I wouldn't spend my money to watch an F1 race, says Ecclestone
 

I'm with him 100%. I've had the chance to attend rounds around the world, but refuse to do so. I loathe the power units and the sounds they make. Until they replace them with something that sounds much, much better, I'm not going to be watching in person.

Sounds like Bernie is leaning on the FIA to make some radical changes.

Bernie is right. But he was not just talking about sound. He was saying that the engine regs need to be relaxed to allow teams to fight for the championship again. Bernie understands the show. He is the one who created it.

I've seen several downtown Gran Prixs running the GTP cars, and loved it, but never had to pay. F1 is not my cup of tea (with an extended pinky).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShVX76S__RM

I do like the sound now. But agree, if Mercedes dominates one more race I think I'm done. The only reason I will watch is Haas. I have a good engineering friend on the team.

The dominance of Mercedes?! How many years did Schumaker and Ferrari obliterate the field?

Bernie just wants Ferrari back on top, for the love of $$

I don't mind the current Mercedes dominance. I thoroughly enjoyed watching MS and Barichello during their heyday, and it never got old for me. Then, as in now, the teams at the front earned it and are enjoying the spoils. Ferrari is showing to be a spoiler now and then, so its not all bad. There are other great races going back a little further in the pack each weekend.

If you look back through the modern era, there have always been teams that dominated for a few years before everyone else caught up. Nothing new. I remember when McLaren was lapping up to 3rd place for the first several races of the season.

For the first time in 20 yesrs, I'm out of watching F1, no longer on my "screw you cable" TV. . So long Bernie, and all your bunch of follow the leader races. Bring back the sound, the makes, the atmosphere then maybe I might watch again.

The problem for me is that they cars just seem too "hooked up"... Maybe it's the tire regs, or maybe it's just the Appearance on TV, but they rarely seem to be driving at the limit... Especially when compared to MotoGP. Maybe it's not a fair comparison, but I've got very little free time to spend watching races, and F1 doesn't seem to earn it anymore.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I wonder what not being on top of F1 has cost Ferrari in sales?

Politically correct environmental cowardliness is taking its toll even in F1.

Pirrelli is asked to make a tire, that heats up hotter than the working temperature range of the compound. This means you have to baby it, and keep the temps within range. You can drive on edge to try to make a pass, but if it doesn't stick, your tires are way out of range, and you'll be tooling around 1-3 seconds slower.

NASCAR has been doing it to. You'll see a guy about to go a lap down, run the leader's pace for a few laps, then dump like a brick, heading to pits for new tires.

The less % you have to ask from the tire to do the same work, the better you will be.

Bernie is an idiot that has outlived his usefulness. The problem with Berni, apart from the fact that he led F1 down this unsustainable path, is that you can never take anything he says at face value. His comments always have an agenda and he doesn't care what collateral damage they cause, so long as they move his chess pieces in the direction he wants. He's a disgusting little man.

Imagine what F1 would be, if he hadn't decided that F1 could be turned into a cash cow, to be bled to death to make some unrelated third party wealthy. Would we be better off investing that money back into the series? Or would we be better off with realistic ticket prices and venues that could afford to hold the races? Would you like to see more historical tracks on the calendar, instead of new races in East ****istan? We get a new race in Baku this year. Not one in 100 of you could point to a map and find it.

The plight of F1 reminds me of the situation many countries find themselves in. The more the government gets involved in everybody's affairs, the worse everything gets.

JR

In person they don't look as 'hooked up' as on TV. They have so much more torque with the KERs system that there's a lot of sliding coming out of turns.

The sound on the other hand, is much better on TV than it is in person. You don't need earplugs and you can talk to people around you as a car goes by. The Ferrari challenge cars are louder now.

Ditto on the tires. Mark Webber once out of F1 commented on how much he loved driving on the Michelins with his Porsche 919. Said you could be within a fraction of a second in lap times from lap one to your last lap, and never once worry about wear. It's not Pirelli's fault either, they've been asked to build a tire that drops off.

Then you wonder how in touch the team managers are... Everybody says there is too much emphasis on aero, and they voted on increasing downforce next year... Seriously!

All the public wants is for the drivers to not be coasting (better tire), more sliding/car control (less aero), and more noise/better sounding exhaust. Joe public does not give 2 $hits about KERS and ERS... It's fine to do that if it guarantees more manufacturers, but you cannot forget the public. I think Todt should go, and I kinda like the guy...

Makes sense, but why does it seem to work so much better in MotoGP? Bridgestone arguably does the same thing for that series, and the final laps of the races typically finish with riders sliding all over the place while they are fighting for the win!

Very strange comment since Bernie created the monster. I just hope Bernie doesn't come to the IRL and screw it up as bad as he did F1.

Bernie made F1 a professionally run show. It was a joke when he took it over, and when he was running the Brabham team.

The current problems trace their way back to the car factories entering F1, and the FIA meddling with the rules. Those doors were opened by Ron Dennis and Max Mosely, respectively. Bernie did some questiontionable things such as establish the historic fund for Ferrari to receive secret payments for their participation, which none of the other teams got.

Would F1 be better if Bernie worked charitably for the "good of the sport"? No, and who in the Hell does that anyway? Do you guys work for the good of your fellow man at your jobs? I'm going to say No. You work to make money. You can't begrudge Bernie for doing that. He has not sold a single ticket to a single race. He charges the tracks fees, and gets broadcasting fees. In return, the teams started to make a lot of money and the drivers got richer and richer. All under Ecclestone.

Bernie went too far. If you think he's justified in charging sanctioning fees of 25 or 30 million per race, and he keeps the signage rights, then you're as delusional as he is.

Some day, it will implode. You'll be left with a championship made races held in third world ****holes for the most part, and nobody will care.

JR

Well said, rusak you're the only one that gets it while everyone thinks Bernie is the blame for today's F1 show, he is not.

There are only a few manufacturers that have been and are in it for the long haul, Renault, Honda and Ferrari. All the other manufacturers dip in and out when it suits their marketing strategy. There are also only a few racing teams in it for the long haul, McLaren, Williams and Sauber.

Personally I think Bernie has done a stunning job keeping it all together and has even bailed out a few teams over the years to keep them going. On the other hand I think the Team's need to think beyond their own selfish gains (THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY THE SPORT IS WHERE IT IS) to help the FIA come up with a long term plan to keep the sport healthy. Another factor everyone seems to miss is Pirelli, if Michelin were providing tyres it would be a whole lot more exciting.