You have got to be kidding me - 10-Tenths Motorsport Forum

avsfan733 · 10 Apr 2003, 14:19

http://www.f1i.com/articles/ARTICLE_506033.html

Quote:

The F1 supremo, who brands the new one-shot qualifying shoot out as 'horrible' and 'not working,' says he knows how to return the thrill of Saturday's session to grand prix racing. Bernie Ecclestone would like to pull Formula One's pole-sitter out of a hat.

Glen · 10 Apr 2003, 14:27

This is purely about how many people tune-in and watch qualifying, and nothing whatever to do with the quality of F1... witness this quote, at the end of the piece:

'It may not be sport as we know it - but it sure beats going out of business!'

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with wht they are doing now - it takes focus away from qualifying and makes the race the big deal. Where's the problem? The race IS the F1 - it is what you get the points for. F1 isn't seeing how quick you can go for two minutes before you blow up and/or shred the tyres - that is just something that we've got used to seeing, but it ain't the race.

The new system means that qualifying is lap 1 of the race, with all of the rest of the drama yet to be played-out on Sunday. The old system would put the fastest car at the front, where it could control the race with as little drama as possible. If a team can see a way to control risk and increase predictability they will take it - hence boring 2002.

Furthermore, Bernie overlooks the fact that fans wil be even less interested in watching qualifying if they know for a fact that it doesn't mean anything because the names go in a hat anyway! At least the current system rewards performance and effort, even if the reward is masked by the strategy.

Mr V · 10 Apr 2003, 14:51

Agreed with Glens post...well said

Damon · 10 Apr 2003, 15:06

I'll back that up. Last year (and to a certain extent many years before that) the qualifying was easily the best part of the week, or at least the last 20 minutes were. Now the saturday isn't quite the same but the races have been so very much better that it's worth it.

Neil C · 10 Apr 2003, 15:09

I would be sure to check bernie's hat before the draw...ferrari....ferrari...ferrari...oh, look, another ferrari!

I think the current qualifying set up is good for now. As we saw last week, it even makes Fridays qualifying significant and worth watching.

senna12 · 10 Apr 2003, 15:42

It was noted by one commentator that the time difference in qualifying for Brazil, front to back of the grid, was closer than it had been in years (2.779 sec., I think),and this has been the trend all year so far. It seems that the inability of the mechanics to make those adjustments during the hour has had the effect of closing up the grid, and refueling strategies are mixing it up. Combine this with the pressure mounting on those who haven't adapted well, and this is turning out to be one great season so far. I think I would like things to remain as they are for now.

I'm not fond of Bernie's hat idea at all.

**Aysedasi** · 10 Apr 2003, 15:47

Bernie simply doesn't know what he's talking about - which is either surprising or not surprising, depending on your point of view. As far as I'm concerned, the new arrangements have breathed fresh air into a very stale championship. I actually watched the whole of the Braazilian GP from start to finish - and its a long time since I did that.....

Lee Janotta · 10 Apr 2003, 16:07

I actually agree with you 100% for once, Glen.

Six months ago, I would have agreed with the hat. But now, Bernie's completely out of his tree, this is as thrilling as F1's been in a decade! The only thing they need to fix (besides the slicks and the width of the cars) is how to make Friday qualifying worth watching!

DSM · 10 Apr 2003, 16:23

Lee, picking up on what you said: 'this is as thrilling as F1's been for a decade'. You're right. Point is though, that up to about a decade ago, F1 WAS thrilling even with the normal (logical) qualifying and the reward of pole to the fastest driver.
The new rules have introduced something but what was needed was to remove the things that had changed over the years to put the thrill back, not to artificially compensate for them.
For me the current situation, while interesting in a literal sense because of it's unpredictability, is actually falsely so and, after 35 years as a fan, leaves something missing, because I know, inside, that it's artificial.
Is it me?

shiny side up! · 10 Apr 2003, 16:40

This isn't a freakin' lottery! This idea is as blasphemous as the idiotic proposal to rotate which team a driver drives for week-to-week. B.E. is a business genius, perhaps, but I am not really sure if he is a racing fan or not...

Dick Spanner · 10 Apr 2003, 17:22

DSM it's not you, I also have the niggling feeling that F1's still a bubble off plum but.....I'm enjoying it more than I have for years and I'm even enjoying watching the qualifying, at least you don't get the "I was on the best lap ever but then I hit traffic" line any more (Monaco should be a hell of an improvement in that respect.

I'd better not say what Bernie can go and do in his hat!!!!

shiny side up! · 10 Apr 2003, 17:24

Quote:

Originally posted by Dick Spanner
I'd better not say what Bernie can go and do in his hat!!!!

Nice restraint, Dick Spanner.

krt917 · 10 Apr 2003, 18:02

I'm also with you on that DSM. I initially liked the idea of a one-shot qualifying lap, but now I too feel like there is something missing. I like to see F1 cars (or any racing cars for that matter) being driven on the limit with light fuel in qualifying and to see who REALLY is the fastest. I enjoyed seeing the Renaults on the front row in Sepang, but deep down I knew they wouldn't have been there in the old qualifying rules.

Of course, all this has made the racing more interesting and that is the most important thing and - for the moment - I'm happy to give the new rules a bit longer, but the long term solution should be to change what is WRONG with the current rules (mosty concerning the cars) so that close and interesting racing happens WITHOUT artificial elements.

As for Bernie's hat, I'd stick it in his mouth so that we don't have to listen to him anymore!

R · 10 Apr 2003, 18:21

From www.f1i.com:

Quote:

The F1 supremo, who brands the new one-shot qualifying shoot out as 'horrible' and 'not working,' says he knows how to return the thrill of Saturday's session to grand prix racing.

'We are going to wait a bit longer and then we are going to change it.'

'What I would like to see is the names of the ten quickest drivers put into a hat the morning before the race, and then drawn out to see who would be at the front of the grid.

'No-one would know who was on pole until shortly before the race, and that would give added unpredictability to the whole event.

'It may not be sport as we know it - but it sure beats going out of business!'

This has got to be a joke. It's the worst suggestion I've heard in years. The current system is performance based, and I'm growing quite fond of it. And the races are more important than the qualifying hour, and they have been the most exciting races for a long, long time. With drawing names out of a hat, qualifying will be irrelevant! At least what the top 10 concerns - and that's the most important half of the grid.

If F1 grids are to be decided by drawing names out of a hat, I will stop watching F1!

Mattracer · 10 Apr 2003, 23:06

The rules as they are now for this year are doing a good job. f1 is interesting for the first time in quite a while and Ferrari is behind from the beginning.

If they want to increase the impact of Saturday qualifying, give one point for fastest time on the Saturday. That way, a driver on light fuel is likely to get something for his effrts on Saturday if he has to pit early on Sunday or if there is no SC early in the race.

That way, he can keep a (albeit meagre) points tally going which may help later.

Welcoming AmericanLeMansFans refugees.