Photo: FIA
No matter how you look at it, the golden days of Formula One are way behind it. If you remember the terrific races between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansel that kept you on the edge of your seat right to the moment the finish line was crossed, well, good for you because you won't be seeing any of that soon.
People are blaming electric powertrains and autonomous cars for taking the fun out of driving, but none of these apply to Formula One. The championship has been going downhill ever since the engines started losing cylinders and safety became more important than the show.
Nobody wants to see people die or get seriously injured - least so their favorite athletes - but nobody wants to watch a boring race either. A balance needs to be found, and FIA doesn't appear to have found the sweet spot yet.
Sebastian Vettel, the Ferrari driver who finished the season in second place behind four-time winner Lewis Hamilton, thinks people are complaining too much. Quoted by Eurosport, the German former champion said his wish for next season is that "everybody calms down."
"Some races are boring, so what? I don't see the problem in that," he went on. "I don't think we need another record, another record every race, to have more overtaking and more overtaking. [...] Sometimes just relax and calm down and accept a boring race or a boring two races in a row and then there will be another great race after that and another one."
His comments might be interpreted as a little bit offensive by some fans. Nobody likes to be told to calm down, especially by somebody who is paid a lot of money to entertain. Because that's what motorsport drivers are: entertainers. They perform for the public, and if you insult the public, you might find empty seats in the stands and ratings dropping.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, had a very different view. "On the racing side, I hope moving forwards, overtaking gets easier," he said. "Not easier, but being able to follow each other is really what the sport needs. The more overtaking the more fun it is for people to watch."
It's pointless asking with which of the two you agree, right? Like any sport, Formula One has the right to be boring now and then, but statistics don't lie: according to Pirelli, the tire supplier for the series, this last season registered 435 overtakes, compared to 866 in 2016 (which did have one extra race, but we doubt there were 431 passes in that one).
Nobody wants to see people die or get seriously injured - least so their favorite athletes - but nobody wants to watch a boring race either. A balance needs to be found, and FIA doesn't appear to have found the sweet spot yet.
Sebastian Vettel, the Ferrari driver who finished the season in second place behind four-time winner Lewis Hamilton, thinks people are complaining too much. Quoted by Eurosport, the German former champion said his wish for next season is that "everybody calms down."
"Some races are boring, so what? I don't see the problem in that," he went on. "I don't think we need another record, another record every race, to have more overtaking and more overtaking. [...] Sometimes just relax and calm down and accept a boring race or a boring two races in a row and then there will be another great race after that and another one."
His comments might be interpreted as a little bit offensive by some fans. Nobody likes to be told to calm down, especially by somebody who is paid a lot of money to entertain. Because that's what motorsport drivers are: entertainers. They perform for the public, and if you insult the public, you might find empty seats in the stands and ratings dropping.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, had a very different view. "On the racing side, I hope moving forwards, overtaking gets easier," he said. "Not easier, but being able to follow each other is really what the sport needs. The more overtaking the more fun it is for people to watch."
It's pointless asking with which of the two you agree, right? Like any sport, Formula One has the right to be boring now and then, but statistics don't lie: according to Pirelli, the tire supplier for the series, this last season registered 435 overtakes, compared to 866 in 2016 (which did have one extra race, but we doubt there were 431 passes in that one).
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