2016 F1 Season Thread

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Wow tons of great points! I think F1 for television doesn't bring the drama Nascar does, at least you have to watch 2 races of F1 practice, qualifying, gp and post session interviews to follow it and pick up on the action. As Nascar is instant drama within 20 min and most Americans can get behind a driver and help fuel it.

Rossi would be America's most recent driver to get a fighting chance in the F1 realm and I think alot of people thought Hass would have picked him up over the Ferrari reserve/test driver. With rossi in Manor he might not get the momentum he needs to be in the top 10 and get the repeated interviews. However we don't really know what Manor can do now with a Mercedes ICE and new management.

Especially with the only realistic accessible races in Austin and Mexico, and the other 16 or so over seas...well Brazil or Canada I guess are accessible too.

One of my girlfriends clients mailed us VIP passes all weekend at Nascar, having never watched it for more than 5 min or hearing about it every so often, I'm excited to see what it's all about and experience it. Having never been to a F1 race I couldn't compare.
 
I watch F1 a bit, very off and on. Didn't even see the last 2 or 3 last year, lost track of when they had the races.

My interest plummeted quickly downhill in 2005 with the F1 "race" at Indy with 6 cars starting and 14 cars sitting out the race due to "tire wars" B.S.

https://www.caranddriver.com/columns/world-class-formula-1-fiasco-at-indianapolis-feature

What a farce. Holiness of F1 rules FAR more important than RACING. Unforgivable. That's the best example of the difference between "Bernie" and company, and how Bill France who founded NASCAR would have handled such a mess. France would make SURE that ALL the cars RACED, and NOT TICK OFF the fans, ESPECIALLY the U.S. fans (IIRC attendance plummeted at the two F1 Indy races held after that. The 2005 fiasco was not the main problem with F1 Indy races though, but that was the biggest nail the coffin).

Indeed, for the 1969 Talladega 500, Bill France had a massive dilemma. Due to dangerous tire problems at the brand new track, the top drivers boycotted the race. France arranged for replacement drivers. The race didn't have the drivers the fans expected to see, but at least it was a full field of cars and a competitive race.

Indycar, I watch off and on too (I USED to watch closely all the "CART" races, before Tony George caused the "Indycar" split and ruined everything). I was hoping that Montoya would win the championship last fall. Still, I always make sure to watch the indy 500 just not so interested in the rest (do not know when/where the first races are this season, same for F1)

NASCAR is the one I follow closely. Every race. Though with Gordon retired and Tony Stewart retiring the end of this season and not competitive since he broke his leg 2 years ago, my list of favorite drivers to root for is smaller (Harvick is top of my list now, was 3rd on my list when Gordon and Stewart were driving competitively). I do hope that Chase Elliott grows into the car he inherited from Gordon's retirement. I am not a fan of Kyle Bush, but given his injuries and comeback last year, and not driving like an idiot (which is a key reason why Hendrick Motorsports let him go years back), I was pulling for him to stay in the running... behind Gordon and Harvick. When Gordon was not able to win, and Harvick not able to catch Kyle, I was actually happy, for ONCE, to see Kyle win.

I know, some might wonder if I'm not a big fan, why I'd be in "his" car (below, photo from 2010. A special display car for fans to get into for pics, the driver's door opened up). Because among the various side-show events at the Talladega track, that was the only car set up that day for fans to get into for photo-taking (The camera was theirs, got a coupon with a special code to use at the sponsor website to download the photo of me). . Would have been fantastic if I could have done that with car #24, but this was pretty nice anyway.

- George Gassaway

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mkadams001 said:
I think that F1 has put a lot of effort into making the racing exciting for television. NASCAR seems to have become demolition derby and I have no idea what has become of Indy cars. I pretty much stopped watching champ cars after IRL began. Something changed it just was not the same. When I do see a bit on tv I can barely stand to watch.
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The issue for me with both Indy and NASCAR is both series in the name of reducing costs have essentially become spec car racing. Everyone is racing the exact same thing. If done correctly, this is not a bad thing but it doesn't work especially in the likes of NASCAR. For me, I fell in love with NASCAR when they were actually racing the cars you saw on the street. I looked at Richard Petty's car and by golly I saw a sweet Charger. Not only that, but they didn't race a zillion of these mile and a half (yawn) tri-ovals either. They raced at dirt tracks and places nicknamed "The Track Too Tough to Tame" and a Florida beach for crying out loud. NASCAR needs to get back to that - soon.

I've dreamed of the day NASCAR would do something different for once. Remember when the Camping World Trucks raced at Eldora? People went nutso over that. I freaking loved it. Can you imagine a points race at a dirt track? That'd separate the men from the boys for sure. Imagine if they did a points race under short track rules: Caution laps don't count, 10 lap heat races, A mains, B mains, last chance qualifiers, etc...I'd go freaking bonkers over that. NASCAR is starved for drama and you'd get PLENTY of it doing a format like that. Do short track format at Bristol and I guarantee standing room only crowds.

Indy on the other hand is hamstrung because of their past. The IRL/CART split almost spelled the end of open-wheel road racing in the states because it alienated so many fans (myself included). Now I will say that Indy is more than willing to try different things which is great. They have a nice mix of ovals, road and street courses. Heck, they're even willing to go the opposite direction on the Indianapolis Speedway front stretch...At this point they just need some more time to rebuild their fan base.

One thing I think all of us can do to help racing here in the states is support your local racing venue be it a short track, road course or whatever. There is nothing like watching racing in person no matter what level it happens to be.
 
georgegassaway said:
I watch F1 a bit, very off and on. Didn't even see the last 2 or 3 last year, lost track of when they had the races.

My interest plummeted quickly downhill in 2005 with the F1 "race" at Indy with 6 cars starting and 14 cars sitting out the race due to "tire wars" B.S.

https://www.caranddriver.com/columns/world-class-formula-1-fiasco-at-indianapolis-feature

What a farce. Holiness of F1 rules FAR more important than RACING. Unforgivable. That's the best example of the difference between "Bernie" and company, and how Bill France who founded NASCAR would have handled such a mess. France would make SURE that ALL the cars RACED, and NOT TICK OFF the fans, ESPECIALLY the U.S. fans (IIRC attendance plummeted at the two F1 Indy races held after that. The 2005 fiasco was not the main problem with F1 Indy races though, but that was the biggest nail the coffin).
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You're exactly right. That really pissed A LOT of people off and not just here in the states either. I think F1 learned a valuable lesson that day and I doubt it will happen again.

The other problem with the F1 races at Indy was the track itself...Lawdy haz merthy was that ever a dumb track for F1. Stupid long straightaway with a go-cart track in between. Yuck.
 
If you like big-arsed sedans with big engines turning *right* as well as left ... Check out Australian V8 Supercars. We're finally getting semi-decent coverage here in the states, but it's delayed by a couple of weeks, and a whole weekend's worth of racing (typically two to three races) are whittled down to two hours. With a little effort, I'm sure one could view the AUS footage ...
504999-will-davison.jpg
 
I am an F1 fan and I am looking forward to the start of this season just like every other season. Yes, there will be times I will get bored like last year but I am not a fair weather fan. Yes, these are most likely the lean times but I know things will get better.
 
YodaMcFly said:
If you like big-arsed sedans with big engines turning *right* as well as left ... Check out Australian V8 Supercars. We're finally getting semi-decent coverage here in the states, but it's delayed by a couple of weeks, and a whole weekend's worth of racing (typically two to three races) are whittled down to two hours. With a little effort, I'm sure one could view the AUS footage ...
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I absolutely LOVE the Aussie V8's. They televised the Bathurst 1000 a few years ago - what a wild track. I wish they'd do that every year.
 
DAllen said:
I absolutely LOVE the Aussie V8's. They televised the Bathurst 1000 a few years ago - what a wild track. I wish they'd do that every year.
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Bathurst is an awesome track. They broadcast it last year; I can't remember what network it was on, but I'm thinking the US coverage last year was on CBS Sports Network...

Sadly, the season opener is this weekend (Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, on a short version of the old F1 circuit. Two 125k races on Saturday, and a 250k race on Sunday), and, despite what I wrote above, I can't find anything about coverage for this season. :mad:
 
DAllen said:
One thing I think all of us can do to help racing here in the states is support your local racing venue be it a short track, road course or whatever. There is nothing like watching racing in person no matter what level it happens to be.
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You got that right. I used to got to the 1/4 mile oval in Meridian, ID with my parents in the 70's and that was a blast. You go a few times and you quickly know the the drivers are and all the drama. Just good fun.

When I lived in California in the 80's I would go to a lot of races at Sears Point and Monterey. I would walk all around the track checking out the different vantage points.

I went to the 2010 Canadian GP. Montreal is a beautiful city, the girls are pretty, speak french, and arrogant. I love it. It was a great race, we were at the Senna curves. The cars screamed so loud you had to wear ear plug (at least you should). That's one thing I don't like about the modern F1 car is that it is too quiet and is starting to sound like an indy car. I have not heard one in person yet so maybe that will change when I go to one of the races.
 
mkadams001 said:
You got that right. I used to got to the 1/4 mile oval in Meridian, ID with my parents in the 70's and that was a blast. You go a few times and you quickly know the the drivers are and all the drama. Just good fun.

When I lived in California in the 80's I would go to a lot of races at Sears Point and Monterey. I would walk all around the track checking out the different vantage points.

I went to the 2010 Canadian GP. Montreal is a beautiful city, the girls are pretty, speak french, and arrogant. I love it. It was a great race, we were at the Senna curves. The cars screamed so loud you had to wear ear plug (at least you should). That's one thing I don't like about the modern F1 car is that it is too quiet and is starting to sound like an indy car. I have not heard one in person yet so maybe that will change when I go to one of the races.
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Growing up less than an hour from Riverside International, and about an hour from Ontario International was awesome. Then Ontario was closed ... Then Riverside was closed. The reasons given included "lack of interest" in racing ...

I used to drive past the slowly disappearing remains of RIR a few times a month. It was sad, each time. One of the last bits, besides the sign, to disappear, was the banked Turn 9, and its iconic red/white retaining wall...

I probably saw Can-Am races there, but was too young to remember. I do remember watching IMSA GT.

Now, "Auto Club" Speedway (Fontana) sits barely two miles from where Ontario used to be...
 
You know, I might rub a few feathers the wrong way but the Aussie V8's always struck me as the series you'd get if F1 and NASCAR had a one night stand love child...

Anyways, back to F1...what do y'all think of this noise?

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/analysis-the-full-scope-of-f1-s-2016-radio-ban-677934/

Unless I am missing something, it sounds like a lot of noise to me and I just don't see how this is going to significantly change the racing.
 
That sucks... no more "strat 5" "hammertime" or anything like that. I get the point but I think it's not going to work well. It will bring the field closer for sure.
 
I miss the days when you had guys like Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, and even AJ Foyt occasionally who'd drive Champ cars, NASCAR, and F1 all in the same season, and win too. Everybody's a specialist now, and the Michael Andretti F1 debacle a few years ago didn't help the FIA's exclusionary image. I'm in the "Bernie Ecclestone is Satan" camp, he is the sole reason why F1 will never be big in the US. Once he decided that Long Beach and Watkins Glen weren't upscale enough for his tastes, and considering the ill-fated Indy F1 debacle (did I just use that word twice?), it pretty much guaranteed that no track promoter is going to spend the money to host a race that in all likelihood won't break even.
 
cerving said:
I miss the days when you had guys like Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, and even AJ Foyt occasionally who'd drive Champ cars, NASCAR, and F1 all in the same season, and win too. Everybody's a specialist now, and the Michael Andretti F1 debacle a few years ago didn't help the FIA's exclusionary image. I'm in the "Bernie Ecclestone is Satan" camp, he is the sole reason why F1 will never be big in the US. Once he decided that Long Beach and Watkins Glen weren't upscale enough for his tastes, and considering the ill-fated Indy F1 debacle (did I just use that word twice?), it pretty much guaranteed that no track promoter is going to spend the money to host a race that in all likelihood won't break even.
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Not only is he Satan but he's about as anti-America as it gets. If the manufacturers didn't complain behind closed doors so loudly there would be no Austin race. Manufacturers have stated many times that not having a race in the USA is stupid because it's one of or the biggest market they have. I cannot wait for the day Bernie finally get's his carcass fired or retires. Maybe he'll move to Argentina and hang out with his Nazi buddies down there.

Yeah, if Indy weren't bad enough I still can't believe he didn't get canned over the whole South Korea debacle. Whatta horrible track.

-Dave
 
I'm not into races of any kind, except maybe a "space race," but I really like the tech involved and the appearance of the cars:

[video=youtube;kUhB0JKjJrQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUhB0JKjJrQ[/video]
 
While it is undeniable that Bernie has done some great things for the sport (I highly recommend "Prof" Sid Watkins' book for an inside look at what it was like in the "earlier days". Well, the first book, I haven't read the second one, yet), I'm no longer convinced that he's good for the sport ...

And, at the risk of turning on the snark, how the hell did someone so fugly manage to spawn such gorgeous daughters? Do they look like the postman? :eyeroll::wink:
 
It's race weekend! Just got done watching P1.....wow...the changes this year with the tires, teams, drivers, aero, qualifying...can't wait to see what this weekend brings.
 
Don't think qualifying worked out like they thought it would. There were less cars on the track instead of more.
 
I didn't watch quail for the first time in 12-15 races. I loved qualifying and was sorry to hear about the plans to bugger it up. Oh well, the teams are calling for a reverse so hopefully they get it.
 
+1 million for the anti-quali comments. Complete farce. Pretty much exactly what most fans, drivers, engineers and 4th graders said would happen.

It sounds like most people on-site agreed that it was a joke; here's hoping that they listen and revert it before Bahrain.

That said, the Haas cars didn't look bad ... Could be an interesting race, at least for the positions behind 1 and 2.
 
No spoilers, I did not watch last night so I have no idea how it ended. I am currently watching now. Vettel's start, WOW. Alonzo's shunt.....OMG!!! How he lived much less walked away, unreal.
 
grouch said:
No spoilers, I did not watch last night so I have no idea how it ended. I am currently watching now. Vettel's start, WOW. Alonzo's shunt.....OMG!!! How he lived much less walked away, unreal.
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That's as far as I got last night, I don't speak Spanish and that was the only streaming feed I could find :p
 

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