[Rules] Future Rule Changes

[F1Guy]

Joint release by Sahara Force India and the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:

“We have decided to withdraw the complaint we lodged with the European Commission in 2015 on the subject of anti-competitive practices in the sport of Formula 1.

“We have been greatly encouraged by the dialogue that has been introduced following the appointment of Chase Carey as Executive Chairman and CEO of the Formula 1 commercial rights holder and his new management team.

“Their approach has brought a new culture of transparency to the sport and illustrates willingness to debate fundamental issues such as the distribution of the prize fund monies, cost control and engine regulations.

“We are encouraged and reassured by the even-handed and fair negotiating approach taken by the new management of Formula 1 to all the teams and their issues. While the concerns leading to the compliant were fully justified, we believe this new approach provides the necessary degree of assurance that our concerns will be looked at objectively, and we prefer to resolve the issues facing the sport through dialogue rather than a legal dispute.

“We want to support this transformational process in Formula 1 and thus have resolved to withdraw our complaint with immediate effect.”


Interesting. Maybe Chase, Sean and Ross have made some promises. Let's see if they keep their promises.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by F1Guy

Joint release by Sahara Force India and the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team:

“We have decided to withdraw the complaint we lodged with the European Commission in 2015 on the subject of anti-competitive practices in the sport of Formula 1.

“We have been greatly encouraged by the dialogue that has been introduced following the appointment of Chase Carey as Executive Chairman and CEO of the Formula 1 commercial rights holder and his new management team.

“Their approach has brought a new culture of transparency to the sport and illustrates willingness to debate fundamental issues such as the distribution of the prize fund monies, cost control and engine regulations.

“We are encouraged and reassured by the even-handed and fair negotiating approach taken by the new management of Formula 1 to all the teams and their issues. While the concerns leading to the compliant were fully justified, we believe this new approach provides the necessary degree of assurance that our concerns will be looked at objectively, and we prefer to resolve the issues facing the sport through dialogue rather than a legal dispute.

“We want to support this transformational process in Formula 1 and thus have resolved to withdraw our complaint with immediate effect.”


Interesting. Maybe Chase, Sean and Ross have made some promises. Let's see if they keep their promises.

Or is this a sign of Ferrari influence? They don't want the EEC to investigate things, find out that the payments have been unfair and therefore reduce Ferrari's extra income...

[F1Guy]

Ferrari's bonus payment is up for negotiation in the next concord agreement. So is Ferrari's right to veto rule changes they don't like.

Fingers crossed they lose both. And if that means Ferrari pack up and run away, so be it. F1 does not need Ferrari to survive.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by F1Guy

Ferrari's bonus payment is up for negotiation in the next concord agreement. So is Ferrari's right to veto rule changes they don't like.

Fingers crossed they lose both. And if that means Ferrari pack up and run away, so be it. F1 does not need Ferrari to survive.

With the way things are going in F1 and potential plans to put TV coverage behind a paywall, I think if Ferrari were to leave it would be a major body blow and one I'm not sure F1 could survive.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Or is this a sign of Ferrari influence? They don't want the EEC to investigate things, find out that the payments have been unfair and therefore reduce Ferrari's extra income...

i would think, for sure on the Sauber side.

for FI, i wonder if Merc have just made them a better deal to withdraw their complaint.

but that said...even if Sauber and FI have withdrawn their complaint, aren't the EEC still free to investigate if they want to?

ambitious politician wants to make a name for themselves by taking on a monopoly with unfair trade practices in a sector governments are already increasingly trying to legislate away from using fossil fuels.

anyways, i hope their faith in Liberty's negotiating ability to equalize the playing field is well founded....so far Liberty's track record doesnt indicate they can effectively bargain against the interests of the manus. time will tell i guess.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

With the way things are going in F1 and potential plans to put TV coverage behind a paywall, I think if Ferrari were to leave it would be a major body blow and one I'm not sure F1 could survive.

thats the rub right there...what percentage of the F1 fan base is Tifosi?

cant say i have ever seen a number or a poll on this... anecdotal then, but the overwhelming majority of live fans look to sport Ferrari kit and TV numbers seem to trend upwards and downwards based on how competitive Ferrari is.

if they lose Ferrari, then the numbers may not make sense for the other manus to continue either. downward spiral and all that.

[Mike Harte]

Bear in mind that F1 in Italy is going behind a paywall now, or very shortly. If current trends continue, the audience figures will also plummet there once it happens, just as it has in the UK, Germany and France.

[chillibowl]

changing topics...not a rule change per say but a change that at least has relevance to the actual acing.

F1 is set to introduce biometric sensors for racing gloves in order to monitor drivers heart rates, blood oxygen levels, and in time i would imagine other vitals as well.

obviously extremely useful information for the medics to have before they reach an accident site.

https://www.fia.com/news/safety-their-hands

very cool stuff imo and many applications for this tech ranging from use in other categories, business opportunities for the FIA, and possible spin offs to other activities/jobs where protective equipment is needed etc etc.

but what does it mean for F1 besides the immediate safety improvement?

the teams will have the data so will this be a new metric with which to judge drivers, should this information be available to fans and part of the to race coverage (seeing what a drivers heart rate is through eau rouge or during a difficult pass etc) or would sharing a driver's biometric data be an ethical violation?

[bella]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

the teams will have the data so will this be a new metric with which to judge drivers, should this information be available to fans and part of the to race coverage (seeing what a drivers heart rate is through eau rouge or during a difficult pass etc) or would sharing a driver's biometric data be an ethical violation?

this is really fascinating stuff.

regarding the ethical question... that's a good one. drivers are used to having little to no privacy when it comes to personal space, so i'd be surprised if any of them got arsey about it. and you'd like to think that, if they were using the data on screen and in the event of something happening, they wouldn't stay with that camera view in the same way they don't tend to stick with the onboard.

how cool would it be to have heart rate data on a replay of a wheel to wheel outbreaking battle??

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by bella

how cool would it be to have heart rate data on a replay of a wheel to wheel outbreaking battle??

it would be very cool! effectively a whole new tool with which to measure and compare drivers by. endless possibilities!

thinking about it more, i am actually a bit surprised that no driver (to my knowledge) has tried to live stream their Fitbit (or other health tracker) data during a race. i would imagine there is a lot of interest in this kind of stuff...and some potential sponsorship deals to be made in the process.

[Peter Mallett]

If it's anything like my fitbit it'll say outdoor bike for 90mins.

[bella]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

thinking about it more, i am actually a bit surprised that no driver (to my knowledge) has tried to live stream their Fitbit (or other health tracker) data during a race. i would imagine there is a lot of interest in this kind of stuff...and some potential sponsorship deals to be made in the process.

i think the trouble is what's mentioned in the article - they're using a new form of bluetooth with a 500m range, whereas the low energy version fitbits and stuff use now is more like... 50m?

i think it was during 2016 that a driver in "british f3" managed to stream an onboard gopro via facebook video during one free practice session, but only by having an agreement that he could have his phone in the cockpit! makes you wonder how much restrictive (but sensible and logical) regulations stop innovations like that. wouldn't it be great if f1 teams owned the rights to their own data and shared in-car footage so they could set up their own channels for their fans? it's not like they don't do something similar sent back to the factory already.

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

If it's anything like my fitbit it'll say outdoor bike for 90mins.

they don't handle certain vehicles well either, after a day's driving it's amazing how close to 10,000 steps you can get!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Bear in mind that F1 in Italy is going behind a paywall now, or very shortly. If current trends continue, the audience figures will also plummet there once it happens, just as it has in the UK, Germany and France.

When audiences plummet, which they will, this will detrimental to advertisers and sponsors who will see their target market dwindle and they will want out. The exact same thing happened to IndyCar and it has taken over a decade to get the series to where it is now and it's still not out quite out of the woods.

[Skam85]

Nice, a positive tweak to the rules.

A lot of ball sports have live trackers now. The latest cricket season here in Oz had live trackers on select players, how many km's they'd covered etc. I like it.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Skam85

Nice, a positive tweak to the rules.

A lot of ball sports have live trackers now. The latest cricket season here in Oz had live trackers on select players, how many km's they'd covered etc. I like it.

Anybody listened to "The 12th Man"? I expect the moisture meter will soon be implemented.

[bella]

obviously not f1, but here’s something to think about.

“british f3” is going to award points based on how many positions a driver can gain in a fully reversed grid for the second race of the weekend (out of 3).

it’s a tiny field so a bit of a moot point, but does anyone think this could be workable in f1?

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by bella

obviously not f1, but here’s something to think about.

“british f3” is going to award points based on how many positions a driver can gain in a fully reversed grid for the second race of the weekend (out of 3).

it’s a tiny field so a bit of a moot point, but does anyone think this could be workable in f1?

I think that's something that needs to be tried before anyone can speculate. There's so many possible positives and negatives that it really needs tested. Interesting idea.

[S griffin]

I'd rather see an award for the most overtakes, like they have in the BTCC

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I think that's something that needs to be tried before anyone can speculate. There's so many possible positives and negatives that it really needs tested. Interesting idea.

to prove if it could work, does it need to be tested in F1 though?

side question...is there any rule saying that every GP in a season has to follow the same format?

im thinking if one race can award double points (both to add spice to the title challenge and to appease the host promoter), then surely there is a GP out there that would welcome the notion of trying out something a bit different as a way to generate interest in their event.

would not want to see it at Monaco where overtaking spots are already at a premium but i would be fine with seeing them trying it as a one off at say Shanghai which is both wide enough and boring enough that i would welcome seeing something new.

[Paradise City]

One award for the most on-track overtakes (excluding pit passing/passing retirees), possibly. But nothing that would overhaul a winner or a high points scorer. (or even a separate on-track passing sub-championship for the entire season)

And I hate reverse grids, I just hate em.

[loon]

As there is very little actual racing in F1 why not award points to the aero departments, 10pts for the car with the most front wing flaps, or 20pts for the car with the most bargeboard slot gaps, then perhaps remove points whenever the team managers tell a big fat fib

[bella]

Originally Posted by S griffin

I'd rather see an award for the most overtakes, like they have in the BTCC

yes, and we all know what level the driving standards are at in the btcc...

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by loon

As there is very little actual racing in F1 why not award points to the aero departments, 10pts for the car with the most front wing flaps, or 20pts for the car with the most bargeboard slot gaps, then perhaps remove points whenever the team managers tell a big fat fib

As there is very little actual racing in F1, just leave things as they are, as extra points for this and that will just be a gimmick.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

One award for the most on-track overtakes (excluding pit passing/passing retirees), possibly. But nothing that would overhaul a winner or a high points scorer. (or even a separate on-track passing sub-championship for the entire season)

And I hate reverse grids, I just hate em.

Overtaking is great, it would be good for there to be more of it, but it isn’t the point of F1. The point is to win the race. To find the best at doing that. The fastest car and driver combo who can be fastest over the race distance. Overtaking is a one of the means to achieve that. It is not the goal.

Firstly it is a sport. There should the opportunity for overtaking, but also the opportunity for none.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Overtaking is great, it would be good for there to be more of it, but it isn’t the point of F1. The point is to win the race. To find the best at doing that. The fastest car and driver combo who can be fastest over the race distance. Overtaking is a one of the means to achieve that. It is not the goal.

Firstly it is a sport. There should the opportunity for overtaking, but also the opportunity for none.

I hate to see this sport in ten years time. Dollars to donuts it'll be an "F1's Got Talent" variety competition on Saturday to decide the grid for Sunday.