FIA = F***ing Idiots in Automobiles

This whole issue with the standardized engines in Formula One has gotten utterly ridiculous. Yesterday, golden children Ferrari said that if the FIA continues on the path to one, standardized engine, they might leave the series. The FIA's response, "it's not our job to cut costs, it's the teams."

Standing up for what is right with Formula One, if only this one time.

This says to me that the powers that be in Formula One have no clue of how to actually run it. Leaving it up to teams is simply leaving thing status quo, where cutting costs is a game of chicken. It needs a regulatory body to make those changes.

Is a standard engine the right route though? It would kill one of the key distinctions F1 has over the large majority of other racing series: the distinctiveness of it's cars. Re-permitting customer cars is a better option, perhaps with a proviso that no one can own more than one team to prevent some teams from using one as the test subject. Limiting testing would be another way, since that is expensive as well. But to kill the one thing that makes F1 "superior" to most of the rest of the racing world? Madness.

In this cost cutting world, it would also behoove the Bernie & Max Circus to reconsider the global expansion initiative that has become ever present this past decade. Sure as sugar making all these trips to the Middle East and the Pacific Rim aren't cheap, while less costly options just whither away.

Certainly trips to Brno, Imola, or the new track in the Algarve would costs millions less in transport than the races in Bahrain or Malaysia. Unfortunately, venue selection has been more focused on how much money Bernie Ecclestone makes from an event than other factors, such as enjoyable racing. Instead, he's content to continue on these boring, similar layouts Tilke puts everywhere that fail to deliver on the promise of more passing.

The problem is that these ideas seem to be falling on deaf ears. It may come to a manufacturer exodus that ultimately changes the sport for the better, but being a fan of American Open Wheel that road should be avoided if possible.

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

376 days ago

Score 0

The traditional races pay the FIA ~ £10m per year for a race. The likes of Bahrain, China etc. pay £30m. So, in that respect, Bernie has a point.

Formula One's problem is that it has been forever trying to slow down technology. In the 50s and 60s, designers could put bodywork and parts of the car wherever they liked. This lead to technologies that we use in everyday life today. E.g. putting the engine at the back. Spoilers to create downforce. Nowadays, there are so many regulations that you can't build a car so much these days. The reason that the field is so tightly bunched (relatively speaking) is that you can't help but build a car that's bad anymore. A single engine supplier is a terrible idea, as is a single tyre supplier.

The best way forward to me is to not limit teams to two cars. That way, you can fill up the grid again.

France and Canada do not have races in 2009. France & Canada have more racing history than Bahrain ever will have.

The only good circuit that Tilke has designed, but it's still worse than the old layout. He's giving Donington Park a makeover, but thankfully the biggest change is to the non-track aspect of it. The actual race track will remain largely the same.

Did you hear about the plans to run the 2009 Championship without a points system, but to Olympic style medals table format? E.g. whoever wins the most races is champion, the most second places is the first tiebreaker etc. If this happened in 2004, the World Championship would have been over after the 10th race! (Schumacher won 9 of the first 10 races.)

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