The near future of F1 is looking dull..

RBR's 2015 budget was reckoned at €468.7m in the figures compiled by Business Book GP. I make that about $517m at the current exchange rate. Merc and McLaren had similar budgets, Ferrari about €50m less.
 
Teams are still spending big in R&D, but their off track activity is really starting to fall short and I can't see it getting better.

A car launch has been reduced to pulling off a blanket before doing an installation lap, with some white studio shots posted online for news outlets. If you're flush with cash you might hire a studio (RB livery launch) or use your own facilities (Renault team takeover) to show the car off beforehand... Even McLaren didn't do a launch at the MTC to show off the new car as far as I've seen.

New team Haas... again 2 years of prep to get this team up and running and their "launch" was the same as most others, white press release photos and a blanket over the car in the pit lane. I was expecting at least some American flare to get me excited but the most exciting news we seem to be getting is if Alonso is going to take a sabbatical. At least last year he tried to bin the car to avoid driving it.

They might be spending more to "try" to be competitive, but the cash has gone from marketing and promotion to attract viewers and sponsors.
 
Steeps said:
Teams are still spending big in R&D, but their off track activity is really starting to fall short and I can't see it getting better.

They might be spending more to "try" to be competitive, but the cash has gone from marketing and promotion to attract viewers and sponsors.
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Because launches are utterly utterly pointless. One, no one anywhere gives a damn about them at all. Even when they used to make a bigger deal of it, it wasn't a big deal. For a time they spent maybe more money and made a bigger deal of it... and no one cared... so they stopped.

No one attends launches, they don't drive the cars, they are often no where near the final car to be seen in the first race. It would be like a football team 'launching' the new squad every year a week before the first preseason game, only for the team to change before the transfer window closes and for no one to care that a bunch of footballers stood in a line to be looked at. If they did it, no one would care, media would show up.. and not care. They'd write stories which fans may/may not read and see a couple of pictures, but still wouldn't care. Then there would be a preseason game and some will watch, then the first game of the season is all anyone actually cares about.
 
My enthusiasm has waned after SKY got it. I am not paying extra for SKY Sports and watching only half the season live is rubbish.
I found myself watching it less and less. I will probably still follow it somewhat but not like I used to.
 
In short, motorsport is boring me now, not just F1.



My excitement has gradually declined over the years - part of that was me getting older and wiser and part of it being how planted the cars are (and not just F1, but most forms of racing on two or four wheels, I guess partly due to the technology and telemetry available now and partly due to most tracks being really smooth and predictable, so for me most forms of motorsport aren't as exciting as they once were).

I'm not going to stop watching F1 because the regulations are stupid, but I'm not going to ensure I watch every race live either, like I used to go out of my way to do. I didn't bother subscribing to Sky (though had access to Sky Go for some races) and now if a race isn't on the BBC (and now C4) I've just listened to it on 5 Live, and if it sounded exciting I'd download the race in full, or it was boring I'd just watch the highlights at some point. Long gone are the days I'd get up to watch the Australian GP.

FOM annoy me with their neutered version of the V6 engines too, seemingly intentionally stripping them of all character when in person they sound amazing, if not overly loud. Their instance on running a race at prime European o'clock annoys me too, running the risk in certain countries of a race being delayed or cancelled altogether because of their lust for viewing numbers in proven markets.

The BTCC used to be the gimmick sport with gimmicky rules and more recently equalisation of engines (but only engines for some reason, except for the RWD 1st gear), and F1 was, outwardly at least, primarily sport with some sponsorship. Now it's all blended together and F1 if anything is overtaking the BTCC in that regard.

LMS is strong at the moment but still primarily use F1's new Tilkedromes and who's to say there won't be utter domination in the classes within a couple of years?
 
I'll keep watching it mainly because the timing works out well for me (races usually start around 7am) so I can still do something with my day. If I was still in Europe then I'd probably not bother unless I wasn't doing anything else.
 
I love F1 but F1 is boring now. There is no competition. You can pick the top 6 almost before the start of the weekend.
 
Melbourne...

Hamilton
Vettel
Rosberg
Raikkonnen
Grosjean
Alonso

All six are cursed now, well perhaps Fernando. ;)
 
I love F1. Thing is i have to watch highlights or the live on 4. I wont pay to watch it though (Except through TV Licence!)
 
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