scanner_manuk

Put Schusmacker in a BAR ,Renault (wasn't that Beneton at one time, didn't they win the drivers champ) or Williams, even eventually Mclaren and he would still do the business.
I am English, not too keen on the jerrys, funny foreign types, but please !!! we have one of the greatest sportsman in his field of all time, enjoy the mastery of what he does and achieves. Remember Ferrari were a bit of a joke when he went there. If he's not that special then the other special drivers will do the same, and they are special or they would not be there in the first place.
Look further down the field for more enjoyment there is some good racing going on.
Remember its a team sport, what you see on raceday is also the result of another race, the teams develop the cars all the time, but the ones who can develop it sooner will eventually score more.
People complain about the technology killing the sport, the sport is about the tech and its application.
As much as the FIA keep slowing the cars down the go faster, great isn't it, now thats down to the tech.
Its not Schumy who's the fastest in F1, its the winning designer and team.

laconic1

Agreed. Look how far Benetton fell after Schumacher left. I also agree that F1 is primarily about technology, which is what I find most fascinating about that variety of racing.

paulybrklynny

yeah, but the money is entirely different these days.

Benetton got out because they couldn't afford to field a competitive team any more.

Renault came in because they could. Look at how quickly its all changed.

Jordan was making real inroads as a little team done good, now they're hardly more frightenign than Minardi.

BAR was supposed to be an instant challenger because of all the money they could bring, weel they still have the same amount of money but its no longer enough.

Ferrari, BMW, & Mercedes can and do outspend the rest. Renault will probably up their spending, and Toyota almost certainly will when the time is right.

Sauber has run a smart team, and with the Ferrari connection they have becaome solid mid-table.

If Honda get buy into (or buy out) BAR as BMW and Merc. have with Williams & McLaren then they will most likely be competitive as well.

That leaves Jordan, Minardi, and anyone else interested out in the coold, and probably eventually shutting down.

So you would have 5 teams, 10 drivers, all basically pretty competitive. THis wouldn't be so bad, except for me (and I'm not syaing you have to agree) 10 or 12 teams is just inherently more interesting.

But as long as the money mandates car company money to be competetive this will never happen. Only GM & maybe VW are outside of F1 with the money to field competetive teams. I dont think you'll see Peugeot back in, and never Nissan or Subaru entries.

I'm not saying I dont appreciate Schumacher, I'll even go so far as to say I am a fan, though I do root against him just to keep things interesting, or the strides Ferrari has made in teh last 5-8 years, just that its all consolidated at the top and without changes its going to get worse before it gets any better.

More teams, more cars, more racing = more excitement to me. I'm not saying I would want a system where there were privateers back in (not that I'm old enough to remember it in anything but books & videos) because that was chaos, I like an orderly competition.

But the days when teams like Tyrrell, Lotus, Lola, Arrows, and Ligier could at least manage some occaisonal podiums to make the points race amongts the top 2-3 more interesting were pretty damn exciting.

scanner_manuk

If all you are intrested in is who comes first just watch the last lap it will allow you the time to do lots of other things.
although paulybrklynny is basically right, at the moment you do need the budget, look at Mclaren. Part of the race is to get the money for development and resources before your competetors At the end of the day F1 does not have a devine right to exist , it will evolve, I am worried that Bernie wont always be there to keep it all together, but there will always be a premier form of motor racing somewhere and it will always cost a fortune to participate
For all those of you who have never seen F1 racing live, do so at least once in your life. I have been many times, always completely lose track of the race but I couldnt care less, the sound and atmosphere, nothing like it , better than sex,
god I'm sad

powerclown

Words of wisdom, scanner. The mechanical noises coming out of those cars are awe-inspiring. You need to be at a race, walk through the pits, smell the peculiar, sharp odors, feel the glamour, see just how CLEAN and shining the mechanical bits are, the radiators, the tires, the suspension parts, the carbonfiber bodywork, all the engine surfaces, brackets, wires, springs look as if they were prepared in a dust-free laboratory by gloved and masked NASA rocket scientists. You need to listen to these immaculately tuned & engineered motors idling dead steady at 7000rpm, the millisecond, booming THUMP of a 19,000rpm gearshift that you can hear from miles away; its quite a treat for the senses that television misses 95% of.

cartmen34

I get my first taste of live F1 in two weeks time at the USGP. Being a lifetime fan of all forms of racing, your story gave me the goosies. thanks clown!

I can hardly wait!!!! *drooling in anticipation*

__________________
"The problem with quick and dirty, as some people have said, is that the dirty remains long after the quick has been forgotten" - Steve McConnell

archer2371

I agree completely with you scanner, right now, Schumacher is the best driver on the circuit, period. Sure, it's boring sometimes, but hey, you Schuey bashers will get your wish, word is that Michael is going to retire after he wins the championship this year.

__________________
"This ain't no Ice Cream Social!"

"Hey Grif, Chupathingy...how bout that? I like it...got a ring to it."

"I have no earthly idea what it is I just saw, or what this place is, or where in the hell O'Malley is! My only choice is to blame Grif for coming up with such a flawed plan. Stupid, stupid Grif."

powerclown

Have fun, man. Wish I were there...

Where are you sitting?

cartmen34

Main straight, right in front of the start/finish. No the greatest seats, but they were a gift from my bride for our wedding. She wasn't sure what to get. No worries, as I'm sure we'll spend most of day walking around anyway.

__________________
"The problem with quick and dirty, as some people have said, is that the dirty remains long after the quick has been forgotten" - Steve McConnell