Preseason Whining

[lkjohnson1950]

Ferrari is protesting the Mercedes and Rec Bull "active" suspension systems.

https://www.gptours.com/mobile_news.php?command=show&what=news&id=18657

[cosworth151]

And so the season begins!

[Steve A.]

Not a surprise,  they obviously haven't managed to come up with a workable system for the Ferrari

[Monty]

My own pre-season whining includes:- lamenting the loss of Jenson Button; realising that I can no longer moan about a cheating German now that both Schumacher and Rosberg are out of F1 (although I am ready to pour all of my scorn on Verstappen who has already shown he is either a cheat or a lunatic, or both); I wish to complain that the tyres are too wide / too hard / too soft (delete as appropriate); I want to complement Liberty for transforming F1 / for goodness sake bring back Bernie (delete as appropriate); can I just moan about how Mercedes/Red Bull/Ferrari have made F1 processional and boring (again delete as appropriate). 

[lkjohnson1950]

 

[John S]

I just want to moan about no F1 at the moment.
Can't they just get on with it and have earlier races - or have a few mini races (10 laps sounds good) each day during testing - I need my fix of F1.   

[Jericoke]

I just want to moan about no F1 at the moment.
Can't they just get on with it and have earlier races - or have a few mini races (10 laps sounds good) each day during testing - I need my fix of F1.   

That's a pretty good idea.  Once a week have a 10 lap 'test driver' show down.  Give the development drivers a taste of real competition, something to see on TV.  That would help teams evaluate talent in F1 race conditions, it would give TV partners something to show, and it would provide something to engage the fans.

[lkjohnson1950]

Well, Liberty wants 25 races.  They could at least televise testing.

[cosworth151]

It sounds more like Liberty wants no races. Just 25 parades through boring street circuits with pretty buildings in the background.

[Jericoke]

It sounds more like Liberty wants no races. Just 25 parades through boring street circuits with pretty buildings in the background.

If people are really going to pay top dollar for that, then yeah, I guess so.

Surely instead of street races, using park space makes more sense, like Montreal and Melbourne?  The NJ Liberty Park race was an attempt to put a real race track in the middle of a city.  Not an ideal location, but at least they were trying.

[cosworth151]

How many F1 fans will be satisfied to stick around and watch the races turned into a minor part of a festival for the Kardashians of the world? These boring street races are a big part of why ratings have been in a downward spiral for some years now.

Federico Fellini couldn't come up with a better metaphor for what's wrong with F1  than a street race around a sewage treatment facility in New Jersey with a group of the 1% standing around posing for pictures and ignoring the race.

[Alianora La Canta]

20 stable races (of any description) would be a good start...