What's wrong with F1 in a nutshell

[Scott]

Seriously?  When will it end?  Time for a meeting.  Get all the stakeholders in a room and lock the door until the smoke turns white.  Come ON!!!  Something needs to be done and it should be done before they leave Spa.  It's simply embarrassing...for Honda, Mclaren, all their sponsors, the other teams, and for all of F1.  Serious fans are mad, and casual fans are confused.

http://www.pitpass.com/54469/McLaren-duo-handed-55-place-grid-penalties

[Steve A.]

It's fast becoming a joke, even issuing a penalty that can't be enforced. It's like a bunch of kids playing, bringing ridiculous rules to a game. Next it will be my mechanic is bigger than your mechanic.

[Andy B]

Hold on and calm down its only a motor race! 
Honda have admitted that they came into F1 a year too early and are not complaining about the penalties, McLaren have been told they will get nothing other than starting from the back of grid.
http://www.planetf1.com/driver/55667788/72346/Combined-55-place-penalty-for-McLaren
The Rules are the rules and cannot be altered to suit a team that is struggling although that is being done to a degree.
I agree its not ideal but where do we stop?
Manor are finishing last at every race should we give them a few laps in hand so they have a chance of winning?

[Steve A.]

I know and agree but the fact that they are giving so many grid places that simply don't exist is both ridiculous and confusing for new fans. Why not just make the maximum ' back of the grid'

[Scott]

Plenty of rule adjustments (clarifications )have been made in F1 over the years. Why not now?

Talk about bringing the sport into disrepute!  FIA's doing it to themselves.

[Andy B]

I know and agree but the fact that they are giving so many grid places that simply don't exist is both ridiculous and confusing for new fans. Why not just make the maximum ' back of the grid'

"Back of the grid sounds like a plan! Have you told Bernie?

[Alianora La Canta]

Because the rule was made back when excess grid spot loss resulted in further penalties - which got canned 2 races ago due to fan annoyance at such penalties being issued for things that weren't in a driver's or team's control.

[Scott]

If the rule has been in place for two races already, then the problem is the media ramping it up by not simply saying they will start from the back.  Why headline it with '55 place Grid Penalty'?

[lkjohnson1950]

To point out the rules are ridiculous without actually saying the rules are ridiculous.

[Steve A.]

I know and agree but the fact that they are giving so many grid places that simply don't exist is both ridiculous and confusing for new fans. Why not just make the maximum ' back of the grid'

"Back of the grid sounds like a plan! Have you told Bernie?

Tried ringing him but he's not answering his mobile, will tell him over coffee later
 

[cosworth151]

Let me get this straight. A 25 place penalty for Button & a 30 place place ding for Alonso, when they will be lucky to qualify ahead of Manor anyway? So Jens will start from Blanchimont and Ferd from Stavalot?

In previous seasons, I would have thought this ridiculous. Now, it just seems sadly typical.

[Alianora La Canta]

If the rule has been in place for two races already, then the problem is the media ramping it up by not simply saying they will start from the back.  Why headline it with '55 place Grid Penalty'?

Because:

a) it sounds more dramatic that way - especially as it is now 105-place grid penalty.

b) if you've followed the story, you'll have a better idea of what's happening if the grid count version is used, since it calls for 10 places per engine part and 5 places for a gearbox. So if you note that it was originally 20 for Button and 25 for Alonso, you it reveals that both got 30 places on the next part, meaning both changed all 6 parts. There was no immediate reason to do that, so we know that what actually happened was that a full engine was reserved for later races. Then they did it again post-qualifying, getting a further 30 places each and bringing them up to 2 reserved "good" engines in addition to the one they plan to race with (and 102 grid penalties that will never get used).

This is really clever strategy by Honda, and there's really nothing the FIA can do about it as the fans would rather mock the stupid situation the FIA has put themselves in than have drive-through penalties and the like ruin the race.

[Jericoke]

It's just a demonstration of the laws of unintended consequences.

These rules are in place to save the teams money so that we have competitive races.

Of course, the rules have ensured that races are UNcompetitve.  A team that can afford to replace engines is a joke amongst both serious fans and casual fans, and has hemmoragged sponsors as a result.  That is to say, this rule has COST McLaren money, not saved them an penny.

Which teams are benefiting under the current engine rules?  Ferrari and Mercedes.  Wow.  Glad they've got the money to remain in the sport.  Red Bull and STR are hamstrung by underdeveloped Renaults.  Manor and Sauber are running engines purposely inferior to real Ferrari engines.  No benefit for them:  what investor is interested in a car designed to lose? 

So that leaves Force India, Williams and Lotus.  I suppose all this nonsense is benefiting them.

[John S]

The calm down message is the right one as far as I can see.

The FIA opened a small door in the regs, to satisfy the perceived unfairness of the continued penalty rule - as Alia has already stated, and McLaren/Honda have driven the proverbial coach and horses through it.    That's why the media, which we all know love to play up inconsequential facts that appear sensational, can report the exaggerated 55 (or now 105) place grid drop penalty.

The other point about newbies getting confused is a big red herring, we should credit new fans with at least a tad more common sense than the media.  Anyway all the TV commentators and pundits are making it clear that the most Macca/Honda face is a back of the grid start  - so I'm sure no one's really confused.   

[Steve A.]

But it's just highlights the way the sport is going, ridiculous rules, bad decisions and fake cost cutting exercises. It opens it up for criticism and ridicule, and takes a lot of focus away from what the sport is........  racing.