Double drivers’ and constructors’ points will be awarded at the final race of the Formula One season in order to maximise focus on the Championship until the end of the campaign.
These changes are immediately applicable, given the mandate assigned to the FIA President at the last World Motor Sport Council meeting, held on 4 December in Paris.
I don't think I've seen a more stupid rule, even in Soccer. This one race is twice as important as all the others. Ridiculous! In a sport like this its impossible, even with the cost cap, to prevent one team from running away with the championship and having the final races not matter. Even if all cars were identical, I think you would still see a couple drivers just dominate all the others and the final races or two might not matter.
Now they're going to severely diminish the integrity of the championship itself by risking having the second or third best team or drive win the championship based on the results of a single race.
True, but they probably figure they can get more money this way, because they can hype up the last race more if there's still a chance of the second- or third-best team having a comeback win.
This is the same reason specialized TV networks always gravitate toward the same "ghost dog storage wars" content: mass appeal. Lower the bar, raise the (perceived) profits.
It might seem dumb but if it stops the bullshit of "Well I only need to finish 4th today and I've won...yay anti climax" mentality then I'm all for it.
Edit; Then again I'm in favour of giving them all the same cars, allowing no modifications beyond tire choice and minor things like that, and making it all about the skill of the driver than how good the car is. Im looking at you Red Bull and your bullshit team tactics.
I liked the aspect of the cars being engineered differently as suddenly F1 gave importance to the engineering teams behind the cars.
The internal drama I find interesting and funny as well. Sacha Baron Cohen does a great impression of Fernando Alonso's personality in "Talladega Nights" when he plays the fictitious F1 driver "Jean Girard".
Also the competitive aspect of this pushed technology along so more and more would filter down to road cars.
Look at the McLaren P1 it has a freaking KERS in it and shows how hybrid cars can be more than just a Toyota Prius.
But getting back to the topic, I agree it's stupid to make one race worth more than the others as certain tracks are more favourable to some cars and drivers than others.
It might seem dumb but if it stops the bullshit of "Well I only need to finish 4th today and I've won...yay anti climax" mentality then I'm all for it.
Edit; Then again I'm in favour of giving them all the same cars, allowing no modifications beyond tire choice and minor things like that, and making it all about the skill of the driver than how good the car is. Im looking at you Red Bull and your bullshit team tactics.
Were you watching Indycar a couple of years ago? That was exactly what you wanted. The racing was dull. Allowing different engines and more customization allows for more interesting tactics and racing.
Not a big Indy car far, watch a lot of F1 and World Rally.
I should clarify I want more of a test of drivers and not who has the biggest budget to throw at things.
I totally understand what you mean, but I've watched several series with spec cars and engines and the racing is dull as dishwater. It is true that sometimes F1 is boring, but there's usually some interesting racing in there. As soon as Indy car introduced as much as an engine war a couple seasons ago, the racing got much better. More variables tend to mean better racing overall in my experience.
The problem with completely identical cars is that the cars will benefit the style of some drivers and disfavor others. There needs to be some amount of customization so that the cars fit the drivers. It's like tailoring clothes to fit a persons body.
The other problem is simply the sad truth. At that high level of racing the differences in driving skill are very very small. They are so small that you won't determine the best driver with that race. The best driver might be a few seconds faster at best, and that could be cancelled by a bad pit stop.
To truly test driver skill you have to have a race that is ridiculously difficult and perhaps even dangerous. Watch Michael Scumacher in some kart races, and you will see what a race about driving skill rather than engineering skill looks like.
I'm not making the argument that it would be good racing, mind you, just that it would be fun to watch.
It would be fun to watch, if you see the F1 drivers visit Top Gear you see how boring road cars are to them and how easily they drive them at what we think are high speeds.
I didn't hear a whole lot as I only caught the tail of the segment on the way to work but it seems there was a bit of controversy over the noise level at the Grand Prix in Melbourne this past weekend. Any take on the issue, Sir Churba?
I didn't hear a whole lot as I only caught the tail of the segment on the way to work but it seems there was a bit of controversy over the noise level at the Grand Prix in Melbourne this past weekend. Any take on the issue, Sir Churba?
No, because I'm 1,600 kilometers away and they're not quite that loud.
Nah, in all seriousness, it's a weird situation. People of Melbourne are complaining about the noise of the race, and Grand Prix officials think they're too quiet. Long story short, they'll all get over it.
I didn't hear a whole lot as I only caught the tail of the segment on the way to work but it seems there was a bit of controversy over the noise level at the Grand Prix in Melbourne this past weekend. Any take on the issue, Sir Churba?
Yeah, the controversy was the LACK of noise.
I understand the reasons for switching form V12 to V10, 8 and now 6. But at least for me F1 is about being the #1 fastest and most insane auto race on earth. Let all the other races worry about fuel efficiency and such. Let F1 continue to be the extravagance it has always been.
I attended the 2010 Melbourne F1 and it was fine while I was wearing proper earplugs (Etymotics). You could hear the cars practising laps from a few kilometres into the city.
It wasn't that bad.
Loud was when they had a jet plane sit and hover over the crowd for no apparent reason then fly around the city reverberating and amplifying the noise back to the crowd.
VTOL aircraft have been around for a while. The Harrier has been in service since the 70s, and it can take-off vertically, and 'stop' in midair and hover.
VTOL aircraft have been around for a while. The Harrier has been in service since the 70s, and it can take-off vertically, and 'stop' in midair and hover.
There's no denying the awesomeness of the Harrier. But I've always wondered, what is its use? What kind of military mission would you actually use a Harrier on? It seems like between jets and helicopters you've pretty much got it covered. I guess I can also see the use of tiltrotors, since they can carry a bunch of cargo or people. But what does a Harrier do besides show off?
Comments
edit: Found one.
http://www.fia.com/formula-one-regulation-changes
The only one that is super important is this one. I don't think I've seen a more stupid rule, even in Soccer. This one race is twice as important as all the others. Ridiculous! In a sport like this its impossible, even with the cost cap, to prevent one team from running away with the championship and having the final races not matter. Even if all cars were identical, I think you would still see a couple drivers just dominate all the others and the final races or two might not matter.
Now they're going to severely diminish the integrity of the championship itself by risking having the second or third best team or drive win the championship based on the results of a single race.
Edit; Then again I'm in favour of giving them all the same cars, allowing no modifications beyond tire choice and minor things like that, and making it all about the skill of the driver than how good the car is. Im looking at you Red Bull and your bullshit team tactics.
The internal drama I find interesting and funny as well.
Sacha Baron Cohen does a great impression of Fernando Alonso's personality in "Talladega Nights" when he plays the fictitious F1 driver "Jean Girard".
Also the competitive aspect of this pushed technology along so more and more would filter down to road cars.
Look at the McLaren P1 it has a freaking KERS in it and shows how hybrid cars can be more than just a Toyota Prius.
But getting back to the topic, I agree it's stupid to make one race worth more than the others as certain tracks are more favourable to some cars and drivers than others.
I should clarify I want more of a test of drivers and not who has the biggest budget to throw at things.
The other problem is simply the sad truth. At that high level of racing the differences in driving skill are very very small. They are so small that you won't determine the best driver with that race. The best driver might be a few seconds faster at best, and that could be cancelled by a bad pit stop.
To truly test driver skill you have to have a race that is ridiculously difficult and perhaps even dangerous. Watch Michael Scumacher in some kart races, and you will see what a race about driving skill rather than engineering skill looks like.
I'm not making the argument that it would be good racing, mind you, just that it would be fun to watch.
Nah, in all seriousness, it's a weird situation. People of Melbourne are complaining about the noise of the race, and Grand Prix officials think they're too quiet. Long story short, they'll all get over it.
I understand the reasons for switching form V12 to V10, 8 and now 6. But at least for me F1 is about being the #1 fastest and most insane auto race on earth. Let all the other races worry about fuel efficiency and such. Let F1 continue to be the extravagance it has always been.
It wasn't that bad.
Loud was when they had a jet plane sit and hover over the crowd for no apparent reason then fly around the city reverberating and amplifying the noise back to the crowd.
2014 sounds very neutered.