Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
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- 46,246
Chinese Grand Prix 2013, Shanghai - Race 3/19
- Thread starter Duke
- Start date
Yeah it all felt very fake and hollow. Lots of passing and lots of different strategies, but all of it was artificial or coping with the tyres. We had 4 laps of proper racing from one driver (Vettel right at the end) in the whole race.
Folks.. what has changed in this race that wasn't the same in MOST races last year?
The old story of Pirellis dropping off a cliff is the same as it was last year...
The DRS story is also the same over the past 24 months...
Not sure whats different this time round, the fact that the softs only lasted for 5 laps? I guess it must be that which probably triggered it.
I think whether its 5 or 15 laps, the critical point for me is that at the moment Formula 1 is not a motorsport but a motoeconomisation.
The old story of Pirellis dropping off a cliff is the same as it was last year...
The DRS story is also the same over the past 24 months...
Not sure whats different this time round, the fact that the softs only lasted for 5 laps? I guess it must be that which probably triggered it.
I think whether its 5 or 15 laps, the critical point for me is that at the moment Formula 1 is not a motorsport but a motoeconomisation.
Caporegime
To an extent the teams figuring out the new tyres; they've given up on fighting to preserve the tyres. They were doing much less of that last year.
Its pushing everything to the limits. Tyres lasting 5 laps that totally ruined qualifying and 2 DRS zones that were far to effective.
This is the first time the tyres have totally trashed qualifying. We were potentially 1 lap away from a driver coming second which didn't bother to set a time in qualifying, which is just wrong.
This is the first time the tyres have totally trashed qualifying. We were potentially 1 lap away from a driver coming second which didn't bother to set a time in qualifying, which is just wrong.
Soldato
I dont know why they had to change the compounds. Last years tyres were fine. If aint broke, don't fix it!
Caporegime
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
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- 33,188
yeah, 90% of each race was crap last year too, so nothings changed. Every year they don't fix it gets more irritating, hence more people being more irked so at the boredom. When something that you've followed for years gets boring, most people peservere hoping it improves, but every race... it gets that little bit more boring, you get more pee'd off and every time they have a chance to "fix" it, and don't, well.... thats why more people are irked over how stupid its become than last year, and a few more people will stop bothering watching next year. Those left over will be more bored next year and another group of people who were hanging on to see if it got interesting again.... will give up.
ULtimately I don't know why they get so happy about winning a really quite boring race, "wooo, our car handles its tyres better, but for the past two hours I've been on a lesuirely country drive... woohoo".
When the drivers go around at 95-100% of what the drivers and the cars are capable of, you get mistakes, mistakes = overtakes, mistakes = interest, mistakes mean rather than one guy following the other around for two hours(without DRS) you get overtaking, and actual driving, and actual racing.
Do you know why ALonso, Hamilton, Vettel and Button look so smooth in the car, so does everyone else back pretty much to the Caterams, because no one is going remotely close to the car limits.
Its the equivalent of putting Man Utd in League 2 and watching them cruise to the title without ever coming out of second gear, boring, dull and ridiculously easy.
Its the pressure, the competition and the mistakes, coping with the mistakes, and taking advantage of your opponents that generally makes a sport. Outside of failures, the top 5 guys barely put a foot wrong in the past 3 years, its boring as hell. The only guys who are, are rookies, dumbass's and those who have suffered brain injuries(Maldonado, Grosjean, Massa, etc).
I expect if you did the maths pitlane mistakes would out number driver errors from the top half of the grid over the last few years.
Vettel going 3 seconds a lap faster showed where the pace of the cars truly is.
Sadly I fear there is no simple cure. Refueling would stop the tyres being a limiting factor, but then were back to 35 second pit stops and no overtaking.
Maybe F1 needs to mandate a minimum number of stops within the durability of the tyres? It would give you the benefit of refueling (ability to push all stint) without the 10 second stop time? Sure its artificial, but is it any worse than what we already have?
Vettel going 3 seconds a lap faster showed where the pace of the cars truly is.
Sadly I fear there is no simple cure. Refueling would stop the tyres being a limiting factor, but then were back to 35 second pit stops and no overtaking.
Maybe F1 needs to mandate a minimum number of stops within the durability of the tyres? It would give you the benefit of refueling (ability to push all stint) without the 10 second stop time? Sure its artificial, but is it any worse than what we already have?
Problem is everyone got used to those tyres so knew how to make them work. By Brazil everyone was two stopping although Pirelli did say they went conservative on tyres to avoid accusations of interfering in the championship.
The tyres are the same except all the compounds have moved down so last years soft is now the Super Soft, Medium is now Soft etc.
Disagree on the DRS point you've made a bit. The pit straight DRS zone do look very effective but the one on the long straight wasn't as much. Plenty of cars just couldn't close up and overtake easily, even with the wing wide open.
Still, we saw great overtakes right in front of us, completing aroun the 150m board, the smash an also the lol tyre incident.
Ill get photos up around 11pm tonight, should my flight get back in on time.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
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- 46,246
This is one of the few times I have ever agreed with you Skeeter
It is very sad IMO that F1 is no longer about pushing to the limit
Sure, this has been the same at least the last couple of seasons - but this race weekend just seemed much worse than anything we have previously seen.
I'm less concerned about people pushing to the limit in races. There has always been strategies in the race that mean people manage tyres or fuel. Its just gone to far now.
But for the rules to mean half the people in qualifying don't even bother to set a competitive time indicates a serious problem. Having tyre rules that trash both Saturday and Sunday is pathetic. F1 needs to wake up and smell the disappointed Sunday afternoon coffee.
But for the rules to mean half the people in qualifying don't even bother to set a competitive time indicates a serious problem. Having tyre rules that trash both Saturday and Sunday is pathetic. F1 needs to wake up and smell the disappointed Sunday afternoon coffee.
Soldato
Skeeter is right. There has always been a degree of management / strategy, that is part of what makes F1 after all. However, the fact vettel didn't bother on Saturday then flew to 4th on Sunday is more representative that the regulations are too restrictive rather than the driver putting in an awesome drive.
There has been many drives in the past when a driver has come from well down the grid to be high up in the points. Perez got a McLaren drive from coming from the back doing the same as Vettel lol
Soldato
Bernie said they were to Martin on the gridwalk I am sure.
Soldato
I don't mind so much with drivers gambling on a different tyre strategy and, through circumstances, end up with a decent result but when it's thought it could be the better option it does seem to be a problem.
Think Brundle said something along the lines of being glad that the drivers who were leading were the ones who had bothered to set Q3 times and started on the soft.
Think Brundle said something along the lines of being glad that the drivers who were leading were the ones who had bothered to set Q3 times and started on the soft.
Soldato
Soldato
Did those drivers blatantly not bother in quali though? Did they come from the back due to good drives, or broken FIA rules?