Unpopular Motorsport Opinions

  • Thread starter Liquid
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PeterJB
I wouldn't necessarily call this unpopular, I think even a lot of the drivers don't like having everything spoon-fed to them. These days there is far too much data available, and it means everything can be planned and anticipated with military precision. I'd like to get back to a point like the 90s or early 2000s, where the cars were still the pinnacle of engineering, but actually needed to be driven, but ideally ones that actually work properly this time.
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I'm just facetiously suggesting it is unpopular based on the clearly popular belief that some of the current drivers can be considered in (nonsense) discussions of greatest of all time -

The alternate opinion is that clearly the last decade or so with the expanses of forgiving run off areas and the huge amount of spoon feeding is effectively F1 on 'easy' mode in a video game, it is the era with by far the least merit on driver skill (although to be fair it is still super important and the best is the best) but any great driver in a previous era would smash it out of the park in this situation, opportunities, support etc.
 
sillybilly
the clearly popular belief that some of the current drivers can be considered in (nonsense) discussions of greatest of all time -
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Who says and whom is being discussed?

And that's before the critical distinction between greatest ever / greatest of their time needs to be mentioned again.
 
It's taken a while for me to realise this...

...but the Hungaroring is an absolutely awesome race track for F1. Somehow, despite being all corners with a long final turn that makes it really hard to follow through, we get some of the best racing of the year there regularly since like 2014. Turn 1 is a great hairpin for divebombing, which still allows for different lines to work on the exit into a Turn 2 which both the inside and outside lines work through. Turn 3 being right after it in the other direction makes drivers have to commit to their exit choice from 2 or be massively screwed down the next straight, where Turn 4 is one of the most committed corners to try and go side-by-side through. We see some of the best wheel-to-wheel action in the season at this track.
It's just that the straight from 1-2 and 3-4 could both do with being an extra 100-200m longer because they just sometimes aren't long enough.

For the supposed "Monaco without walls" it definitely doesn't race like it. It's been on the calendar since 1986, is the 8th most raced on F1 circuit (tied with Hockenheim and after next weekend only two behind Interlagos) and has the second longest run of consecutive years hosting an F1 race on the current calendar (only beaten by Monza).
It's an integral part of Formula 1 history and doesn't really get as much reverence as it deserves.
 
My unpopular Opinion

In WRC i feel Hyundai driver Oliver Solberg should have stayed in WRC2 because this season was really difficult for him.

Even though he's young that doesn't mean he's ready to drive a Rally1 car. It's all about experience and he doesn't have full experience like the other drivers.

I don't know why Hyundai offered him a full time contract for 2022. Is it because he's a Solberg? I mean he's not like his dad Peter Solberg.

I think he should focus more on WRC2 or other Rally related Sport to get more experience for WRC to avoid more retirements like the one in Finland
 
SG_86
My unpopular Opinion

In WRC i feel Hyundai driver Oliver Solberg should have stayed in WRC2 because this season was really difficult for him.

Even though he's young that doesn't mean he's ready to drive a Rally1 car. It's all about experience and he doesn't have full experience like the other drivers.

I don't know why Hyundai offered him a full time contract for 2022. Is it because he's a Solberg? I mean he's not like his dad Peter Solberg.

I think he should focus more on WRC2 or other Rally related Sport to get more experience for WRC to avoid more retirements like the one in Finland
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I wonder if they were pressured by how well Rovanpera was doing. Both very young, but both been getting seat time in rally cars for around a decade.
 
Jimlaad43
It's taken a while for me to realise this...

...but the Hungaroring is an absolutely awesome race track for F1. Somehow, despite being all corners with a long final turn that makes it really hard to follow through, we get some of the best racing of the year there regularly since like 2014. Turn 1 is a great hairpin for divebombing, which still allows for different lines to work on the exit into a Turn 2 which both the inside and outside lines work through. Turn 3 being right after it in the other direction makes drivers have to commit to their exit choice from 2 or be massively screwed down the next straight, where Turn 4 is one of the most committed corners to try and go side-by-side through. We see some of the best wheel-to-wheel action in the season at this track.
It's just that the straight from 1-2 and 3-4 could both do with being an extra 100-200m longer because they just sometimes aren't long enough.

For the supposed "Monaco without walls" it definitely doesn't race like it. It's been on the calendar since 1986, is the 8th most raced on F1 circuit (tied with Hockenheim and after next weekend only two behind Interlagos) and has the second longest run of consecutive years hosting an F1 race on the current calendar (only beaten by Monza).
It's an integral part of Formula 1 history and doesn't really get as much reverence as it deserves.
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Other than needing high downforce it's nothing like Monaco, and as a classic circuit it's technical but in an organic way, built into the geography; as oppose to all the modern Tilkedromes just being a mindless mess of hairpins and esses.
 
The first half of the Hungaroring is great, the middle section is terrible. Turns 6-9 absolutely kill it. If you straight lined from turn 5 to turn 9 and bypassed the 6-7 chicane that might make the second half of the track watchable but of course, that would be too fast and dangerous.
 
I think its great that the rule change in F1 has led to a shake up of the top order. I'm a Ferrari fan, but its nice to see someone else winning. I've been watching since roughly 1999 so have seen teams dominate.

I don't get why there is such a big 'ohhhhhh Mercedes have built a bad car, poor Mercedes, poor Hamilton, lets change the regs or open up more development for 2nd / 3rd and so on...' They still have the 3rd or 4th fastest car, last season was so tiresome hearing people bleat on about Mercedes, there were still teams behind them so when you call the Merc car a dog what does that make the teams behind them?

Merc have built a car thats not the class of the field and it is great to see, 2014 was a joke with the advantage they had and due to rules in the first part of the hybrid era the other couldn't make massive developments to catch up. Now with the cost cap and limited WT and CFD etc hopefully Merc will feel the pain the other teams have felt trying to catch them.
 
United6694
I think its great that the rule change in F1 has led to a shake up of the top order. I'm a Ferrari fan, but its nice to see someone else winning. I've been watching since roughly 1999 so have seen teams dominate.

I don't get why there is such a big 'ohhhhhh Mercedes have built a bad car, poor Mercedes, poor Hamilton, lets change the regs or open up more development for 2nd / 3rd and so on...' They still have the 3rd or 4th fastest car, last season was so tiresome hearing people bleat on about Mercedes, there were still teams behind them so when you call the Merc car a dog what does that make the teams behind them?

Merc have built a car thats not the class of the field and it is great to see, 2014 was a joke with the advantage they had and due to rules in the first part of the hybrid era the other couldn't make massive developments to catch up. Now with the cost cap and limited WT and CFD etc hopefully Merc will feel the pain the other teams have felt trying to catch them.
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The most annoying thing about it is that when Mercedes were dominant, the discussion from Mercedes/CultLH was “oh sorry, do a better job on your car.”

Now that the tables have turned, it’s “poor Mercedes, woe is life, you all cheated, this is dangerous, change the regs”
 
WiisardNic
The most annoying thing about it is that when Mercedes were dominant, the discussion from Mercedes/CultLH was “oh sorry, do a better job on your car.”

Now that the tables have turned, it’s “poor Mercedes, woe is life, you all cheated, this is dangerous, change the regs”
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That was hilarious, but I still think Mercedes are in their own league when it comes to this. The drivers and Toto are kind of bad for it too.
 
Veinz
Mercedes has the most cringe inducing PR people out of all the F1 teams, jfc.

sad violin noises
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The use and abuse of social media is part of a self-created problem. I would love to have seen McLaren's PR when they stopped being competitive in 1994 had the same media been available.

A forum for engaging in discourse to resolve our competitive vitality.

We are experiencing pain. In an expedited manner the source of our performance deficit has been determined and our engine partners have been made aware of the full extent of the situation. It is not an ideal situation to have lost not one but two potential World Champion drivers but we firmly believe that Mika and Martin can take Marlboro McLaren, and Peugeot, into a theatre of performance relative to that of our competitors.

Ron Dennis, CEO McLaren Group
 
Oh man, to hear how some of those backmarker teams from Minardi on down would have handled social media.

Giancarlo Minardi: yeah, 24th but 26th on the grid tomorrow...who wants some espresso?

Henri Julien: well, one car on the grid every other race is cause for celebration; stop by for a three-hour lunch!

Life: the airport lounge is nice, even on Saturday mornings
 
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Pupik
Oh man, to hear how some of those backmarker teams from Minardi on down would have handled social media.

Giancarlo Minardi: yeah, 24th but 26th on the grid tomorrow...who wants some espresso?

Henri Julien: well, one car on the grid every other race is cause for celebration; stop by for a three-hour lunch!

Life: the airport lounge is nice, even on Saturday mornings
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I wonder what Andrea Sessetti's would sound like.
 
Liquid
The use and abuse of social media is part of a self-created problem. I would love to have seen McLaren's PR when they stopped being competitive in 1994 had the same media been available.
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How he might have handled 1989 is another matter.

Nothing To See Here GIF by Giphy QA
 
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Pupik
How he might have handled 1989 is another matter.

Nothing To See Here GIF by Giphy QA
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The loss of a driver who has achieved so much success with the McLaren team shows only that we believe McLaren to be a team with the greatest potential in performance in comparison to our competitors. That the loss of said driver to a rival for a financial settlement beyond what we feel is reasonable speaks volumes as to the motivations of drivers seeking employment elsewhere in Formula One.

The controversy in Japan is, as far as I am concerned, over. To hypothesise on scenarios where an alternative course of action could have been taken is redundant as to the best usage of our faculties and abilities. This is the second consecutive year in which our team has won the championship and we will review this situation in an ongoing forum in tandem with our next challenges. Our team now has the freedom to explore more efficient ways to retain a proven competitive strength without the constraints of any outside agents who are not fully committed to our methodology.

Ron Dennis, CEO McLaren Group
 
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Tired Tyres
GT3 cars are too fast for Nurburbring and should be banned.
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The rule makers could order the removal of all aerodynamic devices, making the cars a lot slower, but also more dangerous & more difficult to keep on the black stuff.
 
Tired Tyres
GT3 cars are too fast for Nurburbring and should be banned.
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The could do what they do to the GT2 cars and alter them to go slower.

Of course the GT2 cars would have to go even slower to not get in the way
 
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I don't know how unpopular this is and the tide might be turning on this opinion but at non-oval circuits IndyCar is way more exciting than Formula One.

The cars look better, frequently follow each other better and have more interesting battles.
 
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