Formula 1 proposes two mandatory pitstops for 2014

[truefan72]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111657

stupidity

this is F1 not some spec feeder series
let the teams design the cars they want to and if it is good on tires then so be it.
nonsense proposal

[journeyman racer]

stupidity

this is F1 not some spec feeder series

What is F1, or what is your interpretation of what F1 should be?

[zako85]

Terrible, terrible idea. Not only they mandate the number of pit stops and tire compounds used in each race. They also propose the maximum number of laps on each type of tire. One of the biggest parts of F1 racing in the last few decades was the tire strategy. Now this it goes out of window and every team races on the same strategy.

Now I can see some of the logic behind it. They want to force every driver to race hard instead of "saving tires" on some stints. I myself always root for the cars that race hard instead of saving tires. However, I think tire strategy is something that should be in control of the teams, not FIA.

[steveaki13]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

For the love of God Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[555-04Q2]

Just when you thought F1 couldn't come up with any other dumb ideas............ :dozey:

[Tazio]

I've got an idea. Let's all object on Facedbook :p:

[AndyL]

Madness. I can't imagine the teams accepting this. But with the way the new F1 Strategy Group is constituted, it looks like if the FIA and FOM decide they both want it then the teams can whistle.

[Doc Austin]

This is dangerously close to being what the old champcar "mandatory pit windows" were.... a joke that is.

Whatever happened to just letting them race?

[steveaki13]

I've got an idea. Let's all object on Facedbook :p:

Great Idea. :laugh:

[anfield5]

The old Champ car series did this, just before it died and was gone forever.

"sarcasm mode enabled." Although the current rules aren't nearly restrictive enough and teams already get far to much latitude to race, so it does need tightening up more. I also suggest that all cars are painted the same colour and instead of having their own sponsors, all sponsors pay the FIA directly, then they are displayed on all cars this would prevent the big teams getting more TV time and money than the small teams. or how about putting each team name into two different hats and at the start of the weekend, draw out a name from the first hat (say Red Bull) and a name from the second hat (say Caterham). The name drawn second gets to set up the cars drawn out first, this at a single stroke would make the racing closer, either by the set up team trying to hamstring the car they were working on, or simply making it slower by not understanding the car. I seriously think I should be working for the F1 rule makers, because I can come up with stupider ideas than they can. "sarcasm mode end"

[schmenke]

Yet another example of why my interest in the sport(?) has declined rapidly during the last few seasons :s

[truefan72]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

For the love of God Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

my thoughts exactly

[Mark]

Crazy idea. They already mandate one stop.

[N. Jones]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/111657

stupidity

this is F1 not some spec feeder series
let the teams design the cars they want to and if it is good on tires then so be it.
nonsense proposal
Completely agree. Mandatory tire usage should go to. Let the teams use whatever tire they deem necessary.

[Whyzars]

Two mandatory pit stops will increase passing.

Maybe now they can get rid of the DRS... :crazy:

[555-04Q2]

get rid of the DRS... :crazy:

Yes please :D

[janneppi]

Two mandatory stops would only work if the driver was the one doing the tyre change work.

[555-04Q2]

Two mandatory stops would only work if the driver was the one doing the tyre change work.

You're onto something there :D

[ShiftingGears]

Utter stupidity.

[Storm]

Formula Dumb

[JasonPotato]

So does this mean they're going to make a set of tyres that last the whole race? Knowing the driver will have to pit anyway for a fresh set.

[zako85]

I think that was the idea. Last couple of years, they wanted to force everyone to make numerous stops by the means of aggressive tire deterioration. After all the bad publicity for Pirelli, exploding tires, and the tiregate, it seems like FIA wanted now to take the easy route and simply force everyone to make at least two stops. At that point, there would be no need for a short-lived tire, so I'd expect Pirelli to build a tire that can be raced hard without regard for wear. Anyways, this is all irrelevant now. The rule was canceled since the teams were against it. Unfortunately, in some kind of bitter outburst of emotions, the FIA created the double points rule instead.

[Jag_Warrior]

I think this sounds like a fantastic idea! Great thinking, FIA guys! And here's a couple more great ideas that have come to my mind as I read this: how about we do two races a weekend? Like we do a feature race one day and a sprint race the next? And in the second race, all the drivers have to randomly swap cars? They'll pick numbers out of a hat. And in the second race, the race direction will be the opposite of what it was in the first race. CW 1st race? Then CCW 2nd race. And last point I need to make... why come Danica Patrick isn't in Formula One? It's misogyny, that's what it is! These guys are threatened by her! Yeah! Bernie should tell Red Bull or Ferrari to give her a car (3rd car for whoever does the right thing) and put this amazing talent on the grid. Hey, youse add all that together and you got yourself some real deal auty-mobile racin', right thar!


Oh BTW, if the FIA keeps screwing with the sport (as a sport, not as a retarded form of reality TV), let me know so I can stop bothering with F1 races, as I have stopped bothering with IRL IndyCar races.

[Doc Austin]

Oh BTW, if the FIA keeps screwing with the sport (as a sport, not as a retarded form of reality TV), let me know so I can stop bothering with F1 races,

I started following F1 in 1968 or so. Back then it was just the man and the car. There were no artificial tricks or gimmicks to spice up "the show." They just raced. Now "the show" seems to be the most important thing and crap like DRS and mandatory "option" tires are almost more of the story than the battles on the track.

It's like the push to pass thing in Indycars. For awhile that it all the commentators could talk about... who was "on the button" and how many they had left. There was so much spewing going on about "the button" that you could very easily forget there was supposed to be a race going on.

Now in F1 it's essentially the same thing, only whether or not he is close enough to engage the DRS, and every time one pops open they have to tell us about it. I'm really surprised they don't have a little green light superimposed over every car when it uses it's KERS.


.........as I have stopped bothering with IRL IndyCar races.

Which is quite a shame as you are really missing some good racing, and it's real racing. Of course they have the PTP thing for the road courses, but the commentators don't play it up like they used to. Certainly it is still essentially spec racing, but it's hard, wheel to wheel racing in big, fast cars. Some people don't like the cars, but then again, some F1 cars are pretty dam ugly.

It's been very good racing, so you might want to give it another chance.

[Jag_Warrior]

[quote].........as I have stopped bothering with IRL IndyCar races.

Which is quite a shame as you are really missing some good racing, and it's real racing. Of course they have the PTP thing for the road courses, but the commentators don't play it up like they used to. Certainly it is still essentially spec racing, but it's hard, wheel to wheel racing in big, fast cars. Some people don't like the cars, but then again, some F1 cars are pretty dam ugly.

It's been very good racing, so you might want to give it another chance.[/quote:3a2bg8oh]

2013 was a very busy year for me. So I had to pick & choose what I had the time to watch. I've been following F1 and Indy cars since the early 70's. I've worked for companies that sponsored cars in both series. And I used to know a few people who worked for and in the Indy Car series (when it was CART). Racing has become the one & only sport that I still follow. But since the split, there has been a slow, painful spiraling-down of the things that first drew me to this style of racing. It's not JUST the ungainly, visually challenging cars (but that is part of it) - it's also the amateur hour way that IRL, LLC has been managed over the years.

So given the time constraints I've faced recently (and probably will face for awhile), where I've found myself having to wait 2-3 weeks to catch up on my sacred F1 races on DVR, IRL Indy Car has simply lost out. And the passion is totally gone now (they worked really hard to chase away and turn off the overwhelming majority of the fans/viewers... it's the one thing they've been able to successfully do). So when I have the time and I'm in the mood to watch good spec racing these days, with drivers whose names I don't often know, I just watch GP2 and/or GP3 - that is typically very good, pure racing... some of the best open wheel racing there is (F1 included). The hp/weight ratio is about the same as the IRL's goofy-looking, spec Dallaras and they also race on more storied tracks that are truly legendary. Call me a snob, but I'd watch a gang of turtles "race" around Monaco before I'd watch any of the street races that the IRL has been putting on lately... even Long Beach (and that used to be my favorite race of the year, other than Indy).

But there's a chance that I may be in the L.A. area around the time of Long Beach next year, so I may attend the race. Maybe they can win me back. I doubt it, but who knows?

[Doc Austin]

You know, I guess if the racing changes so much that you'de rather watch something else, it's hard to argue that.

I grew up going to the races and when I was old enough, I started racing myself. It will always be a part of me and it's going to take a lot more what's already happened to get me to turn it off. Thing is, Indycar needs it's supporters now more than ever, and I could never live with myself if I turned my back on it now.

Besides, you as much as anyone knows that racing is cyclical. Try being a sports car fan if you want a wild ride full of promises followed by false dawns. How many times have we seen sports car racing crash anyway?

I don't pay any attention to the business matters, mostly because they don't concern me. I don't care about attendance or ratings or any of that crap because it's completely out of my hands. Why worry?

Either I like the racing or I don't. Right now I like it, but I'm also prepared to hang in there if it ever becomes less. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not. As long as I like it, I'll watch it and enjoy it.

[rjbetty]

If F1 is going to go down this route, they could at least also include weapons, mushrooms and invincibility stars on track, as well as shortcuts thru buildings etc that can open up if you collect enough coins (or whatever you collect).

[steveaki13]

Yes.

This is where F1 should be heading.

Rj, any chance of replacing Bernie next season

[Zico]

Am I alone in thinking that this idea is not so bad? Although a tad contrived, I see this compulsory two stop rule a much lesser evil than having the ridiculous undurable tyres of recent years.. This means the drivers will all be able to push at 100% again? Excellent news! :bounce: Fantastic!... :bounce: Oh.. wait... well maybe not then due to race fuel capacity limits which will possibly see them all coasting to save fuel instead... doh! :(

[steveaki13]

I agree that it could see drivers push more, but I think the best solution is not have mandatory stops and have decent tyres and let them race.

All rules these days seem to be trying to improve F1. When all it needs is to become a proper motorsport again.