March 15, 2010

2010 Bahrain GP: a bit dry.

Did you find it boring? That seems to be the general consensus.

Didn't think it was that bad and would not jump on the blame the refueling ban or the diffusers bandwagon just yet (Mclaren who was a bit off the pace is all of a sudden anti clever aero devices?...hmmm).

I would point to the track design and to the half hearted "for the show" tire rule. While there is great potential for spectacle as the cars get lighter and faster during the race, the tire component was a failure, tires are too good. Seems to me you should make the soft compound way less durable, right now they are too close in performance. In fact, why not make them choose one or the other for the whole race?
Others think the compounds should be even closer in performance. I don't see the point, might as well just throw arbitrary full course yellows, NASCAR style. Or maybe introduce a mandatory Lotus engineered Random Part Ejector to mix thing up. Thoughts?

While one can appreciate the effort organizers at venues like Bahrain have put in, who thought it was a good idea to have the very first race, the season opener, be in the middle of a sterile desert with barely any spectators and on a track that necessitated having its runoff areas painted in order to give it some character and make the corners distinguishable?
If ever there was an illustration of the problems of Formula 1, clinical, removed, remote, they came all wrapped up in a neat bundle this past week end.




end of post

18 comments:

  1. I agree. What a dreadfully dull race. It just seems silly that they have done away with refueling, when it was one of the very few ways left to use strategy to gain position. Now the only way to pass is on the track or hoping that someone has a disaster either in the pits or on the track. Thank goodness Vettel had issues (and I am rooting for him), otherwise the entire race would have been over by the second corner.

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  2. From Mark Webber's twitter (http://twitter.com/AussieGrit):

    "Wow! New rules, not sure huh? Why do they keep dicking with it? Followed Mercedes power for the whole race, no chance to overtake - again about 4 hours ago via web"

    I think he is saying what we are all thinking.

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  3. Agreed, it was fairly dull, but it still held my interest fairly well.

    I also agree AC that the track design, doesn't help overtaking, however, the bigger problem is the over-relience on aero-downforce, @ the expense of mechanical grip, and the resulting loss of traction!

    regards,

    Slowflow

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  4. thats a good video review of the race AO...Thank you! looking forward to more.. :)

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  5. No specific blame and every season will have its share of dull races. I found it interesting but obviously not exciting.

    And you're quite right. Tyres (English/Aussie spelling:-) were too good but thats an easy fix.

    New mid section of the track was an chasers aero nightmare.

    If the class B cars can go a little further they'll be loads of entertainment and with track by track idiosycracies the front guys will chop and change.

    I'll be in Melbourne in a fortnight. Can't wait!

    Stig

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  6. didnt think it was as bad as everyone suggests.

    im still glad that refuelling has gone. In that respect i believe the fundementals are there for good fights.

    I think if people blame refuelling ban alone they have missed the point entirely.

    the problem seems to be the tyres and the need to preserve the car (engine gearbox etc) over course of a few races.

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  7. I've never fast-forwarded through a Grand Prix until this weekend's Bahrain race. It seems Qualifying is the more interesting aspect of F1 than the actual races these days, but even that was tough to get excited about as the front-runners in Q2 and Q3 waited until the last minute to give it a go. Literally the last minute in Q3.. only 1 lap.

    Lame!

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  8. It was a pretty boring race. But I agree with Fez, I don't blame the refueling ban. The biggest problem is definitely with the stupid tire regulation, and with aero dependence. They know that aerodynamics dominate the sport and make it boring... they change rules to make it less so... and then they allow things like the double diffuser and mclaren's wing duct when they're challenged, directly contradicting the direction they're taking with aero regulation. It is a sport run by morons.

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  9. For what it was worth - I enjoyed watching Vettel at least try to maintain his positions after his engine started to go. Otherwise, the track was very boring to stare at - hopefully things will pick up at other tracks and we will seem improvement in the weaker teams - though that doesn't seem to happen much in F1 these days.

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  10. I would point out there was not that much passing in the Porsche Supercup race at Sakhir....

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  11. And what's up with the new section they added. I'm not sure which consulting group responded in the affirmative that the silly twisty slow section would improve the show by allowing more passing, but I could have told them the truth for free. Maybe next year they can add an autocross section instead and that might shuffle the other a bit. Or maybe a wet skidpad section that you have to do 3 laps around.

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  12. "I would point to the track design and to the half hearted "for the show" tire rule."

    It's always been my contention that if a racing series needs artificial gimmicks like the tire rule, then there's something fundamentally wrong with the series to begin with. I don't give a monkey's for all this "pinnacle of motorsport" blather; you get closer racing and more passing at a World of Outlaws race, and those cars are barely more sophisticated than lawnmowers. F1 is all too often a technology parade, with any passing happening more or less accidentally, and the Bahrain race was no different. A few more like that and I'm checking out of F1.

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  13. 1) diffusers
    2) mickey mouse circuits
    3) attention deficit disorder

    nuff said

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  14. On second thought . . .

    F1 has never, ever, ever had the sort of passing that excites the average NASCAR or World of Outlaws fan. Such comparisons are based upon truly flawed expectations.

    That said, I fear that we've become so impatient that one race . . . staged as mentioned on a sterile, barren circuit containing a mickey mouse addition so futile that bicycles would have trouble passing each other on . . . threatens to destroy a great sport.

    I think the refueling ban is the best thing that has happened to F1 in years, but IMHO the constant, endless tinkering with the rules is killing the endeavor.

    I also contend that had Vettel's engine not let him down, we'd have seen an on track wheel to wheel fight in the closing stages. Alonso was clearly pacing himself and had started to reel him in before the meltdown.

    At any rate, I guess I'm an F1 fan and not a Racin' fan, because I did not think it was that awful and I certainly could care less about World of Outlaws no matter how many passes they have.

    Cheers

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  15. "I've never fast-forwarded through a Grand Prix until this weekend's Bahrain race."

    Really? How about when Schumacher dominated every race and was winning consistently. Those races were fast forward worthy, not this past weekends Bahrain GP... IMO :)

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  16. My immediate fix would be allowing only super softs for tons of grip, these tires would also wear quickly meaning multiple stops, the brave and talented could be rewarded by hanging onto a worn set of tires at key moments.

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  17. @Anonymous, I didn't have DVR back then!

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