Prost interview on BBC/Inside Sport

[wedge]

Tonight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7273741.stm

"It's more speed, less brains, less tactics, less strategy and much less work together between a driver and the engineers - and that is not Formula One I like."

[DimitraF1]

bravo :P

[Knock-on]

Prost is just echoing what we have all been saying over the years. F1 being the pinnacle of Motorsport demands that the cars are the fastest, loudest and most thrilling to watch. Technology has, however, reduced the enthralling celebration of our sport to a sanitised and clinical chess match. Well, perhaps not technology per se, but the shameful way the guardians of the sport have allowed technology to denigrate F1.

So, have the power-brokers of F1 learned a lesson by reining in the technology as they have this year. Of course not!

While the changes to the regulations should result in a move in the right direction, we will soon see preferred team(s) being allowed to circumvent the regulations with "grey" areas in terms on interpretation of the rules. This will continue until the FIA is forced to act and "clarify" the situation.

This, in itself, is expected and something we have sadly become accustomed to but what is concerning me is the current strategies being used. Namely, influencing a teams performance by legal terrorism.

McLaren were caught with their pants down but the incestuous nature of F1 has allowed this type of behaviour to go on since the sport began. BUT, Ferrari had a legitimate complaint and although the punishment was draconian, they took it on the chin. That should have been the end of it but with the season just around the corner, the legal circus and propaganda returns to further threaten a teams preparations.

The FIA have taken a small step to supposedly bring the sport back from the technological abyss while tolerating the Guerilla tactics currently being displayed.

This is a much bigger threat to F1 than what Prost is talking about and yet again, F1 is going to suffer because of poor management and vision. It needs someone with Prost's gravitas to step up and promote this issue. Perhaps with Ron's demise, Max may decide that his work is done and open up a platform for Prost to get this sport back; if he has the balls still.

[Tazio]

Nice job Knock'
Here's my two cents
As F1 comes closer and closer to being free enterprise in its purest form!
It is conversely, simultaneously, and inexorably becoming sporting competition in it's most perverted form!
Damn it! Something has got to give!

[wmcot]

We're witnessing evolution - F1 style. It's not the same sport as it was when Prost was driving.

Alain Prost was my boyhood hero and is still my favourite driver of all time........

........but I must admit I thought it slightly odd that he complains about technology when the Williams FW13C he won the title with in 1993 was kitted out with more gizmo's and gadget's than if NASA submitted a Space Shuttle for an edition of 'Pimp My Ride'.

[wedge]

When you're in a WDC winnning car there's not too much to complain about.

[SteveA]

F1 being the pinnacle of Motorsport demands that the cars are the fastest, loudest ...

I think you'll find that's drag racing!

[Tazio]

One of the greatest ever!
But he is just reminiscing on this subject IMO

[ArrowsFA1]

Alain Prost was my boyhood hero and is still my favourite driver of all time........

........but I must admit I thought it slightly odd that he complains about technology when the Williams FW13C he won the title with in 1993 was kitted out with more gizmo's and gadget's than if NASA submitted a Space Shuttle for an edition of 'Pimp My Ride'.
Very true, but isn't Prost making the point that today's drivers new to F1 are stepping into the kind of technology that makes driving the car easier? He's not alone (http://askriccardo.blogspot.com/2006/05/then-and-now.html) in holding that view.

[SGWilko]

Alain Prost was my boyhood hero and is still my favourite driver of all time........

........but I must admit I thought it slightly odd that he complains about technology when the Williams FW13C he won the title with in 1993 was kitted out with more gizmo's and gadget's than if NASA submitted a Space Shuttle for an edition of 'Pimp My Ride'.

Are you suggesting Alain should have politely declined to drive the '93 Williams as was, and insist of Patrick that all the technology be removed? It was not his choice after all that the teams pursued the technical avenue. I also believe the one thing he and Ayrton could agree on was their utter dislike of the wizz bang gizmo era.......

[Tazio]

There's a quote attributed to Ernest Hemingway when he said:
'There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering;
all the rest are merely games,
'" Irvine wrote in a column for The Guardian newspaper.

"Formula 1 seems intent on trying to become a game.

"By taking increasing measures to slow things down the FIA is turning Formula 1 into tiddlywinks.

http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=41867

Very true, but isn't Prost making the point that today's drivers new to F1 are stepping into the kind of technology that makes driving the car easier? He's not alone (http://askriccardo.blogspot.com/2006/05/then-and-now.html) in holding that view.

Yes, but there is a saying that "The Past Is Another Country". Times change.

Plus, Alain entered F1 at the height of the 'Ground Effect' era....which, if I'm not mistaken, made it much easier to go faster, no?


Are you suggesting Alain should have politely declined to drive the '93 Williams as was, and insist of Patrick that all the technology be removed? It was not his choice after all that the teams pursued the technical avenue. I also believe the one thing he and Ayrton could agree on was their utter dislike of the wizz bang gizmo era.......

Certainly not suggesting that. I'm merely pointing out that no era was without it's technological advancements that made the driver's job easier.

[wedge]

Plus, Alain entered F1 at the height of the 'Ground Effect' era....which, if I'm not mistaken, made it much easier to go faster, no?


Those things were difficult drive. To get the very best out of ground effects and skirts you had to run car virtually on bump stops because the suspension was literally rock solid; not to mention the tracks were a lot more bumpier and grounds effect works best on smooth tracks - going over bumps ruins the under-car aero.

[woody2goody]

It's a shame that his team folded before the 2002 season, after all they did a decent job on a low-ish budget. however their best car was still the 1997 one in which IMO Panis would have won if not for his horrible crash.

[ArrowsFA1]

Yes, but there is a saying that "The Past Is Another Country". Times change.

Plus, Alain entered F1 at the height of the 'Ground Effect' era....which, if I'm not mistaken, made it much easier to go faster, no?
Yes, you're right and I suppose in some ways 'ground effect' was the equivalent of today's technology. However, I do think that Prost raced a wide variety of different F1 cars - 'ground effect', 'flat bottomed go-karts', the turbo monsters and everything up to the wizzy '93 Williams, all of which required different driver skills.

The thing that he, and other ex-drivers, comment on most is that the input of those driver skills has been lessened with the increased reliance on technology.

Then again, perhaps those ex-drivers are all a bunch of old farts who think "things were better in their day" :)

[ioan]

The thing that he, and other ex-drivers, comment on most is that the input of those driver skills has been lessened with the increased reliance on technology.

Care to point out which technologies are there on the 2008 F1 cars that weren't on the '93 Williams?
Then do the exercise the other way around, you might be surprised to see that the 93 Williams had more driver friendly technology on it. ;)

[ArrowsFA1]

...you might be surprised to see that the 93 Williams had more driver friendly technology on it. ;)
Maybe, but how about the McLaren M29, Renault RE20/30/40, McLaren MP4-2/3/4/5, Ferrari F1-90/91/643? :)

The Williams FW15C was just one of the many different kinds of F1 cars Prost raced in his career, and it was also the last.

[ioan]

Maybe, but how about the McLaren M29, Renault RE20/30/40, McLaren MP4-2/3/4/5, Ferrari F1-90/91/643? :)

The Williams FW15C was just one of the many different kinds of F1 cars Prost raced in his career, and it was also the last.

He might have done so but he also had cars more technologically packed that we have nowadays, which makes his comments a bit hypocritical.

Note that I do consider Prost one of the best F1 drivers, I just don't agree with these comments.

[ioan]

Tonight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7273741.stm

"It's more speed, less brains, less tactics, less strategy and much less work together between a driver and the engineers - and that is not Formula One I like."

Less tactics? Less strategy? Less brains? Less work between drivers and engineers?

Prost must have had a black out during the time a certain Michael Schumacher raced in F1!

I do however agree with him about more speed! :)

[ArrowsFA1]

He might have done so but he also had cars more technologically packed that we have nowadays, which makes his comments a bit hypocritical.
Not really IMHO, because he has experience of driving cars with and without technology (the M29 was a rudimentary bit of kit!!) so should know, more than most, the differences it can make to the input of the driver.

[SGWilko]

I think Alain is on a hiding to nothing.

But my interpretation of the less tactics/strategy comments are;

That up until last year, with the advent of advanced TC/engine breaking/electronic diff etc, there is little for the driver to do than drive. In Alains heyday, setting up the car was the drivers main task, and the race weekend was geared up for this, practice sessions AND the all important warm up.

Without factored in, strategic tyre changes in the 'good old days' if you cocked up setting up the car, you ruined your tyres and went backwards fast.

Nowadays, with tyre changes and refuelling, if your car is hard on tyres, it can be an advantage in qually, but not too much of a hiderance in the race.

I do see his point.

Now, the '93 williams was stuffed up to the nines with gizmos. TC, ABS, Active Ride etc. But, did it have the trick diff and launch control and engine braking systems that they did in '07? I doubt it, 15 years is a lot of development time.........

[ioan]

I think Alain is on a hiding to nothing.

But my interpretation of the less tactics/strategy comments are;

That up until last year, with the advent of advanced TC/engine breaking/electronic diff etc, there is little for the driver to do than drive. In Alains heyday, setting up the car was the drivers main task, and the race weekend was geared up for this, practice sessions AND the all important warm up.

Without factored in, strategic tyre changes in the 'good old days' if you cocked up setting up the car, you ruined your tyres and went backwards fast.

Nowadays, with tyre changes and refuelling, if your car is hard on tyres, it can be an advantage in qually, but not too much of a hiderance in the race.

I do see his point.

Now, the '93 williams was stuffed up to the nines with gizmos. TC, ABS, Active Ride etc. But, did it have the trick diff and launch control and engine braking systems that they did in '07? I doubt it, 15 years is a lot of development time.........

The active ride and the abs outweigh all the systems alowed on the 2007 cars, IMO. LC is used only at the start, so the advantage is minimal for a race.

[SGWilko]

The active ride and the abs outweigh all the systems alowed on the 2007 cars, IMO. LC is used only at the start, so the advantage is minimal for a race.

Active ride yes, ABS no. Why? I think that, with the tyre war between Michelin and Bridgestone, tyre technology has evolved to such a degree that wheel locking was becoming very rare indeed. In fact, even TC has for some time now been a fine tuning tool for the more gifted drivers, i.e. the less you rely on it, the faster you go.

The engine braking, the trick diffs I think very much took away the skill of the driver. Even the early days of the paddle shift the drivers could still over-rev the engines, not now.

Personally, seemless shift should go, and allow paddle shift but no trick electronics to go with it (i.e. if you change up too early you knacker the motor).

Perhaps I am turning into an old fart........

[wedge]

I think Alain is on a hiding to nothing.

But my interpretation of the less tactics/strategy comments are;

That up until last year, with the advent of advanced TC/engine breaking/electronic diff etc, there is little for the driver to do than drive. In Alains heyday, setting up the car was the drivers main task, and the race weekend was geared up for this, practice sessions AND the all important warm up.

Without factored in, strategic tyre changes in the 'good old days' if you cocked up setting up the car, you ruined your tyres and went backwards fast.

Nowadays, with tyre changes and refuelling, if your car is hard on tyres, it can be an advantage in qually, but not too much of a hiderance in the race.

I do see his point.

Well I actually do like the 2 race per engine rule. You have to play with the engine maps similar to playing with the boost pressure.

IMHO that's how Alonso won the WDC in 2006. The Ferrari was the better car in the second half of that season:

Turkey - Alonso held off Schumi by using max revs on the back straight and lower revs on the corners

Japan - forced Schumi's hand by driving flat out and in the end it was the Ferrari that gave up the ghost. I thought that race was similar to 1988 Italian GP where Prost rattled Senna and forced him to tangle with a backmarker.