Formula One

[MrWizard]

While not a hardcore fan of F1, I do watch it from time to time. I prefer the IRL and Indy cars to F1, but thats just my preference. NASCAR is too overrated at this point although it seems the majority of racefans disagree with me on that.

If MA was looking for the most coverage in regards to sponsoring a car, NASCAR would be the way to go. Going with Indy cars or F1 would bring it to a more upscale and international crowd though. Not saying NASCAR fans aren't upscale, but its got a certain "down home country boy" image that'll be hard to shake.

[Slicerer]

well i think differently but i respect your opinion Wizard Pwnage.

The reason i like F1 is linked to the racing sims i play. I have virtually raced on both ovals and road courses. And i rule that the road courses are more fun to drive on since there is more than turning left involved. Especially Nordchleife! That is the king of all tracks!!!

Though i am pleased to see road courses such as Infineon Raceway appearing in NASCAR. Im sure in due time, NASCAR will be more pleasing to me as it might remind me of the touring car races.

But everybody has their opinions. And speaking of wich.... does anybody have any idea whats gonna happen this coming season? Any favorites, hypothesiss? (hypothesiss wth!?!?!)

Happy Racing!!!!
-teh_$L!cerer

[ReadBird]

Originally Posted by aridash

F1 despite being the pinnicale of motor racing is actually quite dull, as demostrated by the fact that the politics surrounding team espionage and in team conflicts made last season the most interesting for years.

World Rally Championship is the reall daddy, everyday cars thrashed to hell and back.

Guess who has got the start/stop in WRC in Norway just outside their window

[Slicerer]

NO WAY BIRDMAN!!!! that has GOT to be effing awsome!!

Well for Formula 1, im no where near anything. But about an hour drive south in April will take you from my house to the Long Beach Grand Prix. While not striclty F1 racing, they do have Champ Cars, American Le Mans Series, street drifting and more (i guess).

And my 14-year-old legend car racer is going to France this summer to watch the infamous 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance race. He's gonna try and bring me along too. And the best part is, my birthday is right around Le Mans weekend (well, close). If he takes me, it will be the ultimate birthday gift.

Yeah he gets alotta freebies. Just around christmas time, he and his "karting group" got to go to Europe to tour the Formula 1 testing facilities. Basically he got to see the cars before they were unveiled.

But the thing that was most intruiging was that he claimed he saw Ralf Schumacher lounging around in the Ferrari paddock. Any comments?

-teh_$L!cerer

[Shadowmage]

Well, if you ask me, the F1 has lost his "speciality" long time ago. When I remember back to "old days" - just 15 years ago - nearly everything was possible. Of course there were favourites to like today, but not in the form like it is today. Back then the drivers were most important, today a half degree on a spoiler often seems to be everything. The F1 got quite too much "technicied", I loved it when "in former times" there really were fights between a mid-level and well-known teams, today this isn't possible anymore, cause like I said, a half degree on a spoiler may decide the result.

What really didn't lost it's favour is amateur-rally without everything on highest technology levels. There people are driving with the cars they have and giving their best. You will see, in professional rally sport, the Co-pilots will get replaced through navigation systems.

And in F1, flashers are in discussion too... imagine a driver get's punished for forgetting the flasher when overtaking a position

No... the genereally 98% of the kind of motorsports has lost its favour... :/

[Slicerer]

bump!!!!!!

[Miller]

I love Formula One but I agree with Shadowmage. F1 has always been the technical pinnacle of motorsport but it's almost a victim of it's own development. Too much relies on technical prowess and not on the driver himself. Obviously the driver needs to be competent but it just feels like the edge is gone. Races have generally become too processional because most of the cars are at a certain level and it takes either bad luck at the front or bad weather to see a non-McLaren or Ferrari winner.

Remember Damon Hill leading the Hungarian GP in an Arrows back in '97? That was awesome, even if it did break down (IIRC); can you honestly imagine seeing something like that happen today? The closest we got was Winkelhock leading at the Nurburgring last year because of the weather but as soon as the "good" cars had the right tyres on he was flattened

I'll still watch it avidly for years to come but it's certainly not as fun as it used to be

[Shadowmage]

I once had a F1 computer game where you have to complete "missions" and one of them was driving Damon Hill's broken car in the 97' Hungarian Grand Prix blocking the other cars and finish the race on first position.

But just remember back on Monaco 96' (I think it was 96, but could also have been 95', don't remember exactly which year), when Olivier Panis won on his Ligier crossing the finish line just a few seconds before David Coulthard in his McLaren. I think Johnny Herbert was the third - and even last pilot - crossing the finish line and a Tyrell (I think it was driven by Salo) got in the points ranked with some laps back, but didn't finished the race like all other pilots except of the top three because of a collision with another car.

Back then drivers also were much more "rude" (if you can say it this way) in relation to today, today the drivers of the best cars know "if I don't crash my car it'll bring me in top three", so some of them are also driving like pussys.

Also remember back when Jarno Trulli driving his Prost (later Jordan) was feared among the other drivers because of his aggressive driving style at the start (about at half of the races he crashed in first five rounds with other cars while madly trying to make the one or other position), remember back when during a Gran Prix in Austria (just remember because I was there watching it ^^) Trulli was starting behind Damon Hill and short before the first curve, Hill, seeing Trulli in his back, hitting his break with all power he had and taking the car out of Trulli's "fireline" in a more or less curious action letting him pass by to re-take his position short later.

[Slicerer]

ehh well i have seen vids of earlier F1 races and i have to say, it was alot cooler watching the races because stuff was happening. These days all the stuff happens at the first 5 seconds and then thats basically the race. Back then you had fancier crashes, slipstream battles (ie monza 1971), more exciting starts (that one belgium race in the 90's), and men with big huevos!! (think of how dangerous it was to drive the F1 cars in the 50's man!!).

So to fix F1, i think we need to lose every single winglet the cars, bring back the v10's and v12's, take out the extra chicanes, make the engines bigger, replace the grooves with the slicks, and get a track with ginormous eff off straights. And get Honda to get a better car. And get Juan Pablo Montoya back. And have a dedicated F1 track in America that's right by my house too .

Though all of the suggestions may not be the best for you, i invite you to correct me or add sum of your own. Because nobody is perfect!!!

[Wormie]

Originally Posted by Slicerer

But the thing that was most intruiging was that he claimed he saw Ralf Schumacher lounging around in the Ferrari paddock. Any comments?

Then I must confess that I have talked few times with Jean Todt, face to face, not in any PR-media-infos or so....

And I am "hardcore" F1-fan, followed series over 40 years now. I remember still the first time when I saw Monaco GP in swedish TV in summer 67 and I was sold.....