F1 bigwigs worry at ‘random’ results
Even if Formula One fans are revelling in the joy of an unprecedented six different winners from six races, some of those closer to the action are beginning to feel uneasy.
Before Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber won from pole position in Monaco on Sunday, retired triple champion Niki Lauda was expressing the view that the championship might be becoming too random.
"It was very interesting in the beginning, we all were surprised," the Austrian, who chased the title in 1983 when the first five races had five different winners, told Reuters of the unpredictable nature of the races.
"But if this continues...then we will lose spectators or interest because the main public wants to see the world champions winning.
"We need two races with known winners and then the crazy stuff can start again."
The only problem with Lauda's logic is that there remain three champions on the starting grid who have yet to win this season - McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen and Mercedes' Michael Schumacher.
If they were to win the next three races in Canada, Valencia and Silverstone - not an impossible scenario given the potential of their cars - the sport would be staring at a sequence of nine different winners in nine races, albeit mostly champions.
The 'crazy stuff' has not even been that crazy in a season that started with six champions.
Nico Rosberg has taken a long overdue first win with Mercedes - at the 111th attempt - while Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado put former champions Williams back on top for the first time in nearly eight years.
Yes, Maldonado may have been a 500-1 bet before Barcelona but he was on the pace all weekend at a circuit that the teams know better than any other.
France's Romain Grosjean and Mexican Sergio Perez have made first appearances on the podium for Lotus and Sauber but their teams have considerable form and both are recognised as being quick drivers.
The uncertainty has been largely due to the Pirelli tyres, and how teams and drivers have got the most out of them, but errors have also contributed.
Maldonado might not have won in Spain had McLaren not messed up with Lewis Hamilton's fuel, sending him from pole to the back of the field.
Monaco might have been a very different story had seven times champion Schumacher not lost pole because of a five place penalty carried over from Barcelona where he had crashed into Bruno Senna's Williams.
"I think it's an enthralling sport at the moment," said McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh.
"A few years ago people were talking about processional races, and the fact they were so predictable, well, we certainly haven't a predictable season. I think an unpredictable race and an unpredictable season is what fans want."
"You want to go to each event not knowing who is going to win," added the Briton. "You want to go through the course of the weekend not sure what is going to happen in each session. Every one of our races this year has been very exciting."
McLaren's Jenson Button, winner of the opening race in Australia, agreed but suggested the sport could have too much of a good thing.
"Everyone is excited about so many different winners, which initially was great for the fans and great for the sport," the 2009 champion told reporters after failing to finish in Monaco.
"But there will be a time when the fans will say 'So anyone can win a grand prix, everyone can lose a grand prix like that'," he added, snapping his fingers.
"I think they're finding it a little bit strange now. I don't know, but hopefully a pattern will emerge after the next couple of races and we'll understand the teams and drivers we need to beat to win the championship."
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re probablygraham #10: i also agree with schuey, more common in my own case, about the tyre conservation which has become the norm this season, and i would love to see the drivers going flat out from lights to flag but still keeping this year's level of unpredictability about who would be fastest each time out and as many in title contention as possible. it probably won't, probably can't, happen like that but there's nothing to stop us wishing.
Only two things are certain in life - Taxes and death.
Agree RS and its time the big wigs did something about the WRC as I gave up watching it years ago because of Loeb domination and the uglier smaller cars.
I really like how unpredictable F1 has been this season. It's normal for fans to want their favorite drivers to win or at least do well, but the racing has been very exciting--more exciting this season so far. The advertisers, who sponsor teams, probably don't like the unpredictability, but it's rejuvenated F1.
i agree that qualifyings almost redundant this season,i think instead of handing out grid positions they should drag race to a holt,climb out and choose and stand by the tyres they want,that would be funny.f1 needed a shake up,thats what it got,maybe its to much like what evry1 wanted.but no1 can say its a bad thing because its bloody good tv at the moment.come on jenson
I am a mclaren, and Lewis Hamilton fan, But i will say its a pity lewis hasn't made it into the top two places yet. But it is a good championship having so many different winners. F1 was getting boring having the same driver or team winning every race. At least now you can't predict how the season will be, and its nice to see how many of the teams now have a car as strong as the usual top teams have had for the last few years. Come on lewis get back where you belong, On the podium. You can do it . .
What bothers me is that the outcome of this "unpredictable winners" are mostly due to the Pirelli Tyres. The tyres issue takes away the pure logic of racing, fastest car + fastest driver = win. That was the case last year with Vettel and Red Bull, with one team setting the benchmark and the other contending teams have to play catch up, as an expectator you anticipate who will challenge Vettel and Red Bull the next race, you have that certain curiosity or anxiety. As for the sports media they have the luxury of hyping up the grand prix with "Who can beat Vettel?" last year, and that was good for the sport. Now its all about who can race better with their tyres? and its becoming too predictable with how the race was lost or won. My suggestion, have two Tyre manufacturers going against each other, like the way they did with Bridgestone and Michellin, and it will all be better again for F1 because then the F1 teams can concentrate on developing the best car with the best driver. Just PURE racing as it should.
I posted a reply to no 15 Yahoo, when there was only 15 posts....where is it?
I feel like ranting on about the tyres giving artificial 'racing' results...but that's already been covered by 100's of comments recently. But, what I will say, after watching F1 for over 30 years...I have found myself not being bothered about watching the qualifying for the last 2 or 3 races. Maybe in the same way some of the drivers/teams can't be bothered to take part in Q3...the whole qualifying hour seems slightly irrelevant as the season goes on.
Screw Lauda. I love the unpredictability. It makes the races more interesting. We have no idea who's going to win the next race and that's the way it should be.
I'm a very reluctant convert, but I have to finally give Alonso the respect he deserves. This year at least, he is just the best. I actually like seeing someone outperform the potential of their car a bit like Michael did back in the late 90's and early 2000's That's the mark of a true champion - not someone who drives a dominant car home to routine wins. I respect Button more for his wins last year than I did for his cruise to the 2009 championship......
Brilliant format, keep it going as it is but only one man has the skill to stay ahead and keep out of trouble.Roll on Montreal.
This is the most exciting season I can remember. Only execs. would want predictability.
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We all know that Vettel and Hamilton are the two best drivers on the grid and they should be fighting it out up at the front somewhere, not lagging in the middle because they can't get the flipping tyres to the exact degree of temperature to make them most effective.I'm a big F1 fan but even I am getting a bit fed up not seeing my boys challenging. Monaco was a terrible "race" by the way!
This is why i like Alonso as a thinking driver, althou I am a Hamilton fan I do like Alonso for his constant thinking in a race. The very last paragraph in the above statement , I think Button was mentioning that the fans are finding it strange now with all these different drivers winning, saying that a pattern will emerge after the next few races and we will know what teams to beat to win the championship..........Quote " I think they're finding it a little bit strange now. I don't know, but hopefully a pattern will emerge after the next couple of races and we'll understand the teams and drivers we need to beat to win the championship." After watching the Monaco Grand Prix last week, interviews with Alonso, he was already talking about who ever is ahead or close to him he is racing, if it's Hamilton then we're racing him if it's Vettel the same. That kinda consistency and thinking is what I like about Alonso as a driver. He was thinking like that ages ago. That's why he is Great, and will always have my respect not only being the best all round driver.
I will agree that the racing is getting a bit interesting as its not blatantly obvious who is going to win but to make it really interesting why can’t they actually run F1 like a sport……..and not a bloody business!!!!
This is what is making F1 exciting not knowing who is going to win does anybody want to go back to the days when Schumacher was always winning this is why apart from his cheating why F1 lost a lot of support it got so boring It was getting that way again when Vettel was on pole and winning race after race but now it is exciting again this season so far has been a breath of fresh air long may it last.
Yes - it's good to see that races aren't so predictable any more, but no - this isn't F1. At the moment you might as well give the teams lottery tickets for the tyre allocation. I agree with Schumacher (which I very rarely do) that F1 racing cannot be all about nursing a set of tyres home to the finish.
What he's really saying is the major sponsors want the cars displaying their adverts to win. I can't imagine many true fans are objecting to the situation and the great racing.
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