Alonso undergoes medical tests ahead of Malaysian GP

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Fernando Alonso has undergone medical tests in the UK as he hopes to return to racing in the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.

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Your daily digest of F1 news, views, features and more.

Fernando Alonso closer to return in Malaysia after concussion tests (BBC)

"The tests were conducted by an independent board of three eminent physicians at (the University of Cambridge), set up by Formula 1's governing body the FIA as an extra medical panel when required."

Williams calls for more fan research in F1 (F1i)

"Those conversations are focusing around changing the engine formula as it currently is in order to make it louder - which is what fans want - and changing technical regulations to make the cars more radical, more forward looking and more innovative."

Wolff: F1 doesn’t need a big shake-up (Crash)

"If we agree that changing how the car looks with all the consequences on how it drives - because it shouldn't be sportscars - then let's discuss whether the cars should be wider, have bigger tyres... we owe it to F1 but I don't think it is a primary problem."

More than two years needed to catch Mercedes - Boullier (ESPN)

"These engines still have a lot of potential to unlock, so it may take more than a couple of years to catch up."

Scuderia Ferrari Social (Ferrari)

"Your passion for racing fuels our passion for innovation. We’re building something worthy of your energy."

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Comment of the day

@TribalTalker supplied the winning entry for last weekend’s caption competition:

Webber: I think my headphones have developed a fault. I can hear lots of whining…

Thanks to Hanney, RB7, Verstappen, Graham, Alex Brown and Steve Rogers who also contributed some excellent captions.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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89 comments on “Alonso undergoes medical tests ahead of Malaysian GP”

  1. Well said Williams!

    1. Williams know where it’s at :)
      How about F1 just take a look at this site? Job done! lol

      1. Especially those gorgeous Williams mock-ups by Andries van Overbeeke – they’ve displaced foodie wallpapers on my desktop at work for the past month

    2. Can they do some fan research on how to fix their insane pit strategies as well?

      1. Their pit strategies have always been insane

        1. People have always been complaining F1 is boring.

    3. I’d go with Toto too. Why people think F1’s main problem is car aesthetics? Jesus!

      1. I couldn’t care less about lower rear wings and bigger tyres. Aesthetics, fine. But it isn’t a root problem, and it will just raise costs… Again

        1. Aesthetics is everything in motor racing, at least for people watching on TV. They don’t experience the raw speed and sounds of the cars whizzing by. People like me who satisfy their F1 passion through TV, websites and the print media are thoroughly bored by the looks of the cars – I honestly long for the 70s just because of those jaw dropping designs and those canister tyres.

          I would be absolutely disappointed and wildly angry at the teams and organizers if after raising our hopes of changing from these narrow track sledges to wide track silhouettes they go back on the plan. Since I started watching F1 in 2000 there were two of three times when there were news reports of F1 going wide track but all of those reports came to nothing.

          I don’t want that to happen again – they’ll discuss everything, announce everything and then say, “you know, we don’t need it.” Sometimes I wonder whether they just keep playing this game to keep people talking about F1…

          And it beats me why looking good doesn’t go well with some fans.

  2. If they are really interested in knowing what the fans want then they should go where the the fans are at; websites like this one and they’ll see what it is that we’ve been saying for years.
    But I don’t really think she or the powers that be are really that interested in what it is we want. Williams and Ferrari say that they are because they’re not winning, Merc are not because they are winning. I think that they’re just using the fans as an excuse for change until they start winning then it no longer matters. Politics.

    1. It will be a beggining, but that will only give you a side of the story, probably the more xtreme.

      When you do market research your ought to focus in trying to know the average fan, and then to get to see what is the engagement in every level. In the fansites, you will get people that are so passionate as to dedicate time on posting and commenting, but this is not the majority or the averange fan.

      My guess (I actually work in market research) is that the average fan has a very different opinion than the fan in fanpage or blog fan.

      1. I agree with this. I’m happy with the engine sound but talking to some work colleagues that watch the odd race, the excitement of the sound has definitely gone.. in that sense Bernie was right. F1fanatics are a small subset of ‘fans’.

        1. @john-h

          That might well be the case, but there are plenty of real fans for whom the noise issue is a really big thing, believe me. I have spent literally tens of thousands of pounds attending F1 races since my first in 1987, which surely makes me a ‘fanatic’, and there is no way I would add to that by spending money to see what we have now. It is SO underwhelming live as to be almost comical, except I don’t find it funny at all, it just makes me sad.

          1. @paulguitar sorry, of course my comment doesn’t represent every single fanatical F1 fan, rather the general consensus on this site as indicated by this earlier article in 2014:
            https://www.racefans.net/2014/03/14/like-sound-new-f1-engines/

          2. @john-h IF I were presenting a report it will be:

            “represent the opinion of the f1fanatic.co.uk commentors, and this could reflect the sentiment of the public that access internet and are fans of F1”.

            We as market research people like to be very specific. :)

      2. Good points @celeste

        Are there precedents in other sports, which have gone on to collect fan responses?? Would love to know the results of the same.

        1. @foosa not to the top of my head. But let me look for cases and will get back to you.

          In this moment the market research has lots of tools that can be used, while no sport publicly announce to be doing “research”, they do use “big data” and secondary information.

          @john-h exactly f1fanatic and blog/comment fans are a very minor percentage so to made decision based on this comment will be very risky

    2. exactly. the fans are being used

  3. You can create as many fan polls or feedback surveys as you want, but if the main man doesn’t wanna listen, nothing will change.

    1. If people dont stop buying race tickets (which wont). Stop subscribing to pay TV and purchasing merchandise, then nothing will change.

      1. It is not even that. The big changes will only start after the big companies stop buying the broadcast licenses from bernie. Bernie doesn’t get any money not does he sell anything directly the public. He deals only with the big corporations.

    2. Who are you referring to as main man @jarnooo ?

      Is it Bernie / Todt / FIA / FW?

      1. Mostly Bernie, but it’s not just him is it @Foosa

  4. Caption is brilliant xD Well done there !

    1. Yes @fer-no65, it captures the current situation in F1 very well. Does anybody have a link to that interview (video)?

    2. @fer-no65 – You can’t tell, but I’m bowing and looking a bit sheepish. Thanks to @KeithCollantine for the Caption selection.
      If there had been an edit function on this site, my caption would not have made it… I thought it was a bit too mean about 5 mins after I wrote it.

  5. Yes (@come-on-kubica)
    23rd March 2015, 0:23

    I’m surprised at how bad people are reacting after one race. I expect they’ll be some dodgy rule changes going into the european season. I’ve notice that odd number years tend to have the most boring championships, 07 being the last good one.

    1. 1997, 1999 and 2003 were also not too shabby.

      1. 2006 was not bad either.

        1. @kingshark was giving counter-examples for the claim that odd-numbered years have boring championships .. so 2006 doesn’t fit here.

      2. Yes (@come-on-kubica)
        24th March 2015, 1:07

        Since 07 there hasn’t been a good odd numbered season, lol.

  6. I’d love F1 to listen to the fans but I think we (fans) should have much more input in sporting rules rather than technical rules.

    I’d rather watch F1 move along with the times, innovating and trying to get the best of what’s available than going backwards. We love the 90s, 80s, 70s, 60s and/or 50s but those times are never going to be back in terms of technology.

    Sure, many things could be changed to make it more appealing to the viewer. But I prefer F1 to listen to us about DRS, double points, qualy formats, tyres regulations (why 2 compounds per race?), etc…

    1. we loved the 90’s. 80’s, 70’s, 60’5, 50’s because F1 did NOT listen to the fans.

      1. That is exactly it @Fast. F1 is a sport, and not a show where the spectators should have influence. Things like DRS, and the million marble pirellis were invented to please fans, and it just doesn’t work. It’s artificial! The clear evidence that these things don’t work is the fan boost in formula E – sweet jebus, what were they thinking?

        Bring true racing back, and I bet most fans will be pleased.
        Stop watering everything down, and relax the rules everywhere. Freedom in design, so we can be amazed by the brilliant engineers, and the different solutions to the same task. Stop penalizing every move the drivers do on track – let them race, because that is what this is. Stop putting tarmac over the gravel traps – there should be consequences for bad driving and/or mistakes. Stop redesigning old classic tracks like Mexico, to make them into yet another stop and go track. Stop using new tracks, and use the classics, so we can remember in the back of our heads, all those greats who took the same corners, as we watch. All of these things above (and many more) is where the history, legacy and pedigree lies.
        They are essential parts of f1, and to me things that should be cherished.
        Let f1 evolve, yes, but don’t tighten the leash so good old sport can’t breath.

        Admittedly this is a fan opinion – but you know what I mean ;)

        1. + 1, +1. +1

  7. Mclaren need to stop playing it “so cool”. Saying that these issues were expected and that Honda will take years to catch up is not really something you want to hear at this stage. Are they being realistic? Or are they playing down their abilities? Gary Anderson expressed similar sentiments in his column on Autosport last week, where he stated that somebody needs to grad the situation by the scruff of the neck and drag them out of the dirt. At this point, it all seems all too cozy.

    Im not saying Eric Boullier should be lambasting Honda in a Christian Horner-esque fashion, but there appears to be very little urgency. I am not suggesting they arent working the problem flat out, but whats the general sentiment in office like? Im sure everyone reads the news, and if they keep reading this down beat statements coming out of senior management, it will have an effect on morale.

    Looking at it on the flipside, how should Mclaren and Honda be more optimistic?

    1. With the regulations the way they are at the moment, how can they be dragged by the scruff of the neck anywhere. Honda has developed the base unit that they will need to utilise for the foreseeable future, so Boullier & Co must believe that they have the basics for what is needed. Mercedes have been developing their hybrid systems for years, I would suspect that they didn’t stop developing the early ERS system that was instituted in F1. It will take more than one grand prix for Honda to catch up, possibly more than one season, especially seeing as the regulations are only going to strangle PU development in the years to come.

    2. I don’t think they have any other option PR-wise here. Any public complain to Honda will sound just like Horner-esque whining. I’m sure no one in the team is happy with their current situation, but all they can do now PR-wise is showing they both still in harmony, and let’s hope its like that too behind the curtain,

    3. Its hard to believe anything Mclaren say anymore.
      You say

      somebody needs to grad the situation by the scruff of the neck and drag them out of the dirt.

      but thats what Ron Dennis was meant to do… We are still waiting for the promised main sponsor and the testing livery never changed as they said.
      They said all winter that they would be up the front by the second half of the season… now they say it will probably take more than 2 years!
      I feel sorry for their drivers who are far too good to be hanging round the back of the grid.

      1. Er, they added glitter!

        I like to think it was something like when kids make Christmas cards. The designer covered the side pods in Pritt Stick, threw the glitter over and then blew away the excess, whilst in the background the rest of the team were saying how good it looked but thinking that really it was just something covered in glitter.

        As for believing Ron Dennis, well I’d really like to know if this was how the likely start to this season was exactly how the company was sold to Alonso. I don’t for a second think that he would have been prepared to give it two years before he was even close to the front.

        What does make increasing sense is the decision to retain Button in favour of Magnusson. Not that it wasn’t the right decision regardless, but he’s so important to the team right now.

      2. @brawngp
        “but thats what Ron Dennis was meant to do… ”
        You’re right, but that doesnt mean he’s doing it. I used to be highly critical of Martin Whitmarsh, in comparison to pre-2010 Ron, saying that he was accepted mediocrity too easily. However, it appears that Ron himself, after his much publicized “mellowing”, has also become a bit soft? He appears to have lost that aggressive nature that was a part of his aura, he seems a bit like Whitmarsh…that has to rub off on the team.

        Im not saying Ron taking over the team was a bad move, that was perhaps the only move to play at the time. The question really is, how much time does Ron have to focus on the F1 team? A lot of people have said that Mclaren diversifying into a road car manufacturer was one of the reasons behind its relative downfall….and it seems to continue to prove right.

    4. +1 @jaymenon10

      McLaren and Honda should be angry about their current situation.

    5. @jaymenon10 2 years is an eternity in F1, of that is accurate, then by the time they become competitive, the regulations will change again and it’ll be all up in the air again

  8. Hahaha, that caption made me laugh a lot. Great one, @tribaltalker

    1. @deongunner – Thank you! It’s worth noting that Keith edited it down a bit, and improved it too. I talk too much.

  9. The problem with asking fans what they want is that just like the teams everybody wants F1 to be something different.

    There are some who love DRS while others (like myself) cannot stand the stupid thing.
    Some like the new power units while others hate them.
    Some would like more development regardless of the cost increase that would introduce while others see the need for cost reduction & get the testing/development restrictions.
    Some like the current High-deg tyres while others think its stupid.
    Some want refueling back while many hope it never returns.
    Some want more performance while others see downsides to that, Especially if it means throwing more downforce on the cars.

    If you go back a week, Some were saying Melbourne was the worst race they had ever seen while others were saying it was average but not terrible.
    Some like the racing DRS produces while others (Again myself included) hate the boringly easy highway passing DRS produces.
    Some like the ‘strategy’ High-deg tyres allegedly produces while others would like to see more strategic freedom such as banning the mandatory stop & letting teams run whatever tyres & whatever compounds they want for as long as they like.

    If they do a fan survey & the sport gets taken in a direction you don’t like, Will people stick around & accept it or would they walk away if things get taken in a direction they were against.
    For example if they doubled down on DRS I’d walk away, I tolerate it now with the hope that some day in the future its banned. If they decide fans want more downforce to get more performance with more reliance on DRS I’d just walk but thats the total opposite of what I want from not just F1 but racing in general.

    Rules & regulations should not be made based on fan feedback or team feedback, They should be made based on what is best for F1 long term & not what some want in the short term.
    If it were upto the fans would we have the current engine formula? Maybe not because some don’t see the point of it but going in the direction they wanted would be bad for F1 long term because sticking with the old V8’s or going back to V10/V12’s or whatever is something engine manufacturer’s don’t want & a direction that irrelevant to the Motor industry in general.

    1. There is also the issue of what sort of fan you ask.

      The opinions of the more casual fans will likely be completely different to the opinion you get from the more dedicated fans.

      The more dedicated fans really understand the sport while the more casual fans just want to be entertained by what they may perceive as a ‘show’ & they may want that entertainment no matter how far away from ‘sport’ it takes things.

      Look at the most recent discussion regarding engine equalization.
      You have the more dedicated who think the idea is absurd but you do have some more casual fans who want to see equalization because they just want to see a good show & don’t really care how they get it.

      Look at Nascar, You have fans who tune in to see the big pack races & ‘the big accident’ that sort of racing produces… While you have the more dedicated fan who thinks the whole thing is ridiculous & the notion of ‘enjoying’ a big 20 car wreck as been very odd.

  10. F1 stopped been a fan lead sport around 1992. Drivers were distanced from fans and FOM actively stopped anyone having any access to archive footage without massive sums of money involved. I remember in the mid 90’s Bernie went as far as to have huge screening erected around Monaco in order to stop anyone who hadn’t paid from seeing anything.

    You only have to look at Red Bull, they’re in F1 for one reason, money. They don’t care about heritage, the fans, the circuits. Its a buisness avenue, nothing more.

    Support the teams who are there because it’s what they do, stop big corporations entering the sport, draining ever dollar they can from it and leaving.

    1. They don’t care about heritage, the fans, the circuits.

      To be fair to them, they brought back the Austrian Grand Prix.

      1. Quentin Cole
        23rd March 2015, 2:21

        That’s why you see so many Red Bull sponsored events in F1, and why they have their own track.

        If you’re going to attack Red Bull maybe bring up a realistic argument that isn’t full of opinions?

        1. And why do you think they do all that? It’s not for the fans or for you, it’s for their buisness. Wake up, the minute they start to lose money they’ll be off. You need to be very careful handing companies such as Red Bull the keys to F1 because they can leave at any moment and suffer little, whereas F1 would suffer hugely.

    2. These are just my thoughts, so please don’t start flaming on it:

      I don’t think F1 was ever really a fan focused sport. At least definitely not the “fan” people keep talking about here.

      It used to start as a rich men’s pastime, then became a sport for the financial elite, driving innovation in sports cars, then a showcase for the manufacturing elite.

      Today, for manufacturers at least, it’s about brand recognition mainly. It’s not really commercially viable for a team on its own I think. Some of the research trickles down to road cars, but probably not nearly as much as in the 60s. I would be surprised if even the winning team could sustain itself from the revenues directly from the races or sponsors. Not if it wants to keep winning at least.

      That’s the reality of auto-sports in general, no use getting too angry about it. We can join to the ride as a spectator (which I do), cheering for the teams and drivers we like (do too), but going all fanboy about it just makes one look unrealistic.

      I’m not saying you can’t have an opinion. I’m saying that the only thing you can really do if you don’t like it is to go and do something else that you like :).

    3. Yeah, the big problem with F1 today is not the rules (well maybe the limited development is a problem, but everything has a good and a bad side) or the engine (I was around for the V8 and V10 era and it was awesome, but I think this hybrid solution is a good solution, but it needs time to develop and achieve perfection – sound+speed), the big problem is MONEY!!!

      I’m always shocked when I see how much Bernie gains in all this, how much the venues need to pay and how much the big teams received. I think this is the only thing in F1 that needs equalisation. Maybe they could give the same amount to all teams and add an extra according to the constructor championship. And Bernie should take a LOT less! It’s just mindblowing how much he has and receives every year.

  11. One reason why there are less fans at Formula 1 races every year is due to the noise of the cars. They sound like a Formula E car when they’re going through the corners. I believe there is to much electric programs in the cars. But I know it is more green, however, there not loud. So I agree with Williams.

    1. That doesn’t even begin to make sense. Cars don’t make as much noise going through corners because the drivers aren’t on the gas.

      1. Emm no. Im pretty sure you heard the v8s even through the corners…

        1. I think that what he means is that they are spending less time on full throttle due to the fact that the cars have a far wider usable torque curve than the old V8’s, so whilst you had to spend most of a lap on full throttle with the old V8 engines, the drivers are now spending much more of the lap on partial throttle.

          @warner16, the actual differences between the 2013 and 2014 attendance figures is nowhere near as much as is being made out, and ignores the fact that some venues actually saw attendance figures rise in 2014 (Interlagos was completely sold out in 2014, for example, whereas it had been struggling to do that in 2013).

          They’ve only released partial figures for the 2015 Australian GP, but the figures suggest that the attendance figures for 2015 rose slightly over 2014 and are still quite solid compared to the V8 era (from 2006 to 2011, attendance figures were actually lower than they are now – the relatively strong attendance figures in 2012 and 2013 were exceptions rather than the norm for the V8 engines). All in all, I’m not so sure that the noise of the cars is actually making as much of a difference as people claim it is in terms of turnout.

          1. But there may be an issue in comparing 2013 attendance figures with 2014 due to many people having booked tickets for 2014 before they had heard the noise of the V6 engines.

            I think it’s best to wait until the 2015 season is over and then compare this year with 2013 or another recent V8 year to see if the V6s have had an effect.

    2. @warner16 – Loud engines in F1 are just annoying – I turn the volume down on the TV/tablet then I can’t hear anything else.
      On the other hand, Formula E is so quiet they overlay annoying music – so I still can’t hear the commentary…
      There ain’t no justice.

      1. @tribaltalker

        ‘Loud engines in F1 are just annoying’

        May I ask, have you attended a GP, or are you a TV only viewer?

        1. The engines should be loud, but not as loud as the V8-screamers were. 145 dB are not debatable.

        2. @paulguitar – I go to local car racing and a bit of national motorcycle racing, plus irregular visits to Santa Pod for drag racing. The only thing I don’t like about dragsters is the noise.
          Modern F1 is out of my price range, even Silverstone which is close to me.
          I did get to go way back in the nineties though, but I really didn’t enjoy the racket. I’m used to listening to the whole car or bike. In old F1 all I could hear was the engines, and it hurt.

          1. @tribaltalker

            Yeah, current f1 prices are crazy. It has always been a pricy way to spend a weekend, but it has got out of control really.

            I am tempted to go and see some live dragsters, that is something I have never done. Do they have the Top Fuel ones at Santa Pod? If so, what are the prices like there?

          2. @paulguitar – Top Fuel racers in mid or late May I think.
            I usually pay about £25 or so for a day, my young son goes free.
            Have a look at the Santa Pod calendar page for better info!

          3. @tribaltalker

            Thanks……..:)

    3. One reason why there are less fans at Formula 1 races every year is due to the noise of the cars.

      @warner16

      That ignores the fact that attendance was up at Melbourne this year.

  12. Quentin Cole
    23rd March 2015, 2:23

    http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/2zyotz/they_knew_a_bit_more_of_the_power_unit_because/

    Rumor mill has it that right now Mercedes-Benz worked with the FIA from the beginning to develop their engine and figure out any loopholes.

    1. ColdFly F1 (@)
      23rd March 2015, 6:58

      mostly discredited rumours and Bernie stirring the pot.
      ‘Mercedes, Renault & Ferrari were all part of the process in working with the FIA to spec out key directives around the engines structure. Mercedes did a better job, its that simple.’
      ‘They all have had the same time to design/build an engine and Merc just did it best.’

    2. New fuel-flow controversy brewing

      Well well, it seems Red Bull isn’t the only team who’s taking advantage of some grey areas.

      I guess it’s time for a ‘clarification’.

      1. That’s what you get with overcomplicated rules. Just give them 100 kg for the race (and a reasonable amount for qualifying) and let them figure out the rest.

    3. Contrariwise, Renault was the prime mover, pushing for this spec engine for a long time. Surely they have had the longest development time?

      1. @tribaltalker: Renault was pushing for V4 engines.. not V6..

        1. Ouch! Of course. Thanks.

  13. Anyone who wants to condemn the current state of Formula 1 aesthetics should take a close, objective look at the McLaren M23. With its comically oversized airbox, diminutive front wheels (contrasted to its comparatively huge front wing), and elongated rear wing, it’s a jumble of mismatched shapes–and yet, seeing that car racing around a track in the flesh is still a breathtaking sight. Formula 1 has many issues right now, but visuals aren’t one of them. Sure, we could do with wider tires and a greater spectacle (why not do away with rear wings altogether?), but visuals are a long way from being the sport’s biggest problem right now.

  14. maybe you liked to hear why I stopped going to grand prixs and stopped watching F1 altogether? the decision was simpler than expected.
    1) noise. going to a race stopped being a physical experience.
    2) a 17 year old on the grid. here is a person that has to go to the children’s ward in AE, can’t drive on public road. I would not be ok with him having a fatal crash and just didn’t want to be part of that.
    3) The interviews with kids, with no life experience. maybe I am old and crusty, but how many times do you want to hear the boring company line.
    4) the cost (should be higher a higher priority). Tickets, TV, and so on. I saved myself well over 1000 pounds unsubscribing from pay TV and not going to a race.
    5) lack of a race. especially when it is difficult for the driver to make a difference (the car is 1 sec slower and a driver can maximum claw back 0.5 secs)
    6) Barrier to entry. I am the only one in the family who was interested. my kids, who I dragged to GPs are no longer caring. too many rules, virtual pace cars you cannot see, race results that change 2 hours after the race, Classic GPs are suddenly missing from the calendar, people getting demoted from the grid for something technical the driver had no control over and the lack of interactivity.

    I don’t think F1 is terrible now. Many will not have issues like the points in the list. For me this was enough to pull the plug. I still read about it on Monday, or sneak in a highlight show on the BBC but that is enough.

    1. ….unsurprisingly I feel the same way you do tele. Every point you made is/was relevant and why I cant be bothered if I miss a race or not….I just read the race as it happened on some forums later on. Maybe capping horsepower now is the only way to generating some competition in F1 as it is. #:)

    2. Great comment, thanks for sharing.

    3. You’re not old and crusty. Many of us have the same reservations (except in my case I dislike loud engines) but still have the enthusiasm to watch in the middle of the night. I fell in love with F1 cars in the late 1960’s and it isn’t going to go away. I did struggle when Schumacher was wiping the floor with everyone – but that just led me to MotoGP, which I still follow.
      To paraphrase the Terminator, “You’ll be back”. I hope.

    4. I agree @telecaster, some of those reasons are why people are walking away from Formula 1 to other sports; like WEC, Formula E and many more.

    5. @telecaster : Lovely points there, but wait till the supporters of the new formula will badger you for not liking the new sound. Oh its so lovely to the ears, you don’t have to wear earplugs, you can hear tyre squeal etc… Oh, why don’t they make it quieter even, so that we can hear drivers swear…

  15. What’s the point in surveying fans on how to make F1 better? Rolex owners are too busy to fill out surveys planning on how to stop their next civilian uprising.

    You can’t rely on people to tell you what they want.

    Henry Ford — ‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’

    And that’s the responses they are getting now. ‘Louder cars!’, ‘Wider tyres!’ ‘Ray guns!!!’ ill thought out ideas for improving the show by people with no idea what it takes to create something unique and special.

    Rules intending to push things in a direction won’t make a good show, they make a contrived mess that pleases no one.

    The rules should be a set of limitations in the name of safety, and then leave the creative geniuses to make something within those boundaries incredible. If the people who write the rules and the general public had any clue about these things, guess what? They’d be the car designers them selves.

    1. Exactly. When the people get what they wanted (more overtaking) they complain it’s fake or too easy.

      1. Well I think there is an interesting lesson there. People wanted more overtaking as opposed to processions, but that doesn’t mean they are mindless and willing to accept more overtaking at any cost, namely the integrity of the overtakes. Fake passes done with the push of a button that makes the passer heavily advantaged and the one being passed defenseless, are not the answer, as evidenced by the number of people that are against DRS.

        I think the best balance would be the continued reduction of F1’s addiction to aero downforce, along with mechanical grip from the tires, resulting in closer racing and more passes that are real and are driver vs. driver, giving the fans back their heroes who are like gladiators out there on the track, not passengers waiting to be told when they can race, waiting for DRS zones to do their easy passes.

        1. You’ve hit the nail right on the head there @robbie

  16. Since when do fans know what they want?

  17. Don’t set the rules for “the kids” with louder, wilder as they are never going to follow long races every other week anyway.

    IMHO, all you need is just to make the field as tight as possible to remove the predictability factor and make the human element count for more.

    That usually means stable rules for a long while, so basically it’s HANDS OFF.

  18. Anyone suspect (like me) that Alonso possibly suffered a TIA?

  19. Glad to see that Bottas is feeling better and ready to race. But weird after reading this from BBC Sport that Mercedes reserve driver Pascal Wehrlein is considered the most likely choice in the unlikely event that Bottas cannot race in Malaysia.
    So from now on, if you run with a Mercedes engine, and you are one driver down – then call 1-800-PASCAL?

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