Overtaking and Formula 1 - admit it, it's essentially broken

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I fell asleep several times... After 'the most glamorous race of the F1 season', I think I've had it with Formula 1 - Monaco may be the most glitzy circuit, but it's totally artificial and even a much faster car, with the aid of DRS, still can't get past a slower car because the city track if just too narrow. What IS the point?

If you can't actually race properly, then what IS the point?


Race after race, in fact, you hear the commentators saying 'Of course, it's hard to overtake on this track'. The whole DRS (Drag Reduction System) technology was designed to make passing easier, and it works on most tracks, but it's not exactly a racing overtake is it? I mean, the number of times car A passes car B, which then is 'within the 1s window' and has DRS to enable it to pass car A again.

I can count the number of genuine overtaking moves between the top cars in each season on the fingers of one hand. And that's not enough for 9 months of 'racing'.

For 2017, they even made the cars wider (for some reason) - why not make them 30% narrower, so that there's room on corners for more overtaking to happen? They'd be slower too (less downforce from the wings), and that would also help.

As ever, though the FIA is more about making money and TV rights and never mind keeping a sport a... you know, sport.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Totally agree with you. Especially making the cars thinner so there can be more overtaking! But twas ever thus - except, this Sunday my mum came round for dinner and we watched the grand prix. I watched all the grand prixs as a kid - there was a vibe about it. Her comment - that's it's got boring - echoes your thoughts. And I must admit I've only a passing interest now too. How did the wheels come off? Murray Walker and James Hunt were the wheels then. And BBC. How times change.
8:12 PM
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