04/09/2008
NEWS STORY
As F1 heads to one of the truly great motor racing circuits - from a fan perspective as opposed to PR person - Lewis Hamilton has admitted that F1 is boring, paying particular reference to the recent race in Valencia.
"We do need to be able to follow closely and do more overtaking," says the Englishman, currently leading the World Championship, according to Eurosport.
"Look at the last race in Valencia," he continues, "there was no overtaking at all, so it can be a bit dull. I definitely support the move to try and make F1 more exciting."
Although we have a three (possibly four) way fight for the title, there has been little to get truly excited about this season, in terms of on-track action. Then came Valencia, a race where the top ten finishers were (other than for the absence of Raikkonen) the same ten that headed the grid, in virtually the same order. A recent Talking Point saw many Pitpass readers admit to turning off the race in frustration, while a poll had over 90 percent of participants giving the new track the thumbs down.
Hopefully, the new regulations for 2009, aimed at reducing 'dirty air', and thereby promoting slipstreaming and overtaking, will give fans and racers something to cheer about.
Referring to Valencia again, Hamilton adds: You couldn't get close to other cars, which is the same at a lot of the circuits we have.
"I think we put on a great show," he continues, "but you saw there wasn't any overtaking. I don't know what the answer to that is, but I do know I was working my ass off in the race and doing the best job I could."
Nobody doubts that Lewis and his fellow drivers were working their asses off. However, the current rules (not merely aerodynamic), some of the tracks being used and the points system, are leading to processions that excite nobody.
While CVC and Ecclestone continue to rake in the dosh, and Max and the teams dither over the rules, perhaps they should be paying attention to what the fans have been saying for some time, and drivers, such as Hamilton, are not beginning to pick up on.
If F1 is to win new fans, thereby guaranteeing the future of the sport, the product (the racing) must improve.
It defies belief that a series supposed to represent the pinnacle of motorsport, a series which involves so many billions of dollars, can be described by one of its leading lights as "boring".