sepang revealed more problems

[sepang]

last week, i declared that fia has found the right formula. well, not quite. the one-engine-for-two-weekend rule needs more than just some minor tweaking, it has got to go because it effects both the cost and the show of formula one. like the one-tyre rule, this engine rule has to go.

the problem with these rules is that they are all bloody ridiculous. they were implemented because they wanted to stop ferrari's dominance several years ago. they did manage to kill ferrari's dominance, but they also managed to kill formula one. they have created more problems than solutions.

don't believe me? take my word for it, now that ferrari's dominance is over, in a few years time formula one will move back to its old formula (one engine per race, tyre changes, one tyre company, knockout qualifying without race fuel, 10-6-4-3-2-1 point system, etc). there was never a problem before, so what's with the changes?


eight cars retired from sepang. most unfortunate for williams as both drivers had to pull off the track due to failure. those who survived retirement had to race conservatively. in particular, we could see montoya, alonso, and the ferrari drivers dared not push too hard.

basically this translates to 'very poor quality racing'. who will take the risk and go all out? the fact is, nobody is going for the win anymore. because the penalty for 'racing to win' is just too great. those smart enough will be conserving their car, get into the points or podium for each race, and hope for other's bad luck.

renault is doing the best job at the moment. currently they have both reliability and speed. unfortunately i can't say the same for the other teams. besides, none of the top four (mclaren, ferari, honda, williams) even come close. and renault knows it too.

i guess i'm just disappointed. i was looking forward to a more exciting season, but just two races in and i can already foresee the final outcome. well, things do change pretty quickly in formula one. i just hope next race at melbourne we'll see a different outcome. do we really want to see a renault dominance after ferrari's?


star of the race: fisichella took advantage of the situation to take a well-deserved win. from his shit car at bahrain to a star drive at sepang, he'll pray for his fortune to continue for the races to come. it may well be the team's change of support from alonso that is causing the difference, but we'll find that out soon enough.

loser of the race: heidfeld had eight more laps to go before securing a strong fifth place finish, beating both the ferraris. instead his engine had to go and sadly retired the glorious drive. instead of getting four points, he has no point and villeneuve has two. although not his fault, but it wouldn't look too good on the year end report card.



previous posts:
sepang: engine changes dominate qualifying
bahrain: thrilling bahrain
bahrain: an exciting start to 2006


[tagged: renault, sepang, fisichella, formula 1]