How should F1 be made exciting again?

Isn't Russia putting a track together now, ready soon?
 
Explain, cos I dont think they do.

There are very very few sponsors who can afford to run a team sensibly without taking sponsorship from drivers. On the current grid we have 5 Manufacturers and 6 Privateers. 2 are owned by Red Bull which provides the massive funding. 2 of the others (McLaren and Williams) survive due to being around for a long time so can attract sponsorship and, in McLarens case, having a major permanent partner for engines. The other two are only a year or two old and probably won't be around in a year or two.
Basically in this day and age you need a massive company willing to pump huge amounts of money in to get anywhere. The only current example on the grid is Red Bull. The only team in recent years who have made any real success coming from nowhere was BAR.
Basically I am saying that Privateers rarely survive for long anyway, taking away pay drivers is just going to increase the problem.
 
What can make F1 interesting? Bump drafting.




On a serious note, I think they should losen things up, or at least maybe allow for independant teams to purchase chasis/engines from manufacture teams. We could have another BMW-Williams team out there :D
 
On a serious note, I think they should losen things up, or at least maybe allow for independant teams to purchase chasis/engines from manufacture teams. We could have another BMW-Williams team out there :D

The FIA's way ahead of you - from next year teams will be able to purchase chassis from other teams.
 
I think a budget limit isn't a good idea. Teams, which want and can spend a lot of money into F1 will do it through subsidiary companies. It's just to complicated to supervise all teams' budgets. But I suggest it would help if each team has to deliver one of their current F1 car and the plans of it. So each team, especially the smaller ones will have the same knowledge for the following season.

Somehow it is unfair because a lot of teams will settle back and let the others do and come up with it next season; but I think it's not that bad ;). You could also restrict it to aerodynamics only, so each team will still develop its own engine, suspension, etc.. but the huge amounts of money spend on aerodynamics won't pay off long and will keep the field a bit together.
(Have you seen how well a head Hamilton and R?ikk?nnen were after just a few laps ond the Hungaroroing? Heidfeld didn't stand a chance.)
 
Yeah but all those races would be extremely costly. Teams would have to pay two sets of pitcrew because otherwise the mechanics would all just burn out. Teams would be forced to pay for the extra rounds out of their own pockets and can you see them agreeing to that? Three cars again ensures the teams' workload is effectively doubled and it would be very costly again, especially seeing as the cars arent eligible for points.

I agree with all tobacco sponsorship being totally banned because then we might see some more Fortune 500 companies have a look and ultimately more money would ensure.

Instead of a budget restriction, why not a development restriction? Allow teams only two or three major upgrades per season. With the testing restrictions, they'll be pretty well unable to rack up the dollars spent through testing their designs on-track, so they'll have to spend more time on simulations which wont be as costly.
 
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We need to make grand prix's actual grand prix's. Pay the drivers a reasonable salary of an average middle-class occupation, then pay them prize money according to how they place. Then see if Button complains about this car :lol:
 
^ Ost Kurve is wrong.
 
I like the idea of combining locations ? for example a swing through Canada ? US ? Mexico ? Brazil, but I?m not sure if it will make F1 more competitive.

What I would like to see is better track design. I?d like to see more tracks with multiple racing lines. Give the drivers a choice on corners ? take the inside line which requires slight breaking, but is the shorter way around, or a longer outside line (with slight banking) where they can keep the pedal down to get higher top speed on the next straight. Also, some tracks are so narrow, you can?t pass.

I also like the idea of longer breaking zones and removing TC.
 
Fuel the engines with Methanol. There, environmentally friendly, sound doesn't change, the best of both worlds.
 
No electronics between the driver and the controls. And I mean even removing the "fly-by-wire" throttle for example, go back to cables. So no traction control, launch control or anything like that.

Stick shift and clutch pedal. This will increase the mistake margin; a good or bad shift can result in an overtaking opportunity.

Steel brakes. As above, increase the mistake margin.

Remove the restrictions on engine layouts, including allowing forced induction and naturally aspirated engines. Each configuration should still have a limit, to prevent 3000hp beasts, obviously. The limit could be revs on an NA engine, boost on a FI engine etc. Also go ahead with limiting the litres of fuel each car is allowed to use during the race (don't include testing or qualifying in this, they can be unlimited). This will encourage the development of "energy reclaimation" and alternate power generation technology, since it means more power for the amount of fuel they have to use.

Limit the disruption caused behind a car, for example, no car should exert more than xnM of force on the air behind it, measured at 3 feet behind the car and 100mph. (just examples). Then remove the rest of the aero restrictions, and the engineers and designers will be able to battle to improve the efficiency of their downforce, to squeeze as much as possible out of their cars, without it hindering overtaking or the cars behind.
 
No electronics between the driver and the controls. And I mean even removing the "fly-by-wire" throttle for example, go back to cables. So no traction control, launch control or anything like that.

Stick shift and clutch pedal. This will increase the mistake margin; a good or bad shift can result in an overtaking opportunity.
I agree 100%! And make all of the engines sound like spitfires.
 
Removing driver aides and decreasing the role of downforce are ideas that i'm in favour of. I also think they should bring back slick tyres and they should bring back Michelin and apologise for being such pricks to them. Michelin belong in Formula 1. There's less rivalry in the sport, less excitement and variability since Michelin left.

They should also let the teams decide on the type of engine they wish to use. V8, V10, V12, Flat 12, I16... It should be up to them to come up with a competitive engine. Turbo... whatever they want. No limit on revs or capacity or power output. With the cars becoming more and more similar there's less and less reason to race them. Think about it.

They should let the drivers speak freely, argue, fight with each other and strop about. This muted, sanitised horseshit is ruining the sport. Bring Back The Biff!

Cap the drivers salary at a few million and give them oodles of cash for winning races. Put the cash on a big table were we can all see it and get them to pose with it like they do with the Trophy and Champagne. Offer them Gold or Exquisite Jewelry if they would prefer it or maybe a mix of the three. It might sound stupid but there's no reason why it can't be done and it would be awsome.

Get rid of the blue flags. "if he's so slow why don't you just pass him you fucking crybaby."

Finally, they should make it more affordable to be a fan. We shouldn't have to pay hundreds of dollars to go and see a race, we shouldn't have to pay $74 for a cheap cap that doesn't even fit on my giant head and that will be out of date in less than a year anyway. Have you looked at the merchandise at F1.com? It's just fucking outrageous what they'll charge. Thirty pounds - Pounds - for a T-Shirt! Fifty pounds for a keyring! Fifty pounds!

Give the drivers Methamphetamine.
 
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They would soon get so fast that a human couldn't drive it and the amount of deaths would be massive.

Cap the number of drivers teams are allowed to kill in a season. :p

They should let the drivers speak freely, argue, fight with each other and strop about. This muted, sanitised horseshit is ruining the sport. Bring Back The Biff!

Cap the drivers salary at a few million and give them oodles of cash for winning races. Put the cash on a big table were we can all see it and get them to pose with it like they do with the Trophy and Champagne. Offer them Gold or Exquisite Jewelry if they would prefer it or maybe a mix of the three. It might sound stupid but there's no reason why it can't be done and it would be awsome.

A few million? MILLION! Fuck that, give them a shitty apartment in Bulgaria, an 150 euro/month allowance, and feed them scraps that local farm animals won't eat. They want money, they better win.

Thats a bit unfair. How is Button able to drag his ass to the front of the grid in a Honda? :mrgreen:

Drive more aggressively. Find a better ride? If the car is holding the driver back, then the team should try and remedy the problem, if the driver ain't doing his job, then he doesn't deserve his money.
 
Great to see everyone putting forward sensible ideas :rolleyes:

Everyone seems to be in favour of getting rid of restrictions. While yes it sounds appealing it would be just deadly. The rate of development now is too fast. We would be seeing 1000kw within a season.

If we took the cars back to say 1992 spec, wide track with soft slicks they would be beyond human limits to drive. Along side these amazing engines, you are saying go back to the dark ages by putting manual boxes in. F1 cars haven't been manual for almost 20 years now. What's the point in having the top motor-racing category inferior technology wise to the feeder categories?

As for the cash, the drivers ALREADY big bonuses for wins. McLaren drivers were getting (and I assume they still are) $1million for every race win.
 
Along side these amazing engines, you are saying go back to the dark ages by putting manual boxes in. F1 cars haven't been manual for almost 20 years now. What's the point in having the top motor-racing category inferior technology wise to the feeder categories?
I'm not for manual boxes. I think paddle shifts are fine. I recon the cockpit would be safer without a gearshift anyway.

As for the cash, the drivers ALREADY big bonuses for wins. McLaren drivers were getting (and I assume they still are) $1million for every race win.
To use a trite quote: Show Me The Money! Stack the money on a pallet and have the winner sit atop it for photographs. This is supposed to be the richest sport in the known universe! You think after staying up all night, smoking cigarettes, drinking cognac, all tired and weary that I want to watch some guy wipe the sweat off of his face, clear his throat and proceed to mumble on about god knows what into a little microphone? No! I want to see stacks of cash, celebrations and lots of beautiful ladies!!
 
Great to see everyone putting forward sensible ideas :rolleyes:

Well the incentive to win a race for $1mil is not hugely compelling when you make as much as some any of these drivers do in a year.

Hence my feelings of SERIOUSLY cutting back on driver pay, obviously not to the amount I was actually talking about but definitly low enough that a $1mil pot would look appealing.

The other thing is with restrictions... I like the idea of them, just don't make them arbitrary. People have always been pulling off emissions equipment and adding bigger/louder mufflers to their cars in an effort to make their cars faster. Make the restrictions in F1 to slow the cars down more useful to engine makers by requiring them to meet fuel consumption, noise, and emmissions regulations (that the FIA sets, not necessarily road legal ones).

Any tracks that may be having issues with local bitching about noise, they'll be satisified, engine makers/car companies will now have another a reason to dump more money into things that make environmentalists happy. Of course all the 12 year olds on here that hate anything green because "it's a conspiracy man!", "it'll make the cars quiet and slow, fuck that I want them loud and fast", or "it's cool" will hate on this idea, regardless of the logic.

It would make the sport what it used to be, a test bed for new technologies which will end up on our street cars.
 
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