Has your interest in Formula 1 at all declined?

[DNQ]

I'd like to hear you answer this question:
Has your interest in Formula 1 at all declined?

Over the last few seasons, my interest in Formula One has dropped dramatically. I no longer get nervous before a race start. I don't look forward to Grand Prixs as much. I find myself visiting the Champcar forum ahead of this one.

I want to know, have you in ANY lost interest in Formula 1, whether it be in the last week, last season, last decade, or since day one.

I will be interested to see the results of the pole.

[DNQ]

Also, can you please say specifically what it is you miss in modern day Formula One? For me I want to see privateers, I want to see great tracks. The competition up front doesn't even worry me too much. If a team wins every race, who cares, it has happened before.

I feel F1 has lost its character.

[cos]

I miss the anticipation of seeing who is actually going to win... now it seems to me just a formality, red cars one and two.

[badoer fan]

How many of these 'modern F1 is rubbish threads' are you going to post DNQ?

[Red]

Of course not. I'm eagerly waiting the next season.

[BootsOntheSide]

I want to see a variety of winners, real even (non-staged) racing (hopefully 2003 will bring this). My interest began to decine at Austria, and just got lower and lower as a succession of brilliant Montoya qualifying laps got snuffed out by a succession of Ferrari dominance displays.

[twig]

i think the exitement is wearing off, but my rising knowledge interest is counteracting that.

remember 2000, if we had that again, i would watch over and over, and get nervous.

Plus, before, when McLaren were winning and fighting, i was nervous/exited every lap, as for some reason, at times their reliability made their lead and position look superficial, so i was watching so bloody closely to make sure nothing screwed up.

Hopefully qualifying will be interesting, and odd grids will give a bit more passing.

Tom.

[garcon]

I think it's still as great as ever. But only if you're interested in what's going on off-track as much as what's on-track.

I've always followed F1, but have always been at least as interested in GTs, touring cars and rallying.

If anything, it's my interest in TOCA that's declined the most - something was lost at the end of Andy Rouse's RS500 days, and something more was lost after 98/99. I hope the interest returns, but Vauxhall (Vauxhall for Chrissake!) domination isn't my cup of tea...

Come to think of it, rallying doesn't seem the same as a few years ago. Or maybe that's just cos I'm a Scooby fan...

[kuchi]

It will never decline, no matter how boring F1 can be, is still the good old F1. Besides that, there's a little man from Colombia, my mother land, who makes me get up early in the morning and watch him race. Yes, I'm talking about JPM, my biggest interest in autosports.

I think that surprisingly, my interest in Formula1 has increased in the last few years, since a friend that know's much about the sport gave me wisdom(it sounded very Tolkiengly), so know I just can wait for the season to begin, 2003, it's going to be one fine year.

[Speedworx]

To be honest, my interest is as high as ever. There are 3 reasons for this:

1. Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren
2. Jenson Button
3. Silverstone, Monaco and Suzuka

[Speed]

My reasons:
1. Juan Pablo Montoya and Williams
2. Juan Pablo Montoya vs the rest
3. Juan Pablo Montoya winning WDC ! (or at least the best he could get with that Williams...)

[Maxmil]

My interest has waned for two main reasons. (1) It's no fun to watch the races any more due to Ferrari's dominance. (2) Since the advent of the Speed Channel coverage, I only get to watch four races anyway.

[R]

My interest has declined. 2002 was a joke, and I'm not referring to the Ferrari superiority here, because it's no crime to be good, but I'm referring to how they screwed up so many finishes. Hopefully they will have learned their lesson for 2003.

The "racing" is another factor. I can take boring races if we have a close fought championship. And I can take a runaway champion if we have close, exciting races. But I can't take both. Ferrari didn't only have the speed, they also had unparalleled reliability for TGF's car. 17 races, 17 podiums - completely unheard of until now. Hopefully, 2002 was the peak for Ferrari, and 2003 will be closer. I am worried though about the increased reliability, because it removes a factor of unpredictability which was there before, and was one of the reasons why I found Motor Racing fascinating in the first place. Anything could happen - and did! This doesn't seem to be the case anymore in F1, and a lot is lost if that continues to be the situation.

In 2002 we also saw the real Hockenheim circuit being substituted with a joke of a track not worthy of that great name, and we saw the announcement that Spa was off the calendar for next year. The loss of these two brilliant tracks also adds to the reasons why my interest is rapidly declining.

TGF's stranglehold of F1 needs to be released for my interest to improve again. Yes, I'm excited before the starts, but it's not like it used to be. TGF leading into the first corner means it's another race having been decided in the first few metres. I will still watch to see how Jacques and Juan Pablo will do, and to see if someone will end up in the points unexpectedly. We need more results like Mark Webber's 5th place in Australia and Taku's same in Japan. So I will continue to watch, but I do wish TGF would retire, go to another team or that Ferrari would be surpassed by at least one of the other teams. TGF in a car which is not the class of the field is entertaining (and a better environment for him to display his excellent skills too, IMO).

[Valve Bounce]

I tape the races now. As soon as SchM looks like dominating a race, I go to sleep. Next morning, if I find out he won the race, sometimes I don't even bother to watch the tape. I certainly won't watch te podium ceremony and the post race conference. Been there, seen it before.
I don't think this is a rubbish thread.

[Yoong Montoya]

Originally posted by Valve Bounce
I tape the races now. As soon as SchM looks like dominating a race, I go to sleep.

Well, I found Austria pretty boring apart from the safety car periods that didn't really affect the outcome. The director showed the Ferraris too much that time, and it's not the first time either.

[Mr V]

Dispite the dominance of Ferrari and TGF, i have to admit that my intrest hasn't decreased, i believe that (especially) Montoya and also Kimi can take the fight to TGF given the right equipment. For me, the most exciting part of this season was qualifying, seeing JPM put the Williams on pole when it really shouldn't have been there was brilliant. Because of his poles, i still get "butterflies" at the start of a race, plus being at Silverstone this year (as i am every year) when JPM stuck it on pole and the race, which was the best race of the year, plus the best Silverstone race for quite a few years kept up my belief in F1. I also enjoy it when the "underdogs" finish in the points, Webber at OZ, Sato in Japan and HH-F's 2 points finishes were good for F1.

[Lee Janotta]

I miss seeing exciting-looking, ridiculously fast cars, seeing the best drivers in the world compete on the world's best circuits, biting my nails as I was drivers battle tooth-and-nail for victory...

Basically, everything that made F1 great, I miss.

So my interest in F1 right now is on par with my interest in the price of cheese in Finland...

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Yoong Montoya
The director showed the Ferraris too much that time, and it's not the first time either.

This is another reason why F1 was more exciting for me.... having F1 digital this season, i didn't have to watch a Ferrari circulating on it's own at the front of the field.

[NME]

I unfortunately have to vote YES ... i love F1 and always will defend F1 against all odds, but to be honest for the first time in years i didnt bother to wake-up for the Suzuka race !

Some times during the season i just left after a couple of laps cause it is painful to watch a race with no story ... back in the end of the 80's when McLaren was the dominant force we had 2 drivers fighting every time but now we just have Schumacher Schumacher Schumacher ... ok ... and sometimes with the cortesy of MS they let RB win !

Nothing against Ferrari or MS ... but i would love to see some action.

[Sodemo]

Yes my interest has declined dramatically, there used to be a time when i refused to work during a grand prix, i would book the morning or afternoon off, but this year i found myself at work, though I could still watch the race as I worked in a club/bar.
But I have found myself missing qualifying etc, which i never used to do.

We need more cars, its as simple as that, 30 would be nice.

[Valve Bounce]

I never used to miss races on TV. Being in Oz, the races in the Americas invariably show at some ungodly hour - I would religiously set my alarm, get up and make a cup of coffee, and sit right through the race watch the telly. The races in Europe are screened anywhere between 11 pm and 2.30 am, and I never missed a single race.
I just can't be bothered staying up for a Ferrari led procession these days, and as soon as it looks that way with the rest of the field more than 10 seconds behind and drifting further, I'm off to bed. If I stayed up, I'd fall asleep on the sofa anyway.

[DNQ]

Originally posted by badoer fan
How many of these 'modern F1 is rubbish threads' are you going to post DNQ?

Within reason, as many as I feel like. I am not going to hide the fact that I am very disgruntled with the way Formula One is. I still watch it, and I still follow it, but my passion for the modern day sport has declined.

Champcars, Touring Cars, Sports Cars, Rallying, Historics, Speedway, that's what I am interested in these days.

Thank you for sharing your opinions everyone, I am surprised at the results I must say.

F1 isn't dead yet, but it's on life support

[DNQ]

I'd just like to add, Formula One is still my sentimental favourite. But there are categories that interest me more at the moment.

[Valve Bounce]

Like the new show on ABC last night called "Attachments". I'd rather watch that than F1 anytime. In fact, I'd rather watch Cricket, Rugby, and even American football.
DNQ, as I said before, I don't think your thread is rubbish, and my opinion is a helluva lot more important than badoer fan's.

[JonesF1]

Its just a matter of whether your old school or new school. The people that have been watching for years have seen better days so whats going on now isnt interesting. For the newer guys like myself Ferrari domiantion/general boringness is all we know and were generally content with that especially as our knowledge of the sport grows. Then again theres a difference between "Interest" and "Excitement." I just watched the NASCAR race at Talledega(?) and it was a good bit more exciting then some of this years F1 races.