Williams F1 screwed

[Robins Ken]

I know it's in the rules to change tires but if your car can run to the end on the starting (hard) tire and embarrass the heirarchy why should you have to stop? It was a stout P7 that became a P10 single point for the tow (freight) money. Thankfully they got something out of it. Deserved more but don't have the political clout.

[Peter Olivola]

I know it's in the rules to change tires but if your car can run to the end on the starting (hard) tire and embarrass the heirarchy why should you have to stop? It was a stout P7 that became a P10 single point for the tow (freight) money. Thankfully they got something out of it. Deserved more but don't have the political clout.

Not screwed. Not political. Read the rules. Race to the rules. Don't like it? Do something else.

[J Leonard]

I'm not sure how Williams pulled it off but it seems if they had pitted at any other time they would have finished 14th or lower.

[Lotus7]

While I agree "rules is rules", that must-change-tires idea (along with that abomination called DRS) was instituted to create fake drama to keep the eyes on the screen (and the $ flowing). And the current restrictions to limit costs just further reduce this old fans interest ....

I know, if its too expensive it dies, and we have nothing, but personally, I can't get excited enough about current F1 to care if it continues or not.

[Rick Kirchner]

I'm with you Ian. between the announcers with their fake drama, the lousy racing, and all the politics, who cares. The media is even worse. Just read anything from Motorsport.com, and to some degree Racer, but especially Essentially Sports that is heavily promoted on FB news - the reporting is just garbage. It's worse than the WWE.

If you want real idiocy, stroll over to a F1 subreddit. My god, the armchair experts.........

[Mark_Silverberg]

It was a strategy, one that Williams felt was in their best interest. Dropping from 7th to 10th on the last lap was the same result as dropping from 7th to 10th 15 laps before that. The proximity to the end of the race is irrelevant - whether they could have run the race on one set of tires is irrelevant. They could have alternately stopped after the first lap and changed tires and driven on the second set until the end. Given their success it will be interesting to see if they try future unconventional strategies

[Robins Ken]

Not screwed. Not political. Read the rules. Race to the rules. Don't like it? Do something else.

Please read the first 5 words in my post. My point is creative strategy should be rewarded.

[Chris Livengood]

They also had a safety car and a virtual safety car that probably helped, especially in that several cars made horrible pit stop calls and lost out (Alonso). Also, there is a chance the Williams is just easy on its tires. It's not particularly fast, though it is looking much better at this point.

As for DRS, it's tool so that faster cars can actually get by. At least that is how I see it. I'm not in love with it, as a lot of the passes are just too easy. However, it is better than the days where a marginally faster car was just relegated to riding behind the other guy until a pit stop. At a minimum it introduces a chance for error.

[Peter Olivola]

Please read the first 5 words in my post. My point is creative strategy should be rewarded.

The rules are the rules. "Creative strategy" that isn't within the rules should not be rewarded.

[cory mcleod]

Sign that the apocalypse is nigh: I agree with Peter O.

[Joules5]

They could have alternately stopped after the first lap and changed tires and driven on the second set until the end.

Given the need to run different compounds, and they started on hard tires, that strategy would have meant running mediums for 57 laps.

[Robins Ken]

The rules are the rules. "Creative strategy" that isn't within the rules should not be rewarded.

Newey, Murray, Chapman, Reynard, Broadley, Hall, Nichols and many more will disagree...........

[Peter Olivola]

Newey, Murray, Chapman, Reynard, Broadley, Hall, Nichols and many more will disagree...........

No, they wouldn't. They may have been doing some creative things that were beyond the rules and were never caught, but when they were, particularly Chapman, they came back with compliant solutions.

Rewarding non-compliant behavior is not in the best interest of the sport. It may suit your idea, but the the sport, overall, isn't well served by that. What you're suggesting is legalized chaos.

[E1pix]

Sign that the apocalypse is nigh: I agree with Peter O.

It’s 0941 here in Arizona, but the stars are really bright. Should I be worried?

;-)

I can understand all sides in debates like this. Rules are 100% until creatively interpreted, and I like those deviations. See “Jim Hall.”

Racing needs everything guys like that bring to the committee tables. But it also needs enforcement at a time it seems none of that exists outside of racing.

If what Williams did was outside of the rules though, Well, then all is right. But that said, F1 just isn’t what I wish it’d be. Perhaps I’m a Pastosaurus.

[billtebbutt]

I won't put words in Ken's mouth. But I will say, on my own account, that the mandatory tire changing rule is nonsense. DRS is also nonsense. And the battery part of the drivetrain is nonsense as well. None of these have any place in F1 in my view. As a previous poster said, they all attempt to induce fake drama. There is already plenty of authentic, organic drama in F1 - you can get your fill by simply watching the likes of Stroll and Latifi!


On another note, it was terrifying to see the driver's POV video from Johnny Herbert's helmet driving the vintage Williams. Yes I know he wasn't thrashing it. But, oh my God, it was evidence that an F1 car could actually be driven without a Cray supercomputer mounted on the wheel! Did you see where he had the audacious nerve to remove his right hand at times to actually SHIFT GEARS????? There was clearly something amiss with the digital readout on the wheel as well - it looked like a mechanical tach needle! I also missed him hooking up his mandatory drinky bottle, and without a 24/7 onboard car-to-driving-coach communication system, how in the world did he make it around the track for that single lap? And who would he be able to bitch to when someone drove over a white line?

Everything changes, I know. But not always for the better....

bt

[Chris Livengood]

This forum never fails to dial up the old and crotchety when it comes to F1 tastes. Here's the thing about it, you don't even have to watch it. You push a button on your remote and it all goes away. Golf is pretty horrific but a lot of old and crotchety people seem to love it, maybe it's worth a shot for some of you guys?

For the rest of us, F1 still has the fastest cars in the world, despite all the faults glaring and otherwise.

[billtebbutt]

This forum never fails to dial up the old and crotchety when it comes to F1 tastes. Here's the thing about it, you don't even have to watch it. You push a button on your remote and it all goes away. Golf is pretty horrific but a lot of old and crotchety people seem to love it, maybe it's worth a shot for some of you guys?

For the rest of us, F1 still has the fastest cars in the world, despite all the faults glaring and otherwise.

Old and crotchety? I've been called worse by better people..... Now if you had said that I dripped sarcastic, well then....

You also don't have to respond to every post you don't like Chris. Forums work a lot like your tv remote.....

best,
bt

[Chris Livengood]

I wasn't referring to you specifically, but I didn't mind your post. I do think that sarcasm on the internet doesn't usually play out too well. So if you were sarcastically complaining, i.e. making fun of the old and crotchety, then that is on me.

[E1pix]

If referring to me, I’ll make a shirt and wear the badge.

All in good fun, Gents. Thoughts are with someone else today anyway. :-(

[tige00]

The problem is the drivers of now cannot even drive the older cars, so really are they good drivers, or are they just fast drivers, there is a difference as they seem to have problems passing without hitting each other out. they need to make the drivers work harder, than they are, no DRS run the tires that you want racing has gotten to electronic, take note from our indy cars. Great series

[problemchild]

I can be sarcastic, and I am certainly old and crochety, but of all the stupid rules and over-officiated policies in FIA events, requiring each competitor to run two different compounds of the spec tires, seems quite reasonable. I saw the post-race interview with Albon, and he was thrilled that Williams worked his strategy so well that he got a point. Without the tire use rules, who knows what other teams would have done and how Albon would have faired.

What amazes me is the people who live their lives through F1, but don't follow or watch Indycar. There are actually 20 drivers capable of winning on any given day. Now that is racing!

This writer thinks that the result was the result of creativity.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...sk9Jx702X.html

[Chris Livengood]

As far as I know you've never gotten into golf, so you get a pass.

Here is an example of the old and crotchety here. Everybody bitches about track limits, yeah they are BS. I too would rather see the car dip a wheel and hit the wall or get buried in the gravel. Meanwhile, everybody hates Jeddah ("it's unsafe"). Then the Jeddah race is incredible, not a single track limit violation, lots of great skill. We've solved the problem boys, the drivers had to drive. Crickets here on Apex. I am just surprised people aren't asking for flat bottom cars, larger tires, and v8's. Might as well revert to aluminum monocoques in an effort to make sure things are safe again.

I watched Long Beach. It was a great race and it was cool to watch people crash with consequence. Those walls in Jeddah look pretty nice in comparison. Hell, nobody even got beached on a fountain in Jeddah. Long Beach was the first track I ever memorized on a video game. Good old IndyCar Racing back in 1993. I played with a joystick as an 8 year old and got pretty proficient in DOS Prompt as a result. Old and crotchety that makes me. Bring back DOS Prompt! Computers just aren't as good anymore!

[Rick Kirchner]

F1 still has the fastest cars in the world, despite all the faults glaring and otherwise.

Not the fastest, not the quickest, not the best racing either. But that's splitting hairs a bit. It is the most technologically focused. Arguably its more of a competition between factories and corporate partners, and has been for 25 years. The driver's just another cog.

Old drivers vs new? Completely different skillsets and outlooks. To use your computer analogy - the difference between programming in opcode vs C++.

Not all change is good, despite what corporate consultants try to tell us. Its just change. If the sum total of changes isn't marginally better, the thing usually dies. It's just what we, as fans consider "better" at any one point in time may not be what the financial reward system is measuring and rewarding.