Thread: How would you change F1 to make it more interesting?

Originally Posted by Lum Khaan

I remember Jeremy Clarkson off of UK's Top Gear program having a good idea. He said the F1 drivers should get a meagre monthly salary of perhaps only $4,000 a month to live on, but the incentive would be that they earn $1,000,000 for each time they over take someone during a grand prix.

Curious idea but F1 doesn't determine salaries, nor should they. That is regulated by the individual teams and would still limit those teams to what they could afford to pay for each pass and how many.

So if you are fast driver and your team is budgetarily limited than if you start back too many positions than you could run out of money before you get to the front.. This example happend this past season in Japan when it was raining..

Additionally most F1 drivers actually don't get paid, conversely they pay for their ride and the chance to drive in F1 with the hopes of being discovered, that is a proven fact...

Tie Bernie Ecclestone to the wing of a car and drag him around the track.

Originally Posted by Driventowin

Additionally most F1 drivers actually don't get paid, conversely they pay for their ride and the chance to drive in F1 with the hopes of being discovered, that is a proven fact...

Most, proven fact you know thats not correct, on the last two rows maybe but thats about all. Your trying to tell me that over half the grid are paying for the privilage, sorry mate but CRAP

as for this by SO

There already is a better version of F1 - A1, but nobody seems bothered about it.

A1 is not very popular by comparison. I think the reason is the lack of any real personalities; the drivers are changed around and it is all by nationality, not a good idea

in addition, there is no real incentive to develop the cars, so that lack of technical innovation is sad

In F1, 50 million quid fines are handed out like parking tickets to the top teams & the bottom ones have to make do with next to nothing in the pot. It can't be true sport unless there's a level playing field & each season is a foregone conclusion.

As for technical innovation, I hardly think sneaking into your opponent's garage in the middle of the night & taking the contents of his filing cabinet to a local petrol-station for photocopying is very sporting, either.

Release climate protesters onto the track and award extra points for mowing them down.

Sorta like Death Race 2000, eh? Good idea.

Originally Posted by peterpan

Originally Posted by Driventowin

Additionally most F1 drivers actually don't get paid, conversely they pay for their ride and the chance to drive in F1 with the hopes of being discovered, that is a proven fact...

Most, proven fact you know thats not correct, on the last two rows maybe but thats about all. Your trying to tell me that over half the grid are paying for the privilage, sorry mate but CRAP

I should have prefaced that statement with "most people in the know and insiders understand this to be the case.." I am guessing by your response that doesn't include you..But it is most certainly not crap mate...

As a motorsports insider I know a little bit about the behind the scenes operations..

Until recently when teams like Toro Rosso, Red bull and a few others cropped up as entry level programs for upstart drivers virtually the entire field with some obvious notable exceptions were unpaid drivers seeking an opportunity to run with better teams or gain a marketing package that would provide for their salary and hence their job security. Still today that exists with Takuma Sato's Honda "B" team, Former Spyker team, and even former Sauber. The old Jordan team was too and even the late Ayrton Senna paid for his first drives in F1, it is common place..

Many of the second tier teams supply the second seat for a fee and then make a decision whether or not to hire that driver full time based on that drivers head to head performance against the first seat..

Having said that, a given driver may bring with them marketing partners and/or financial backers that through their contracts provided them with a salary but that didn't come from the team and without the drivers contribution the team or at minimum that seat would likely not even exist..

Hence Sauber's demise to BMW, previously Jordan F1 to Midland F1 team demise, to Spyker who's demise to Force India with Viijay Mallya and also numerous other programs.. They all ran out of money because no one wanted to pay the fees for those seats..

All great points, but if one wants to see full-on, no holds-barred F1 racing, you need not look further than:



Indy 500!

Install turbo-chargers into the engines instead of using naturally aspired ones!

I have to admit, I thought most F1 drivers were only there because they are sponsored.

Ralph Schmacher is a prime example.

I don't think he'd be racing at all if it wasn't for his brother's rep & cash (influence).

maybe, but he was one of the better paid drivers in F1, thats why he got the shove, too much money for too little result. Don't be too sad tho for the Ralph, he pulled 15 million dollars plus sponsership last year.

Even Alex Yoong the most recently famous of the pay drivers actually brought in sponsership to pay for his ride.

You just proved my point in this very quote, I already said exactly this! "They don't get paid by the team" unless they bring the sponsor deal or finanical backers with them that provides the funding that pays their salary, but that is not the "team" paying them it is their contracted funding....Which wouldn't exist without them...

Check....and mate........

Dont know how Oswold Moselys boy Max got where he is today, And calling Jackie Stewart a tartan clown is not nice.

Originally Posted by Driventowin

Even Alex Yoong the most recently famous of the pay drivers actually brought in sponsership to pay for his ride.

You just proved my point in this very quote, I already said exactly this! "They don't get paid by the team" unless they bring the sponsor deal or finanical backers with them that provides the funding that pays their salary, but that is not the "team" paying them it is their contracted funding....Which wouldn't exist without them...

Check....and mate........

Not at all, your original satement said MOST drivers are pay drivers and this is a proven fact.
So I respond with one example of ONE pay driver and you say your argument is proven. I know at times there are usually 2 or 3 more in a similar situation but no where near MOST, that implies over 50% of the grid is paying for a ride, clearly ridiculous.

BTW "I am in the know as well" I am a good mate of Bernies, well not really a good mate or even a mate but I did get thrown out the pits by him at kyalami in the late 70's.

I would convert all tracks they run on to figure eight. stand back and watch the fun begin.

If it isn't NASCAR Racing it ain't worth the time of day.

You gotta be kidding Don, while I love every form of Motosport I could never understand the attraction of Nascar other than its pure simlicity for its intended audience.
I mean how the hell can you sit there watching these great heavy antiquated beasts go around a circle ?
Its boring beyond belief, I would sooner watch 3 day cricket and thats a fvcking boring game.

Restrict all cars except Morris minor convertibles with side valve engines , put some reality back into the sport .

BTW "I am in the know as well" I am a good mate of Bernies, well not really a good mate or even a mate but I did get thrown out the pits by him at kyalami in the late 70's.

Well...... I'll give you 7 out of 10 for this post anyway... I think your fudging here too though, as I find it hard to believe that Bernie's big enough to throw anyone out of anywhere though, he must have had some bigger guys do that for him I should think.... So I'm subtracting 3 for allowing little ole Bernie to throw you out...That'll teach ya about fibbin.... And count your blessings I didn't give you a red for that one too...

On the rest you'll just have to believe what you will, and others make their own judgement, I know what I know we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Originally Posted by Sparky

Restrict all cars except Morris minor convertibles with side valve engines , put some reality back into the sport .

Is it possible to restrict a V8 that much?? I guess if you shut down half the cylinders and add a boat anchor....

Originally Posted by Driventowin

Originally Posted by Sparky

Restrict all cars except Morris minor convertibles with side valve engines , put some reality back into the sport .

Is it possible to restrict a V8 that much?? I guess if you shut down half the cylinders and add a boat anchor....

Read it again ! no V8's that was the boring old high speed shit rules . purely 4 cylinder Morris minor side valve engines thats it .

Originally Posted by Sparky

Read it again ! no V8's that was the boring old high speed shit rules . purely 4 cylinder Morris minor side valve engines thats it .

Back in the U.K. the 750cc Motor Club used to put on some very spirited racing using Austin Seven and Reliant engines.

My bad I thought you were suggesting restricting the current F1 cars and adding Mini's to compete aginst them... But hey I like your idea better, then I could join the fun.. Though it would be kind of fun to bounce a mini off an F1 car, my money would be on the Mini..