The F1 2014 season

Kenai said:
Saying that they're small so there is no point, misses the point that they're only small because they have no point at the moment.
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I keep thinking about this, and I keep coming to the same conclusion - they're never going to gain the kind of traction that the governing body thinks they will.

Jeff Gordon drives the #24 in NASCAR Cup competition for Hendrick Motorsports. He has done for 22 years and counting. So how's Jenson Button picking #22 going to compare with that level of history? With the best will in the world, JB's career is not going to go another eight-plus years. In fact, I suspect Jeff will still be racing in NASCAR when JB retires. And even if he did carry on forever, if he went and won the title again then he'd drop #22 and drive with #1 on his car!

It doesn't work. It can't work. It can't be made to work. Duplicating the NASCAR system entirely (team-owned numbers) would work, but the reigning champion not driving the #1 is only going to confuse and upset F1 fandumb.
 
I don't know who is saying is going to magically become completely equivalent to the history of NASCAR before a wheel has even turned in anger, or even by the end of the season for that matter. Feels like a bit of a strawman argument, no one is saying Button picking 22 compares to Jeff Gordon having 20 years of history.

If they want to do it, it will take time obviously but they have to start at some point and this is as good a point as any to do so. The sooner it happens the sooner the whole things gains traction.

Still not understanding the negativity, ambivalence sure but don't get why people are so against it when it's no worse than what we have now and only presents opportunity for improvement.
 
JRS has mentioned my main issue. The rules changed in 1996. They have now changed again in 2014. Who's to say they won't change again in a few years when the FIA "random regulations" comittee meet to splutter out another set of garbage.

Fixed numbers work in series where there is history and stories to them, and they are part of the drivers identity. F1 has neither, and it doesn't have the stability in its rregulations for any expectation that it will build it. Plus with the rate at which pay drivers flow through the system we will run out of unique numbers in a decade anyway.

But to be fair, this is small fry, I'm just venting at it as its the regulation currently being discussed at the moment in this thread. The bigger picture is the genuine anger I feel about the utter **** the FIA have somehow managed to form into regulations, and the disbelief and disappointment at none of the teams making a big thing about it.

5 second penalties, penalty points, the continuously growing "don't dare get near each other" regulations, and Its a Knockout double points rounds. Its enough to make me want to buy an ESPN subscription and watch NASCAR and USC instead!

F1 is in deep ****. The fact the most active thread on here, 2 weeks prior to pre season testing following the most significant technical regulation changes in the sport, is dominated by talk about why nobody has picked #69 shows that. Does nobody care about the racing any more?
 
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Skeeter said:
Does nobody care about the racing any more?
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Why should they? The FIA doesn't. FOM doesn't. No-one in any kind of power in the sport really does. Too many interests being protected, not enough attention to the ******* sport.

Pinnacle of motorsport, eh? Can't test. Can't overtake without a stewards enquiry and subsequent penalty. Can't choose your own engine layout. Can't even freely choose a tyre strategy because of the two compound rule. Bloody marvellous. And instead of sorting out the glaring, huge problems with this pale imitation of Formula One, the FIA say 'hey, why don't we let drivers choose their own numbers? That'll make everyone forget that we completely screwed the pooch with the new engine regs to such an extent that we're now left with three engines in F1 next year'.

Too damned sad.
 
Skeeter said:
F1 is in deep ****. The fact the most active thread on here, 2 weeks prior to pre season testing following the most significant technical regulation changes in the sport, is dominated by talk about why nobody has picked #69 shows that. Does nobody care about the racing any more?
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It's off-season, not much else to do :p

Of course people care about the racing, but you have to remember that this is a computing forum and so any motorsport talk is still, in comparison to a dedicated site, fairly casual.

The most recent F1 news is regarding driver numbers, so that is what's being discussed. As soon as something else happens no doubt we'll all jump on that, and to be honest, I'd doubt most people here, including myself, have a full grasp on the regulation and rule changes for 2014 yet to be able to make much of a comment. Better to actually wait and see what impact it has on-track.

Look at the mainstream news sites as well, that's where most of my info comes from and apart from numbers, the only things they are reporting are Irvine going to jail and Chilton buying his seat again. I also don't see any of the "experts" that I follow on Twitter making a song and dance out of the changes yet either.
 
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many people love the merchandise and fixed numbers gives the fan a closer bond to the driver then just the allocated number based on previous years performance etc.

I put money on it that Vettel merchandise will now be #5 regardless of if he is using the #1 in that given year or not.

Its not all about the number on the car, theres a whole other side to where the number becomes useful to be fixed.

To many it will mean nothing, but to die hard specific driver fans it will mean something, so it does have a purpose even if many people cant see it.

Over the years the attachement will improve and drivers will be known well by their numbers as well as names. It may come across as a gimmick but i think there is some value to it, rather than it being pointless. Personally the allocation of numbers based on previous years championship winner was pretty pointless.
 
Kenai said:
The numbers don't need to mean anything IMO, they're simply identification. This way round, we will know who everyone is soon enough and then the numbers will stick, unlike before when they were totally meaningless because they changed every season and based on team positions with swapping drivers etc.
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They were anything but totally meaningless

It showed exactly how the team performed the year before (which imo has a lot more "meaning" than a number picked out of the air like they are over this winter

smr said:
it does make it a lot easier to identify drivers more succinctly.
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I doubt they will be big enough to be clearly visible, but will eat my hat if this does happen - so I cant see this actually making a jot of difference.

Kenai said:
Still not understanding the negativity, ambivalence sure but don't get why people are so against it when it's no worse than what we have now and only presents opportunity for improvement.
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Might as well make it drivers initials (not that its likely to happen) - and yes just like BBC and Sky do now, they pre-set them if there are several that are initially the same to make them distinguishable.

Much prefer to have some easy way to remember the better performing teams. and the fact that at some point potentially there are going to be a driver with (for example) #21 from a different team sitting between the two McLaren's with #20 & #22 and will end up being a complete mess
 
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Just spotted this in case anyone is interested.

Sky Jerez coverage

Tuesday 28th January
21:00 to 21:35 – Day 1 Highlights
- round-up at 21:00
- Ted’s Notebook at 21:15
23:00 to 23:35 – Day 1 Highlights (R)

Wednesday 29th January
21:00 to 21:35 – Day 2 Highlights
- round-up at 21:00
- Ted’s Notebook at 21:15
23:00 to 23:35 – Day 2 Highlights (R)

Thursday 30th January
21:00 to 21:35 – Day 3 Highlights
- round-up at 21:00
- Ted’s Notebook at 21:15
23:00 to 23:35 – Day 3 Highlights (R)

Friday 31st January
20:30 to 21:00 – The F1 Show Special: The MM Hall of Fame Awards
21:00 to 21:35 – Day 4 Highlights
- round-up at 21:00
- Ted’s Notebook at 21:15
23:30 to 23:35 – Day 4 Highlights (R)

Saturday 1st February
11:00 to 11:35 – Day 1 Highlights (R)
11:35 to 12:10 – Day 2 Highlights (R)
12:10 to 12:45 – Day 3 Highlights (R)
12:45 to 13:20 – Day 4 Highlights (R)
 
Mr Jack said:
Alternatively they could drop the "car number 13" and just use the driver names.
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You probably don't notice because you watch on TV, but the circuits have large boards showing the race order by car number. These boards are used for all the series that race at the track, so they can't be changed just for F1.
 
I don't know if this has been answered anywhere, but what about reserve drivers?

If say Maldonado suddenly comes down with stomach flu the morning of qualifying and can't run, and they have to draft in a reserve at the last minute, does the reserve then have to have 13 written on his car (unlucky for some), or would they change the car number at the last minute to one chosen by the reserve?

I am sure there is, but is there a limitation to the number? Say for example someone wanted 666 or 999, is that fine? Or is it only two digit numbers, as that will limit how many drivers can be valid to drive F1 without there being duplicates.
 
I would assume a driver replaced mid weekend would run the original drivers number, as the car has been entered for competition under that number. But a driver replaced for the whole weekend (a la Heiki) would run their own number.

How does NASCAR handle it?

There are 98 numbers available; assuming the FIA don't allow 02 as well as 2, for example.
 
El_Watcher said:
I am sure there is, but is there a limitation to the number? Say for example someone wanted 666 or 999, is that fine? Or is it only two digit numbers, as that will limit how many drivers can be valid to drive F1 without there being duplicates.
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Presumably when someone retires from the sport, their number would go back in to circulation again.
 
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