1 channel i would only be taping the races and wacth them at my conenience. I often wonder what will happen next to make f1 even more boring maybe ferrari will open up the phone lines where you can vote for which ferrari driver you would like to see win the next race!

[Bononi]

Well, I never quit. I've been doing this for 30 years now and it's like an old habit you can't quit... But Spa, was one of the races that I had watched, sitting at the sofa without falling asleep or doing other things like reading, making things on my PC or paying attention to the kids or wife... But it's a special one for me, so I think that's the reason.

[Carla O]

I've hardly missed a race since 84 and now i can't even be bothered to set the video... i prefer to go out on sunday walks if the weather is good or stay home and play a game if it's raining...

[Jordi]

I can't quit watching. I'm too addicted. I've been watching F1 since 1993, have missed very few races. What keeps me on is the thought that someday Ferrari will not win, and I definetely want to be watching that day.

[Ralf's Girl]

I'll watch as long as Ralf as around (which should be a few years more yet!). By then I hope things will have changed.

[ghinzani]

When they pry the remote from my cold lifeless hand.... actually I agree with Liz apart from I stopped watching regularly at the end of 97.

[rdjones]

Soon, real soon, it is boring and at the end of the day the result is known by the time the cars exit the first corner.

[Guy Goddard2]

Others have dominated in the past as TGF has this year, Senna and Prost in 88, Mansell in 92, Prost in 93 (just!) but I dont recall these years boring unlike now.
I watch F1 in the hope that the Ferraris dont finish and that a team like Minardi come through and score points against all odds.
People will remember TGF and Ferrari for there records in 2002 but my memory will be Australia where Minardi touched a human side of the sport which most of us forgot existed. and that is only reason I continue to watch hoping it will happen again.






Guy

[Yoong Montoya]

Last weekend, I watched the first 10 laps then changed over for the World Superbike Championship. Sadly, that wasn't much better the track was too micky mouse.

Still, we might see rain during qualifying at one of the last three races. with one or both Ferraris near the back and a few backmarker cars at the front, e.g. France 99, Nurburgring 99, Hockenheim 2000. Then we will see some action.. Ah well, we can live in hope can't we?

[R]

Very well put, Guy. The difference, as I see it, from those other years of dominance (Senna/Prost in 88, Mansell in 92, Prost in 93, even TGF in 95) is that no driver has dominated the championship to this extent two years in a row before. (I discount 2000, because the battle was closer then.) Last year, the Williams was capable of dominating a few races, even though TGF took the championship comfortably, this year no one's had a look in - sure Ralf won in Malaysia and DC in Monaco, but that doesn't alter the fact that things have gone from bad (2001) to worse (2002) competition-wise, which is a big reason I think why so many people are fed up now.

When will I stop watching? I have no idea. I'm growing increasingly tired of seeing the red parade, and when even a great track like Spa produces a snoozer, then it's really disheartening. To think this sort of dominance might continue until the end of 2004... The destruction of the Hockenheimring also comes on top of everything. I think I will keep watching, because there's always a chance something interesting will happen (sad, I know), but if TGF romps away with 50 points from the first 5 races next year, I just might call it quits.

[Mr V]

Although i suppose it doesn't happen, i really hope that Max and Bernie take a look at 10-10ths occasionally and read this thread, and others, and see what the fanatics, the people who line their pockets really think of F1 these days!

[Guy Goddard2]

You only have to watch the British Touring cars or any motorbike race and realise we are not watching racing in F1, The only idea I can think of is to apply "weight ballast" to the top three winners like Touring cars and then at least we could see closer racing.
TGF may sit smug with all his records but most fans would agree 2002 was not a vintage year and in many respect the worst racing we have seen ever except for Minardi's stunning results in Australia.
When they bring the 2002 review video out I hope it has Minardi all over it with the title of "the dream is alive"




Guy

[R]

Wouldn't bet on it. More likely a picture of TGF in his Ferrari with the title "Recordbreaker".

[TimD]

I made the mistake on Sunday of waking up a little late. This was the clincher between staying in, making a nice Sunday lunch to eat whilst watching the Belgian GP, and leaping into the car, and sprinting up to Donington to watch the AutoItalia races.

I wish I'd set my alarm clock. I could have witnessed a decent motor race.

I have no problem with skipping GPs these days. I leave the video set to watch them for me, but I wonder sometimes how long I'll bother to do even that. The trouble is, unless you have a bee in your bonnet about F1 being the only true motor sport, there is a mass of other motor racing to go and watch in its place - racing that will grip you, enthral you, enthuse you, leave you wanting to call your friends to tell them what you saw.

I don't call my friends these days regarding the Grands Prix. I want to keep them.

[Spudgun]

I will never quit watching F1. I haven't missed a race since 1986 (I was only 6).

I agree the races are a bit boring at the moment, but I watch for more than just the racing, like how different cars seem to be handling and just the whole technology and innovation side.