CanuckGT4

It just deters people from following the sport more than anything else with these arbitrary decisions and lack of accountability. F1 loss.

Speed2k

Nah, once people watch Drive to Survive there will be tons of new fans, intrigued by the drama that unfolded and excited for things to come next season.

911boy

^ probably right. Its a shame for long time followers IMO.

928gt

Well - the sport has indeed turned toward entertainment. We need celebrities... lots of celebrities. Let's make the barge boards from metal so that there are sparks. Let's make the exhausts louder on purpose because the cars were quieter when we switched to the V6 turbo engines. Let's make a Netflix series. Let's drive in countries where there is no interest in motorsports, and in other countries where women can't go out without a burka, alcohol is prohibited and being gay lands you in prison or worse - where we very obviously don't "race as one", but we'll conveniently brush that aside when it suits us. Let's race on tracks that are either so boring or so dangerous that most sane people wouldn't ride a bicycle on. Let's do whatever we can to maximize the entertainment and the profits... and if and when it comes at the expense of the sport itself (like it just did), we'll err on the side of entertainment.

I've been an avid F1 follower for the last 40 years, but with this last fiasco they've finally lost me. If you want to watch some really good racing, give the Mazda MX5 Cup on IMSA a try. F1 has become the WWE of motorsports.

pfitzsim

+1 - nailed it.

moab

What you say may be mostly true but I'm sure if you told that to the F1 brass, they would say thank you for your time but we'll gladly take the two dozen or so new fans that will replace each old timer like you that moves on. That's the cycle of a business that pivots with the times. Not saying it's right, but it is what it is.

928gt

You are 100% correct. I have about a dozen clients and colleagues that until now have been completely clueless when it comes to F1 and motor sports in general, but now that they have seen "Drive to Survive" on Netflix, they're all "fans" and eager to chat about it. We now have Formula E which is essentially a live video game, with Fanboost where fans vote for their favourite driver via social media channels to give them an extra power boost, and Attack Mode where drivers get extra power after driving through a specific area on the track off the racing line. Most mainstream car companies have also recognized that this is the only thing that captures the attention of the millenials and have pivoted in that direction. The car ads and the cars themselves are no longer about performance, features or capabilities - they are all about the entertainment so your friends can stream their Spotify playlist through the car stereo with a synchronized interior light show while broadcasting the same on their Facebook / Instagram page. F1 / Liberty Media is no exception.

RonnyC

F1 will be more popular next year, no loss at all.

theiceman

been following F1 since well before Villeneuve days... and have fan boys now who watched drive to survive, try to tell me about f1 and tell me the intricacies of "qualli"

iammacey

I have no issue with fans coming to the sport from Drive to Survive. I have had the opportunity to discuss F1 with people that would have never been interested prior. That's good for the sport. And they can be as deep into the sport as they would like, doesn't bother me. I can adjust when discussing it with the type of details they know and understand.

The problem I have is when the FIA makes decisions, changes the rules, or attempts to enhance the drama because they are influenced by this growing exposure.

It's no question the drivers wanted the lapped cars waved by, they want to end under green, and you could hear it in the team radios across the various teams. What's also apparent across all those team radios is just how confusing Masi made the entire situation, how he rushed the decision, and that the decision to modify the safety car rules impacted drivers and teams beyond HAM.

maximusbibicus

Well said. But I'll still watch.

Torontoworker

The problem we have today is that F1 has allowed lawyers into the mix to parse the rule book as if it were a divorce agreement. The rule book was always meant as a guide in racing. It's why in most forms of racing we have what are called 'supplemental meet' rules that can be specific to the event or just one series out of several running at a track that weekend. The motorsports rules were never intended to end up in a court of law. This is where the FIA have gotten it wrong.

You have to have ONE person in control. He or she has the safety of the event on their shoulders. Nothing else is more important - not some companies planned marketing bonanza when and if they win nor hurt egos when they lose. You cannot have a committee running events. You cannot have the inmates yelling and screaming. The only reason we have these narcissists yelling and screaming is the money involved. In other series the race directors can and do alter rules based upon situations that are new to them or would affect the good standing of the series. NASCAR was the first to allow this and they also have a 'no appeal' rule for these types of decisions. IndyCar (pick the era) also have draconian rules that govern protests. In today's 'franchise' racing world - if you bring a lawyer to the race you may as well pack up and sell your team. Racing is a business now and this weird hybrid model of F1 where they try to 'portray' themselves as a 'sport' all the while having sold off the commercial rights for 99 years to corporations is just so ridiculous.
The FIA doesn't know what it is. Is it a human rights organization? Is it a world wide public road safety group? They remind me of the SCCA of the 80's that didn't know what they were when running a Pro Racing division that did not answer to the amateur members of the club until there was almost a membership meltdown.

I don't know what plans the new President of the FIA has for the over all direction of the organization or more specifically, for F1. What we have now isn't working. It worked under Bernie and Max (no - the other Max for you youngish members) whom would read the riot act to team owners that were out of control. Its too late for that - I believe only Liberty has the power to alter F1 away from the major manufacturers control and back to series administrators.

There was a good reason EVERYONE in F1 feared Toto in charge of F1 and why all of F1 breathed a sigh of relief when Ferrari opted to use their contracted option to say no. I don't know if Stefano Domenicali can control these team principals or not - so far he hasn't shown shown his hand - although Ross Brawn stated that time may be coming after this season. Its time that the Zac Brown's, Stroll's, Mr Spice Girl and the Austrian Wolf were told that if they don't like it in F1 - there is the exit. -----> It is the ONLY way to run a business.

928gt

That is complete and utter hogwash. The rule book in any sport is written by lawyers, and it is supposed to be unambiguous. It is not a guide by definition - it is THE LAW regarding said sport where every single little detail is defined and codified. Name one sport where the rules are a "guide" and open to interpretation please.

This is a bunch of non-sequitur nonsense. First of all, safety never has been the primary concern at F1 races, and it still isn't. Second - the competitors and teams are inmates? Really? Third - you are confusing the owners of the media rights (Liberty Media and Bernie before than) with the sanctioning body (FIA). Fourth - as for the money and marketing bonanza, that is exactly what F1 is about and has been all along. Fifth - no race director in any racing series or for that matter a referee in any other sport has ever been allowed to alter the rules. Sixth - the rules themselves are written by lawyers, and every single team has plenty of them on their staff. Lastly - every single professional sport is a business. It's no different from the NHL, NFL or the NBA.

The president of the FIA dances to whatever tune the teams and in turn Liberty Media are playing. He is powerless just like the FIA itself, in the same way that Max (yes, Mosley - who BTW was also a lawyer) was powerless and was promptly removed when he thought he could write the rules. If you don't recall, in early 2008 Max announced that he wanted to implement thorough reforms and budget capping, and - quelle surprise - two months later the "****" sex tapes surfaced. The teams didn't like what Max was proposing, and Bernie - who knew exactly how he earns his bread - left Max out to dry despite his personal friendship with him. Max tried to fight (even won a vote of confidence at the FIA) only to have the F1 teams form FOTA the following year and threaten to leave the FIA and start their own breakaway series year because they didn't like Max's proposed rule changes. The FIA immediately succumbed to the pressure, forced Max to "retire", and promptly singed the 2009 Concorde Agreement. To use your analogy, that would be the inmates replacing the Minister of Justice because they didn't like the proposed new laws, with the president immediately realizing that he would be next and fully siding with them. I think you may have things a little backwards here - you can read about the FIA-FOTA dispute at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIA%E2%80%93FOTA_dispute and see who really holds the power.

LOL. Toto now has more power over F1 than any other team ever has... much more than Ferrari ever did. Do you not realize just how much money have had to be paid and what concessions have had to be made collectively by the FIA, Liberty Media and the rest of the teams together in order for Toto (and Lewis) to basically take one for the good of the sport? Mercedes F1 had the power to drag the FIA and with it the entire sport through the mud and complete disrepute. Toto is an astute businessman that was worth ~$1bn last year and is furthermore the owner of the winningest F1 team ever in history. What do you think is the price they had to pay Toto to not formally appeal the decision before the courts which he would have easily won? What do you think is the price they had to pay Lewis so that he would not insinuate that racial bias surfaced its ugly head yet again to rob him of the championship? I'm afraid you have it backwards my friend - it is Toto that now holds more power over F1 than any one person before him ever has.

Torontoworker

Ok, I'm not going to argue with you. You've obviously worked in many race control centers and pertty much know everything there is to know.

Zookie

They should have Red Flagged the race for the last 2-3 Laps - it doesnt matter its done - I was there and it was a magical time - People were crying, laughing, screaming, confused, not believing what they saw, happy and sad!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWkbTNvHxs/