Being still a young man at 20, I feel disappointed knowing I missed golden eras of Formula One history. Moments such as the amazing James Hunt and Niki Lauda rivalry of the 1970s as well as the intensely heated Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna debacle of the late 1980s and early ’90s.
I came to fall in love with the sport at the time the Michael Schumacher dynasty was ending (around 2003-04) and there was great excitement around the sport.
Young guns, and future world champions, like Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikonnen and fan favourite Aussie Mark Webber were really coming up through the ranks and beginning to challenge the unbeatable Ferraris for the crown.
In the coming years the Formula One calendar continued to thrive as tight battles at the top, new young champions and some truly fantastic driving saw chief executive Bernie Eccleston licking his lips and counting his dollars. As a fan I simply couldn’t miss a race.
Then came the 2010 Formula One season. Now I don’t berate this season because it was low quality or boring, quite the contrary. It was certainly one of the best seasons I can remember, however the result of the season is what kick started Formula One’s steady decline of interest in the product.
An incredibly enthralling season saw five drivers trade victories throughout, with an aura of unpredictability and unknowing surrounding the finish of every of the 19 races. Coming into the season-ender in Abu Dhabi it seemed like it had been narrowed down to two realistic chances in Alonso and Webber.
However poor pit strategy and an inability to make easy work of back markers and slower pack drivers saw both of them slugging it out in the middle of the standings around 10 and 11 to eventually finish in seventh and eighth respectively.
These series of events led to unexpected young ace Sebastian Vettel cruising home in first place and stealing the championship from previously third spot before the event. This victory brought about a scarily similar situation to the aforementioned Schumacher dynasty.
A cocky German driver with stacks of ability going on a hot streak of consecutive championships while creating a lot of heat among the drivers for burying teammates with forced team orders and a general selfishness.
Much like his compatriot’s run of titles between 2000-04, Vettel’s four in a row from 2010 to 2013 saw a massive decline in racing competition as the Red Bull team kept winning. It meant they earned more money, meaning they would improve their car, meaning they would keep winning. And the cycle continues.
It became less of a need, or want, to watch each race as the result was really a forgone conclusion. Seeing the same result over and over again for years on end is certainly one way to break this fan’s spirit.
It would take a massive overhaul of car regulations and some rule changes to knock the young German off his perch, however it seems it has just given rise to another team to run the championship.
The dominance and pure speed of the Mercedes over the past two seasons have given me little hope that the days of predictable results and single team supremacy are over. In saying that at least in this case one driver hasn’t buried the other into the dirt, as Webber was under Vettel, and it is closer to being a two-horse race.
The championship picture just consists of Nico Rosberg versus Lewis Hamilton, then a few other top drivers vie for the other podium as the bottom dwellers fight out for an inch of pride.
As a real fan of the sport I truly want to get behind each event and cheer on my favourite drivers but I’ve just found myself struggling to muster up the energy to find any interest in the majority of the season.
As mentioned, the results are already known and the races have no excitement to them. The two Mercs simply race out to the front and stay there the whole race; the most excitement comes from the mid-range cars battling to score a point and a top 10 finish.
One issue that continues to rear its head among racing fans is certainly the amount of races within the Formula One calendar. With an increased 21 races expected for next season the problem will only continue as fans become bored due to overexposure and a lack of importance for each race. After all, there are another 20 that can be watched.
Bundle this with the insanely monumental (excuse the hyperbole) gap between the top teams and the lower teams, who are struggling to not only keep up on the track but to stay in the sport all together, and you have a championship that is struggling
With TV viewership dipping dramatically over the past five years and a decrease in crowd attendance at most events bar the major Grand Prixs like Monaco and Spa, the issues are beginning to snowball for Eccleston and Formula One.
PS: Being an Aussie I do pardon the extreme bias in the Webber-Vettel saga.
Andrew Rollason
Guest
Foxtel costs A$725 per year to see Formula One. In 1988 you could see 16 races for free on terrestrial TV. If that barrier to entry is repeated across the world, lots of people who used to be able to see it for free, now can not. Germany which used to have free-to-air during the reign of Schumacher as champion now does not and deservedly, ratings have fallen off the cliff. F1 is killing the goose that laid the golden egg willingly. People to own the sport are driving it into the ground; I hope they crash and burn,
Amysterypenguin
Guest
Michael, the other day I went through races from 1982 to 2013 to see how many different race winners there were per season. I picked 1982 as the starting point as Keke Rosberg won the title in a car that wasn't top of the Constructors Championship. Arbitrary but it felt right :) The 1982 season had 11 different race winners. From 1982 to 2013, I added the number of different winners per season together (174) and divided by the number of seasons in total (32). You end up with an average of 5.44 different winners per season from 1982 to 2013. If you wish to go with F1 in the modern points scoring era and the Red Bull dominant period, between 2003 and 2013, the total reads 61/11 seasons = 5.45 The post Senna/Ferrari dominant period from 1995 to 2002 reads 38/8 = an average of 4.75 different race winners per season in that period. Only once in the 1982-2013 period was there a season with three race winners (1988 where the Prost-Senna McLarens dominated and would have nailed every race that season had it not been for Jean-Louis Schlesser and Senna's misjudgement). Even in the 2001 and 2002 seasons where Ferrari dominated, you had 5 and 4 different race winners respectively. 1988 had a fierce rivalry between two of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. Hamilton versus Britney is not the same. In 2014, we had three race winners. Thus far in 2015 we have three different race winners. I think the average is easy to work out there. Statistically it is reasonable to say that we have had a far lower average number of different race winners in the last two years then we have had in many a year. And from a purely personal point of view, it's the most boring season I can remember, and my first F1 memory was being very happy as a kid watching Elio De Angelis win at San Marino in 1985. I shall probably ignore Russia this week and indulge in the Bathurst 1000 followed by the WEC.
Bradley Jurd
Roar Rookie
Valid points in the article. The spending/domination in motorsports is frustrating as fan, but I compare it to English football and the Premier League. You know the richest teams are going to win the Premier League, such as Manchester City and Chelsea. But there are upsets and drama throughout the season that makes the season exciting. Yet in the end it's who you'd think would win. You'll see upsets throughout the 2015 season in F1, but in the end it'll be Mercedes winning.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Guys, we need to stop looking at F1 with rose-tinted glasses. Ayrton Senna's days, the ones we seem to look back to most often, is a prime example of domination. Even excusing 1989, when McLaren's dominance was akin to that of Mercedes today, pick a random sample of races in 80s and check the margin. When some cars finished — and I emphasise *when*, since reliability meant there was very rarely much racing at all given most cars retired — the margin was often measured in minutes and laps rather than seconds. Maybe there was more wheel to wheel racing when the stars happened to align to bring rampant car performance discrepancies back into reasonable territory, but that has more to do with aerodynamics, which was largely absent back in the day, whereas now it's a deciding performance aspect. The show is far from perfect, this is definitely true, and Formula One needs to do something to promote organic racing, but one day we'll look back on the 2000s as fondly as are some other distant past and reminisce about the arrival of Vettel, the resurgence of McLaren, and the first races of Max Verstappen. I do think there's something to be said about the calendar length, though. For the same reason that most people agree a race weekend should feature just one grand prix event on the Sunday rather than multiple races, fewer races in a year does make each race feel more valuable, agreed.
Not convinced
Guest
While I can only boast of watching F1 for some 30 years I wholeheartedly agree with you Robert. F1 has become artificial with interviews sounding like corporate presentations. It is sterile and dull and all too PC. The racing is the same, dictated by external factors rather than the size of the "cohones" of the drivers. Preserve this, monitor that, reset, reboot. That isn't racing, that's playing your xbox!
Not convinced
Guest
Very good point and one I've also made. The current development restrictions helped create the issues between Red Bull and Renault. Had Renault been able to develop their engine freely to catch up and provide incremental improvements then the relationship may have survived. Sure, Mercedes and Ferrari would have continued to develop their engines as well but isn't that the point of F1, continuous development? I think costs would have been better controlled if they'd stayed with the pre-turbo cars, by now the smaller teams would be more competitive and there wouldn't have been all the money thrown at the development of the new power units which has widened the gap between the haves and the have nots.
Connor Bennett
Editor
Ah since the days of Fangio, Ascari and Farina! Yes I agree in terms of coverage and presentation it's a very clean well structured product especially comparing to previous eras but it's just a pitty the racing quality is what it is. Tyres, engines, DRS, fuel, Ecclestone. Well said Robert, well said
Robert Peter Cook
Guest
I have been an avid "Fan" of Formula One since 1951, yes 1951! Without being Smug, if you (and I) really think what is dished up as Formula One is good racing, then you have missed an awful lot. It is clinical, well presented compared to the "muddy/oily" pits of yesteryear. However, can it really be called the Epitome of track racing? Tyre manufacturers having to make degradable tyres for certain number of laps. No full-power from the engines until a certain number of laps have been completed (D.R.S.). Limited engine revolutions!! Fuel consumption is limited as well as being adjusted from the pit computer.-This Formula One NOT the old, (for those who remember), "Mobil Economy Run". Well that is my opinion or "rant"-please yourselves. "Super gnome" Ecclestone has ruined the Formula from the actual RACING point of view and done "very nicely, thankyou," out of it.
Not convinced
Guest
It certainly would be if you could watch it, which most can't so your point is moot.
Connor Bennett
Editor
The Azerbaijan decision still has me bemused and confused and i think it will take until the whole thing is removed for me to stop feeling that way. Just another Bernie cash grab that's hurting the championship
Connor Bennett
Editor
I definitely agree that the lack of access to WEC in terms of TV hurts the competition and will only keep the F1 ahead of it but as Andrew said it is definitely a strong alternative for racing fans to get behind
Not convinced
Guest
The emergence of WEC might be a great thing but matters nought unless you have pay tv. Which, as I've argued consistently is simply not value for money. So, while I'd probably enjoy the WEC I'll never really get to know it and they'll never really get to have me as a supporter because I'll never get to see it. The simple fact is that by sticking to pay tv, sports will always cater for the minority and miss out on true growth in support for the sake of money. Little tit-bits of highlights won't convince the masses to part with their cash either.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
The regulations on the new hybrid power-units shouldn't have been as strict as they are, not at least until 2016 when everyone's on parity in terms of development. Considering their complexity and infancy, there should have been more relaxed regulations for everyone to have equal footing - leaving the rest down to chassis development. But no. Everyone in their mad desires for cutting costs made a grievous oversight in that, hey instead of putting in ridiculous grid penalties for component changes (which looking at Honda and Renault) which is quite costly, let's instead put that money towards testing. Make those power-units bulletproof. Certainly if Bernie's 'bombshell' about CVC potentially selling up at the end of the year is true, you'd hope the new commercial rights holder would wipe the slate clean and work more so in conjunction with the FIA - for a more stable sport; financially and in competition.
Alexander Clough
Roar Pro
Yep, they've got futuristic cars with a prehistoric driver in Bernie. Just look at Azerbaijan, I can't even comprehend how that got on the calendar - oh wait, I see a brown envelope.
Alexander Clough
Roar Pro
It's certainly on a downward trend and it's difficult to see a way out. Most of the race's excitement comes from pit strategy and tyre management - which is really off-putting to the casual viewer who don't know the technical aspects and watch for "pure racing". Some people are saying to standardise each car so we can find the best driver, but that discounts the whole point of Formula 1 and the whole reason car manufacturers get involved - which is to pursue technological advancements. However, I'd like to see some lee-way in regards to tires with Bridgestone brought on board to bring about some more competition. But first, we've got to get Bernie out - which fortunately he sounds like he's doing.
Jeff
Guest
I have 30 years of visiting races behind me and I'm slowly switching off as well. The loss of free to air is a big factor, but also the inability of the sport spot the issues. Bernie chases the bucks from countries with money but no passion for the sport. The engine development rules are killing the sport also as we speak. Companies like Honda are penalised for entering the sport. With no change there will only be two teams capable of winning , Ferrari and Mercedes. The only reason traditional tracks have become non viable is Bernie's fees. Less money for CVC and BE, more money for the teams and tracks.Less constricting rules and more broadcasting options. Time for live streaming.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
The emergence of WEC hasn't helped F1's cause. Just as much factory support, more cars, incredible racing, and visiting sites that Formula One don't always.
Toji
Guest
I've loved and followed F1 since 1995, rarely missing a race, but even I can sympathise with this article. To me, the two biggest killers of the sport have been tyres and DRS. The driver standard is phenomenal and the aero packages get better and better. The traditional racing tracks still have their romance. But the race craft is almost gone because of tyre degradation (and lack of competition) and the artificial promotion of cars through a pack because of DRS zones. The coverage supplied by Sky worldwide is also a bit too 'vanilla' nowadays, I switch straight to the red button on Fox as soon as the first lap is negotiated. My recommendation would be to a) eliminate mapping of the engine for race scenarios b) re-introduce bridgestone and reduce tyre options to slick/inter/wet c) eliminate DRS (it's not real overtaking anyway)