Formula 1; is it game over?

[Workingman]

Honda have pulled out from the end of 2021 claiming electric is the way to go. That only leaves three engine manufacturers in Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault. All of those give the latest and best upgrades to their works teams leaving all the rest playing catch up.

There are no privateer engine producers like Cosworth with the funds needed to produce the latest hybrid engines, and not even Audi, BMW, Tag-Porche or Toyota can do it either.

Red Bull and Alpha Tauri could pull out after 2021.

There isn't an all-electric package on the planet capable of the speeds and distance of F1.

[cromwell]

It's been on the slide for years; it really isn't much of a psectacle to see the same leading cars just circulate in a procession for lap after lap.
The commentators shriek and yelp trying to inject enthusiasm into it, but all their fevered hype can't make F1 any better for me.
Mercedes have the biggest budget, the best car and the best driver. It doesn't take Poirot to work out who is going to win!
For most manufacturers F1 is just too much money to justify their involvement.

[miasmum]

You obviously didn't see Monza then Cromwell, that was a race to behold.

[Workingman]

I started watching Grand Prix in 1967 after Blue Peter made a scoring board with points, teams and cars. The more points won the nearer to the season finish line the cars got.

There were 17 teams / chassis with 38 different drivers qualifying in 11 races. Some teams had three cars, but could only qualify two, and some teams only had one car. There were ten engine suppliers with about 17 variants and four tyre makers.

When I went to see my first live GP at Zandvoort in 1973 not much had changed except that there were only three engine suppliers - Ferrari, Ford Cosworth and BRM and two tyre choices. A 15 race season.

My first British GP was at Silverstone in 1985 - 16 teams with 26 qualifying to race.

Back in those days everything was manic and there was pre-qualifying and the 107% rule to limit the grids to 26 cars.... that's still the official limit Top drivers in the best cars could have a bad day and not qualify to race. And also back then it was "Here's a box and here's a weight limit, if your chassis fits you're in"

It wasn't till the late 1990s that all the rules and nonsense really kicked in and the privateers, except Williams, left in droves. So now we have ten teams, aero, overtaking aids, faux tyre choices, wide concrete run-offs so track limits are meaningless. There was a time when if you went off the track it was into the gravel or the mud or the armco and your race was over.

There was no need for (subjective) stop-go or time penalties back in the day. It was called "racing".

When you look at Formula E you see 12 teams with 12 different drive trains. There are units from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar and Nissan etc. with a few from smaller car makers who are producing EV for the road from the likes of Mahindra (India), NIO (China) and DS (France). The chassis are all built to the same spec. The road ahead?

Shell, I think you mean Mugello.

[miasmum]

Oh yes maybe. I get confused this year with all these strange races

I'd happily watch other motor sport if it were on normal TV

[cromwell]

I should think more before I post sometimes MM.
I haven't watched much F1 in the last few years so I don't know if it's boring or not! It was when I stopped watching it though.

[Workingman]

I still watch, but that's because I'm an old time addict.

Got to say, though, that I could easily convert to F E if it can get to 60 lap races and 200 mph+ and move from streets to circuits.

Imagine open qualifying then a 20 lap sprint for the main race qualifiers to set the grid for a 60 lap race for points. It would not be far off old times. And it's on Freeview, Shell.

[miasmum]

What channel Frank?

[Workingman]

BBC iPlayer, Eurosport, Quest.

It all depends where the race is from, but most of them are available to watch live if you look.

Try https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/watch/wa ... ession=All

Fry C5,

Good luck.

[miasmum]

Thanks WM, I see the season is over now but I will try and get involved for the next one