The very fact that F1.5 exists is bad for the sport. Truth be told though, it’s been that way for a very long time. Think about it: when last did we have a season where more than two or three teams were truly competitive or capable of winning a race?
Having said that, we all seem to think racing was more exciting / unpredictable a few years ago. So what has changed? I have a little theory about the culprit: Mechanical reliability. Cars are much more reliable now than a decade or two ago. In the 90’s or early 2000’s, you had a number of races with unexpected wins or podiums due to the fast-but-fragile leaders breaking down. Williams in their glory days would only win as long as the car held together (Nigel Mansell lost many a win in this way). McLaren-Mercedes in the late 90’s were the same. All that started to change with the new level of professionalism brought by the Schumacher / Todt / Brawn Ferrari era, and these days, even “backmarker” teams can build cars that are basically bulletproof.
The result of all this is that races have to be decided by on-track pace and overtakes, which of course a) highlights the massive gap between the rich teams and the others, and b) how unsuitable the rules are for close racing.
Something needs to change, and soon. These snore-fests are damaging the sport.
I really miss F1 of the late 80’s and 90’s…It was all about trying to out engineer your rivals, buy the best drivers/crew and sometimes blow up spectacularly on track
The rules have of course contributed to this; F1 has become a form of endurance racing because everyone needs to make their engines and tyres last while trying not to burn too much fuel. They aren’t truly racing at the bleeding edge anymore.
We do not have that nail biting will they, wont they finish.
This is why we feel so much for the guys who break down, whose wheel delaminates.
The on track over taking is minimal, the side by side racing is discouraged for their safety. But I am sorry, if you are in F1, you are supposed to be the best of the best, you NEED to race wheel to wheel and over takes and spins and errors.
This kind of racing is almost like having AI’s race.
Picture it, 1988, 1.5l V6 Turbos and 3.5l V8s on the track at the same time. Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Martin Brundle, Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger all on the grid. Honda was the engine manufacturer to watch and everyone is trying to figure out whether the Honda engines would prove successful with McLaren. Pre-Season was dominated by Ferrari and…hmmm this really reminds me of the 2019 season (but with less decent drivers)
I actually love Zandvoort, its a stunning track. I have watched Moto Gp there.
I am glad they are bringing back a classic track instead of building another new rubbish one. I am trying to see how much of the old track they are changing.
That shows a lovely history of what the track looked like in the past. Its now for me one of the more fun tracks. I just hope the racing will make it worth it
I don’t think it will be in Kayalami anyway. The residents wouldn’t like the noise. Apparently they’ve even tried to shutdown the bike races happening there. The funny thing is that the race track was there before them.
