h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

 Today i watched the Qualifing at imola . very exciting. Irivine did very well about 3th's away from shuie. David and Micki as usuall at the top. I am a big fan but i think they should bring back manual gearboxes, it would creat more overtaking and the really skilled drivers would win.i also think we should have the G.P back at Brans- hatch and get rid of Silverstone, Hungro ring and Monoco,and have some good drivers traxxxxx.

F1 is sooooo broing now that the McLarens are al;ways at the front. And it's inevitable that Mikka will crash out, David will drop behind because of engine problems, and then a Ferrari will win. C'mn you guys! Bring back some excitement into the sport!!

I do think the manual gearbox argument has potential, but you don't see many missed gears in Champ Cars, so I'm not sure. If the answer was obvious and easy we'd be there already! The argument that the difficulty of overtaking leads to tension and interest in strategy also has merit. I think there must be a happy medium in there somewhere.

What I'd really like is for Mclaren and Ferrari to be a bit nearer the performance of Stewart, Jordan, etc. That would heighten the tension and give us lots more possibilities for the results!

I think what we really need are obstacles or James Bond style torpedos and oil-slicks. You know, something to keep the drivers on their toes. I'm sure nintendo would sponsor something like this.

Are you volunteering to camp-out at Loews hairpin (on the track) next weekend, in the name of F1 research?

No, but I am willing to tie Mika Hakkinen's shoelaces together.

The simple solution for F1 is to get rid of the two power-hungry, media manipulating idiots who "run" the sport.

I am of course referring to Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosely. Max was quoted in "Autosport" as saying "We could make overtaking really easy in F1, but do we really want to ?" As a fan, YES I would love to see more overtaking (on the track, not during pit-stops) Ok, I think that it shouldn't become like champcar, where the lead can change several times a lap, but I would love to see a return to the days of "Mansell & Senna" battles. Modern F1 car aerodynamics simply won't allow the cars to run in a side-by-side formation like that famous shot of Mansell & Senna (Spain, I think !) The circuits only allow one driving line, and many of the drivers just don't have the "guts" to try ambitious overtaking maneuvers. In fact I only rate the following as good overtakers :

Villeneuve (Very gutsy)
Wurz (Although he's cooled somewhat this year)
M. Schumacher (But he's prone to mistakes)
Irvine (Who could forget his debut when he un-lapped himself from Senna ?!)

Unfortunately Bernie & Max have too much power over the sport, I think that drivers and particularly designers should get together to discuss the rules. Oh, and they should get rid of the farcical grooved tyres.

Well, the new F1 season is almost upon us, and with it the latest round of changes to the rules. The biggest gripe last year (from the drivers viewpoint) was the extra groove in the tyres, which served to reduce the safety of the cars (quite the contrary to what was intended).
But now I discover they're adding another groove! I really wouldn't like to be anywhere near trackside this season...

Don't worry - if everyone can hold on until a few years' time, there will be so many grooves in the tyres that the surface of them will eventually level out. They'll become slicks again, and we'll be back to square one, with proper tyres.

I dont care! well i do actually but the FIA aint goingto listen to US are they. My sugestions are to widen the cars (back to 2m), have tiddly little 'Monza' wings, and go back to slicks. Plus cut back on electronics usage. Simple really. oh yeh, Roll on Button.