This is not an issue regarding unsportsmanlike or unsafe conduct at McLaren. It is not a deliberate ploy by the FIA to help Ferrari. It's not a matter of how McLaren or BMW timed their flying laps. And it has nothing to do with Nick Heidfeld complaining too much.
No, my friends. Bernie Ecclestone and his capitalistic policies are to blame. But let us trace the path of responsibility, starting from McLaren.
McLaren (and most others) have to do a slow in-lap, because it is the best way to handle Article 29.1 in the F1 rulebook: "Fuel may not be added to nor removed from any car eligible to take part in Q3 between the start of Q3 and the start of the race." The challenge to each team in Q3 is how to qualify with as little fuel as possible, while leaving enough fuel to maximize the length of the first stint in the race (since it is generally advantageous to go longer than one's rivals). Once a driver has completed a flying lap, there is no point in burning any more fuel than necessary, since it is better to have more fuel on board, in order to go the longest distance possible during the first part of the race. Why not just put more fuel in the car, so that the driver can have a quicker in-lap? Because then the car would be heavier for the flying lap. See the problem?
Why are the qualifying rules like this? The rules give the teams the option of starting on pole with a very light car, or starting further back with a heavier car. In theory, this would make the races more unpredictable. When the races are unpredictable, more people are going to tune in to watch the race. When more people watch the race, the ratings go up, and the advertising spaces (be it on the race track, on television, or on the car) are more valuable. It is worthy to note that the original incarnation of the current qualifying format came in 2006, when Formula 1 was still trying to attract the television audience that had gotten bored with the six years of domination by Michael Schumacher.
So, McLaren had to slow down on this fateful day in Malaysia, because Bernie Ecclestone needed to add just a little bit more to his personal fortune, which exceeds the GDP of many countries.
Furthermore, I disagree with Formula 1's assumption that making the show more entertaining ultimately makes Formula 1 more valuable. What's actually happening is that Formula 1 is becoming less meaningful with each new rule geared towards appeasing the casual television viewer. A good example is the three-part qualifying procedure, which is supposed to generate advertising revenue on Saturday, but makes the qualifying results look jumbled, and leads any casual fan to wonder why Jenson Button is starting P11 even though he set the fastest lap. It forces the hardcore fan to explain to their friends what is going on, and it frustrates even the most avid followers to watch the last ten minutes knowing that the fastest driver/car may not get the pole, because of race strategies.
There is an Aesop fable that concludes with the moral, "Please all, and you will please none." Formula 1 is heading in a direction that will alienate its core fan base, who remember the golden years of the sport when drivers were brave and the cars captured the imagination. At the same time, it will attract casual fans who don't really care anyway (especially in developing countries that have no Formula 1 tradition), and eventually implode when it realizes it has no real, passionate support from anybody.
Ironically, at the same time Formula 1 is trying to make as much money as possible, it is also trying to cut costs. What better way to cut costs than to reduce the amount of money to work with? Formula 1 should not try to entertain everybody. It should nurture the core group of fans who really appreciate the history and the values that Formula 1 once stood for. Doing this would cause a decrease in advertising revenue, probably a decrease in team sponsorship. But it would force the teams to work with less money much more effectively than any budget cap or rule change ever could. And it would open the way towards more meaningful race results unfettered by any rules "prejudicial to the interests of any competition."
Having said all that, I think the current qualifying system is an insult to what pole position once stood for. So, I would like to take this opportunity to propose the following, more meaningful, if less entertaining, procedures:
- On Friday, drivers participate in a 3-hour practice session.
- On Saturday, there is another 3-hour practice session.
- Each driver may post a flying lap at any time during these two sessions. The grid is determined by each driver's best practice time.
- Qualifying/practice no longer televised. However, cameras are continuously rolling through the sessions. Footage from the six hours are edited and narrated overnight on Saturday into a 30-minute highlights program. This program is shown before the race.
4 comments:
I agree with you. Practice sessions would be maybe even longer, but I think that they could be shown in internet live.
Completely agree with you mate. I think the situation is made worse with the fact that Formula 1 has been sold to CVC. And unfortunately investors don't care about the real fans, only money. And just as they disposed MotoGP once they were done milking it, so it seems likely it will be done to Formula 1.
I still watch grand prix racing (its hard to let go) but I must say I feel far less passion about the sport than say even a couple of years ago, let alone a decade ago. And if I analyse the fundamental reasons for it, its because of the greed as you so put it. There's just too much of it these days. Way, way over the top.
That's a really good idea, Quklis. I wonder why they don't already stream video--they could even put advertising on it. It is worth mentioning, though, Formula 1 has historically been very slow to adopt the Internet---they did not have an official site until around 2002, even though I imagine most of its fans are tech-savvy and have Internet access. Maybe this is because Bernie is 77 years old and not as comfortable with computers as his target market.
Hello Qwerty. I think Bernie planted the seed of Formula 1's decline the moment he started viewing it as a for-profit enterprise. It does not make sense to me, why Formula 1 needs to expand indefinitely. (It does not even expand; there are fewer cars on the grid than ever, and they are technically less advanced than the cars in 1993.) The only explanation is self-serving greed. We still watch grand prix racing because we are excited about fast cars and always will; only separately, we are disgusted by the commercial exploitation of it. We can only be optimistic that the madness will stop someday.
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