Verstappen wants ‘pure racing like Moto GP’

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In the round-up: Max Verstappen wants F1 racing to be more like Moto GP.

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52 comments on “Verstappen wants ‘pure racing like Moto GP’”

  1. Go racing in MotoGP then because F1 cars are too wide for side by side action

    1. People who use the “motoGp” argument don’t watch motogp. I watch motogp, spectacular but not that real, want real racing watch the BSB instead. MotoGP is political, economically unbearable, technologically puzziling, making a good frame is a dark art, like the old Pirelli rubber. The tyres are made to suit either Honda or Yamaha. The only thing motogp didn’t had on F1 was no aero, no wings, that was until last season, then the wings got banned but new fairings are made to circumvent the rules so there’s going to be aero.

      1. All great points @peartree about how MotoGP is far from perfect with regards to how it is run and how the racing works.

      2. Marc Saunders
        22nd March 2017, 12:56

        There have always been aero, even when there was no aero.

    2. Indeed. And MotoGP last year was not much better than F1, if not worse, it started well than it evolved to a two horses race. There will always be more passing in MotoGP because bikes are a different animal and riders manage their races very differently.

      1. That’s true. It’s essentially a sprint race. Plus, the vehicles are so thin in comparison to the F1 cars, that it’ll always be much easier to overtake (less dirty air, more lines to use around corners).

      2. I watched all the mgp races last year. The wheel to wheel element rewards riders much more than f1 does. In mgp a mediocre rider in a top bike will still find it hard, unlike f1where its the opposite. The human element is highlighted more in mgp. Yeah I know passing is easier on bikes but equally if its easier to pass its easier to be passed as well. Mgp ain’t perfect, but as a fan of f1 for 10years i have to wait for rain for it to be as exciting, or a battle for the lead a few times a year lol, I hate that im more thrilled by moto gp, I like f1 for the history, the best open wheel drivers, speed and the venues (some) lol. And as f1 fans we have nooo right to talk too much of other series politics considering f1s track record lol

        1. @roundtheoutside Exactly. I completely agree with you.

        2. @ montey carlo – exactly, never thought as a long time F1 fan, now I share the same view

    3. MotoGP and F1 require different builds. It is not like the 1960s when the rarest of rare talents (Mike Hailwood and John Surtees) successfully raced both. Even if Max thinks MotoGP has better racing, it doesn’t mean switching to it would work out well for him.

    4. There are quite a few things F1 can learn from MotoGP, most of them are not about racing I agree but saying the past season wasn’t great or even ‘almost worse than F1’ is just crazy?

    5. ‘Verstappen wants ‘pure racing like Moto GP’
      Well, you have to go to Moto GP for that. Apples and Oranges.

  2. I don’t think we need to worry about Hamilton retiring. He knows who his fans are and he knows who his detractors are and what their motivations are for doing so.

    With the spat with the press, he didn’t think about quitting the sport, but he dropped the unrequited pretence of respect for them. He can reach his fans at the circuit and through social media. They need him to sell airtime and their gutter press, he doesn’t need them for damned thing.

    And sure the public can post some pretty awful negative comments about him. But it’s never with and actual weight behind it that it would phase as successful a guy as he is while they sit at home jealously posting their hate. He also probably gets more fan adoration than any other driver and gets to do what he loves with life.

    So as long as there is a competitive seat available to him I predict he will race, and as long as he delivers driving to the standard he always has done he will have no problem procuring a competitive race seat.

    1. mark jackson
      21st March 2017, 2:06

      Lewis didn’t deny the rumors that he quit after crashing into of Nico at the Spanish GP last year when asked by Martin Brundle. If Bottas beats him this year I definitely see Lewis “doing a Rosberg” so he can focus on his rap music career.

      1. Stop lying! The report was he offered to quit after the incident. At no point did Brundle or Kravitz reported that he had quit.

        “Doing a Rosberg so he can focus on his rap music careee”…..

        We’re still on this nonsense again? How many times has he said he’s not a rapper and he only does music because it’s something he likes?

        But your comment is precisely what Philip was talking about.

        1. ExcitedAbout17
          21st March 2017, 11:24

          I still think you seem to get easily upset when there is even the slightest appearance of somebody attacking Hamilton.
          Though it appears that you are allowed accusing somebody of lying, but one cannot make a statement like mine here.

          1. ExcitedAbout17 True. But he’s an extreme case at least.

            Imho all drivers get criticized. I’m not sure what exactly BE is referring to but we know he hasn’t been perusing this site or social media, so he must be talking of more impactful criticism such as from within F1 or it’s engrained media teams, and that to me makes the criticism likely warranted or at least based on thoughtful opinions that go beyond the schoolyard type banter. And that goes for all drivers as I say.

            If BE thinks LH could actually quit over criticisms, then to me those criticisms would have to be ones that have some merit based on LH’s own actions or words, so those are within LH to control. If he doesn’t want criticism, he should just not invite it to begin with. And when some people still find some cause to criticize well then those criticism will be based on nothing and would certainly be nothing to quit over.

            I’m kind of surprised BE would consider LH that weak as to quit, but then I guess since he did already threaten to quit last year, BE obviously thinks it’s within him, but I would be very surprised if he did. He just seems to like to stir the pot himself, in public, so he should be able to take as well as he gives.

      2. Equinox you are so desperate for Lewis to retire aren’t you? Your going to have a long couple of years mate. As for Bottas beating Lewis this year. Aren’t you the same person who declared “Bottas already faster than Lewis” FROM TESTING?? I know you live in an alternate universe but I suppose you can keep dreaming.

    2. Social media is a great way to reach your audience, it’s a different era and the sport and drivers must embrace it. A few days ago Alonso was on Instagram Live answering direct questions from fans and it was great, he promised to do the same in near future and I can only hope more drivers do the same.

    3. “He can reach his fans at the circuit and through social media. They need him to sell airtime and their gutter press, he doesn’t need them for damned thing”
      — Lewis Hamilton, the Donald Trump of Formula One —

      1. I remember back when folk just called other folk Hitler to make a bad point on the internet. Say what you will about Trump, but at least he’s given us a more up to date logical fallacy to use.

      2. Michael Brown (@)
        21st March 2017, 17:47

        It’s true, though. Appear on the media’s platform and they can twist the narrative to suit them. Hence why Trump still does rallies to cut out the middleman.

        Or like in the recent PewDiePie debacle, the media organization that slandered him asked him to come on air to defend himself. He said no, of course.

  3. I’ll admit now I’ve not read the full article, but from the short snippet in the roundup, I think Bernie keeps proving why he’s no longer the boss. His point about Hamilton doesn’t really add up – Hamilton should be pushing to win every single pole and race anyway (which I believe he is), and if he doesn’t push then surely the critics are justified. And if he does, well that’s exactly how you shut a critic up, no? And I understand the concerns about him stopping, however, I really don’t believe he would stop, especially on winning form as Bernie describes. Nico stopped, yes, but he is a very different character from Hamilton.

    1. It doesn’t matter what Hamilton does, the criticism will still be there.

      1. Name an F1 driver that doesn’t get or hasn’t gotten criticized no matter what they do.

        1. @robbie Kimi Räikkönen. Comes across as one of the most ignorant, arrogant, self-absorbed people in a major sporting role. Yet he has a massive fan base and anything he does is seen as cool and well, “Just Kimi, Lolz”

          Personally, I think he’s total moron.

        2. Jenson Button

          1. KR: most recently knocked for lagging behind SV and therefore destined to be gone from F1. Doesn’t have it anymore. Only won his WDC because others took points away from each other.

            JB: only won his WDC because of double diffusers and just barely won it at that after barely getting any points in the second half of the season after other teams caught up. Should have left Mac sooner and made way for young guns.

            Any of those sound familiar? They didn’t come from me but I’ve certainly read those kinds of comments around here.

    2. Yeah, Surely Hamilton want’s to win and will be fighting to get poles and wins. If he does (from the last few years, I see little pointing towards him not doing that), he proves the critics wrong. If he doesn’t, well that just means there are others that deserve to win more!

    3. @strontium The only mystery here is why people are still reporting Bernie’s burblings. He’s been kicked out, yet continues to snipe from his 176ft yacht. He needs to stop trying to sabotage things from off the pitch.

  4. I’ve said a few times, I really don’t think the MotoGP comparisons are generally right. I used to be a MotoGP fan through my childhood, watching the days of Rossi and Gibernau. However I became increasingly bored of MotoGP after it went downhill, and ended up switching to F1 (which up until then, I had only followed loosely). F1, even though it would then go through what we have seen for the last six years, remained better the whole time, in my opinion. I still stuck by MotoGP until more recently when they changed the rules, and I still watch a few MotoGP races a year, and I just don’t enjoy them. They brought in artificial rules that F1 fans would hate, to create competition, and the racing is largely overhyped. It’s easy to think the grass is greener on the other side, especially when all many people see is the highlights of the best bits. The reality is, in my opinion, MotoGP is just as, if not more than, capable of producing as boring, action-free racing as F1.

    But overall, barring DRS, I think F1 is still better, for racing and in general. “Pure” could mean getting rid of the DRS, and on that I obviously agree.

    Just my opinion though.

    1. @strontium I concur. Motogp is still a place for aliens, the danger and the speed and the spectacle, the new 2016 rules do work, yet the championship is all about the spanish, 4 races, the owner, last 5 champions, the sponsors and the moto2 and moto3 field. transparency is not there, especially after what happened in 2015 with perhaps Marquez and Lorenzo colluding to fix the championship, the bikes now have aero built on their fairings and finally the gap between machines is still big, there are better bike championships like the BSB.

      1. digitalrurouni
        21st March 2017, 15:54

        LOL as a huge Rossi fan I could not disagree with you more about MotoGP in general and also the incident that happened in 2015. I am also a huge F1 fan and to me it seems like F1 is taking a leaf out of MotoGP’s book in terms of regulations and so on. MotoGP had artificially tried to slow the bikes down. Now they are speeding them up. Bigger brakes, bigger motors, more speed, more aero, better tires etc. Seems like F1 kind of went the same route except for the motors part :) They even game more fuel to the bikes to 22 liters so they don’t have to worry about fuel as much. They encourage fan interaction, great presence on social media. F1 is way more sedate in terms of the action. Sure there’s BSB and all that. They have amazing action as well but somehow they don’t have the characters like they do in MotoGP. is it a wonder that all the 4 wheel racing stars are HUGE fans of MotoGP riders? I guess I have always been surprised at the lack of liking towards MotoGP. I guess one needs to perhaps maybe be a fan of riding on 2 wheels to appreciate that circus. Not denying there might be better championships on 2 wheels out there just like WEC is more interesting in many ways than F1. But F1 is still considered the pinnacle of 4 wheeled motorsport and MotoGP the 2 wheel version.

  5. I’m slightly surprised at the amount of coverage Bernie’s pronouncements are still receiving, particularly on topics that don’t deal with the economics of Formula 1, like today’s piece about Hamilton.

    I – for one – could do with reading less of Bernie’s spiel. Bernie doesn’t talk to communicate, he talks to toss in verbal hand grenades, to instigate strife.

    1. ExcitedAbout17
      21st March 2017, 7:40

      I think these Bernie quotes are the final spasms; hopefully be over by Friday.
      @phylyp

  6. Be careful what you wish for – without Bernie, there might be “nothing to laff at at all.”

    1. I’m sure the FIA will think of something :(

  7. Really interesting ESPN-article about Verstappen and race craft. Sure, the article might involves a bit of fanboyism towards Verstappen but very informative.

    1. @matthijs I was amused by how scathing it was about Rosberg’s move in Germany (though I thought that was pretty clumsy myself, and it was bound to get a penalty after Austria).

      1. @keithcollantine Yes, the article may not be totally neutral. Verstappen is more relaxed about the incident. I read that he thought the overtake was poorly executed but later in the article he states that actions like that shouldn’t (always) be penalised.

        1. Can’t help but be excited to watch MV this year (and beyond of course). For such a young man he sure offers some great quotes too, so I’m sure he’s going to be an F1 icon and has already begun that process. I think he is going to be formidable in a car on tires with which he will be able to push. Not just him of course but boy oh boy he’s going to be challenging to be near on the track.

  8. What worries me a little bit is if Lewis suddenly thinks to himself ‘I tell you what I’m going to do, I’ve had enough people criticising me, I’m going to be on pole in every race, win every race, and stop at the end of the year’.

    I am astonished to hear this from Mr Ecclestone. Lewis Hamilton is employed to drive his car so he does exactly what Mr Ecclestone worries about, and Valtterie Bottas is employed to do exactly that, and so is Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel, and all the other drivers. The only thing that will stop Lewis Hamilton being on pole and winning every race this year is the other 19 drivers who are all employed to be on pole at every race and win every race for themselves.
    I hope I’m wrong, but it seems Mr Ecclestone is suggesting the result of a race should be determined before the race starts. I would much prefer the drivers and teams sort out this out on the race track.

  9. “because we are the only ones who are developing engines” – yeah, that’s what happens when you draw a PU rule book that is so complex it can only be developed by the biggest of manufacturers. Even the might of Honda struggles to get competitive.

    Manufacturer approach: make exhaustively complex rules that only the biggest R&D budgets can hope to deal with, threaten to leave if rules aren’t adopted, proclaim self greatness thanks to your contribution to the sport, repeat!

    The Renault quote proves that the current PUs are anti competitive and need to be scrapped for a simpler engine that can be developed by a broad range of entities, both independent and manufacturer. We would have a much healthier grid as a result.

  10. Without the car makers like Mercedes, Ferrari, (Honda) and ourselves – because we are the only ones who are developing engines and investing money – there’s not going to be a show.

    What an incredibly presomptuous statement. F1 would have been a lot more enjoyable in the past 3 years if every car had a Cosworth V6.

    1. @paeschli Cosworth had a prototype hybrid power unit planned, they just couldn’t convince anyone to sign up and fund it.

      1. Well if Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Renault all retired from the sport as Abiteboul suggests, I’m pretty sure most teams would sign up for it @optimaximal :)

  11. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    21st March 2017, 19:43

    I have never subscribed to the MotoGP comparison. Yes, there is more overtaking, but there is more overtaking because it is much, much easier to overtake in MotoGP. The bikes are two feet wide and produce no downforce at all – indeed, in many MotoGP races it is difficult to keep track position, because, as with oval racing, the slipstream effect often counterbalances the negligible effect of aerodynamic turbulence. I hate to say it because it have tremendous respect for the often insane antics of the MotoGP bandits, but it is simply a fact that it requires less skill to overtake on a MotoGP bike than in an F1 car. Therein, I derive much less satisfaction from watching the bikes swap paint.

    That is not to say we don’t have much to learn from MotoGP. If races like Philip Island in 2015 is what is possible when there is no downforce to get in the way, then surely we should stop expecting the impossible of F1 drivers, stop expecting them to defy the laws of physics and reduce downforce levels. Yes, there is a balance to be struck between making a possible pass and making an easy pass, and scrapping DRS could definitely help with that, but right now we are probably aspiring to a quality of racing simply not afforded by the current technical regulations.

  12. I think everybody has forgotten today the great Ayrton Senna. 21/03/1960 birthday.

    1. Looks like we have although I did double check the stuff below the article above since Keith sometimes sneaks stuff in, lol.
      Good add @bilarxos Would have been 57 today.

  13. Tbh for a while now i think drs is a good medium term solution, but the way its used undermines it. Drs zones should be revised, shorter zones on long straights, more zones on mini or medium-ish straights that come after corners. Cars lose on paper 2seconds a lap in dirty air, so no big dead in having drs reduce that yet not easily breaze past. On straights if they had it for like 4 secs they won’t breaze past and the guy ahead can defend. Drs should not have been “push to pass” it should have always been “push to help catch”

    1. @roundtheoutside DRS could be massively improved by moving to a old-school KERS-style limited use per lap system (I think other series do this). It won’t happen (on safety grounds) but it would allow defensive use (again, like KERS) whilst freeing up the braver drivers to make incredible & unlikely moves.

      1. I think the defending driver drsing defeats the object tbh lol. And what safety grounds are u quoting or have in mind? I see no danger in it all tbf, and if safety is there concern then why don’t they make the cars remote control while there at it lol.

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