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[JamesD89]

I've been thinking... which swims faster, an 'orse or a dog? Only kidding... but my WKD side has got me wondering how to make something out of races like Valencia and Bahrain. What would people think of cranking up the lap number and turning the race into something really tough and gruelling on the cars?

If they can't be entertaining overtaking affairs, why not make a race out of it by running the cars and drivers into the ground?

[RA Dunk]

Why not just replace the circuits full stop with more entertaining ones which do allow overtaking, problem solved

[Denthúl]

I've been thinking... which swims faster, an 'orse or a dog? Only kidding... but my WKD side has got me wondering how to make something out of races like Valencia and Bahrain. What would people think of cranking up the lap number and turning the race into something really tough and gruelling on the cars?

If they can't be entertaining overtaking affairs, why not make a race out of it by running the cars and drivers into the ground?

I was thinking just booting them off the calendar would be the most entertaining idea. Move the European Grand Prix to somewhere else (or just get rid of it and have a Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve circuit), pick one of either Bahrain, Turkey or Abu Dhabi, get a new French Grand Prix, go back to the USA and have two races there, go to Kyalami in South Africa. There's no need to make races any longer, that would only reduce fan interest. Who can sit for two hours solid without any breaks to watch the less interesting grands prix?

[JamesD89]

Why not just replace the circuits full stop with more entertaining ones which do allow overtaking, problem solved

Everyone always has this same debate, I was looking for an alternative solution...

[RA Dunk]

Who can sit for two hours solid without any breaks to watch the less interesting grands prix?

me

But know where your comming from

[Denthúl]

Who can sit for two hours solid without any breaks to watch the less interesting grands prix?

me

But know where your comming from

Eh. My arse starts to get sore around the hour and a half mark (yes, you didn't need to know that) and I need a cup of tea and to stretch my legs.

[JamesD89]

That could be solved by introducing quaters, the cars have to pull up when a horn goes. They take a break, Bernie bombards the worldwide audience with advertising, the drivers have a and get back on with it in 15 minutes time.

[Denthúl]

That could be solved by introducing quaters, the cars have to pull up when a horn goes. They take a break, Bernie bombards the worldwide audience with advertising, the drivers have a and get back on with it in 15 minutes time.

I'd rather watch NASCAR. :-\

[Montyjnr]

I like your thinking from a sporting point of view, but don’t see it going anywhere due to commercial considerations. A 4/5/6 hour GP would be essentially dead in the water as far as a money-making exercise.

The two-hour/305 km format works because it fits nicely into a broadcaster’s 3-4 hour TV time slot, depending on the length of the pre/post Grand Prix programmes. Anything longer than this and your pushing out other valuable commercial air-time and detracting from the viability.

F1 as a marketable, money driven spectacle (as distinct from a motorsport) couldn’t afford to do this.

I’d also question whether drivers could stand the physical exertion, even if they only added 50% to the race distances. A F1 cockpit is a hot/noisy/bumpy place to and the physical pressures from acceleration, braking and high G corners are intense, vastly more so than 30 or 40 years ago, when the cars were lucky to be pulling 1.5 g (as opposed to the 4.5-5 G that they can pull now).

Even in the 1950s (when you had 4-hour races at Indy), most races went from 150-180 minutes in 1952/53/54 to around 130-150 minutes by the end of the decade. Even Monaco was down around 160-175 minutes by the early 1960s.

I'll say this until I'm blue in the face, but the best racing comes from courses with natural gradient changes that follow natural lines. Spa, Monaco, Turkey, Imola, Kyalami, Nuerburg, Watkins Glen, ect. Hell, even Magny Cours and Sepang have some undulations. Give me natural hills and bumps rather than cleverly designed but sterile street courses.

[cap-dude]

If anything, I'd like to see slightly shorter races.

I mean, 2 hours when you think about it is a long long time. Most races nowadays are decided within the first couple of laps. Then the rest of the time is spent waiting for pit stops. So no. I think longer races would be an awful idea.

[al4x]

if i hadve been on my own watching valencia i wouldve turned it off before the end, i always feel ive wasted a day when i watch that GP

[JamesD89]

I like your thinking from a sporting point of view, but don’t see it going anywhere due to commercial considerations. A 4/5/6 hour GP would be essentially dead in the water as far as a money-making exercise.

The two-hour/305 km format works because it fits nicely into a broadcaster’s 3-4 hour TV time slot, depending on the length of the pre/post Grand Prix programmes. Anything longer than this and your pushing out other valuable commercial air-time and detracting from the viability.

Granted, it is the kind of thing which would be televised on Eurosport.

I’d also question whether drivers could stand the physical exertion, even if they only added 50% to the race distances. A F1 cockpit is a hot/noisy/bumpy place to and the physical pressures from acceleration, braking and high G corners are intense, vastly more so than 30 or 40 years ago, when the cars were lucky to be pulling 1.5 g (as opposed to the 4.5-5 G that they can pull now).

That's what made me think about it, that really is some challenge. If you can't test their speed, test their endurance. Do as many laps as you can before the car or driver breaks down.

If anything, I'd like to see slightly shorter races.

Is that just for the boring circuits or for all races cap-dude? The longer the race, the more chance of the best driver winning.

[RA Dunk]

The longer the race, the more chance of the best driver winning.

Not really as is the best driver has in the region of 40 50 60 laps depending on the circuit to win, that is more than enough time to do it TBH, the longer the race the more boring it will get IMO

[7UpJordan]

if i hadve been on my own watching valencia i wouldve turned it off before the end, i always feel ive wasted a day when i watch that GP

I've done that a few times before, most notably Monza 2002 after both Ralf and Montoya dropped out early leaving the Ferrari's out on their own, and both Magny-Bores and Hungaboring last year.

[JamesD89]

The longer the race, the more chance of the best driver winning.

Not really as is the best driver has in the region of 40 50 60 laps depending on the circuit to win, that is more than enough time to do it TBH, the longer the race the more boring it will get IMO

That doesn't contradict what I said though. But, I've just had a light bulb moment see the next thread...