Is it all staged?

[RGambo]

So after watching this weekends episode of F1 racing, I started to think. There are two guys in the hunt for the title, team mates, no chance of anybody else getting a look in. Much has been made of the 'new' F1 with hybrid power and much less aero, many fans have expressed a dislike and all the power brokers in F1 are staring down the barrel a bit. You've got a situation where both guys in the title race ,have historically got on very well. Easy to get them to play parts.
What to do? Well what if Bernie, has a word and asks for a rivalry to emerge, fans love to take a side. They need to take the focus off the cars and lack of competition. You need an enigmatic, natural racer. A thinker, somebody who works at his craft and a forthright team boss who will bang heads and try to hold it together for good of the team. Sound familiar?
It'll go down in history as the great Lewis/ Nico rivalry year, we'll all remember the simmering hatred and fierce competition of two men fighting out for the 2014 F1 championship.
Am I being cynical?

[Steffan]

RGambo said:

So after watching this weekends episode of F1 racing, I started to think. There are two guys in the hunt for the title, team mates, no chance of anybody else getting a look in. Much has been made of the 'new' F1 with hybrid power and much less aero, many fans have expressed a dislike and all the power brokers in F1 are staring down the barrel a bit. You've got a situation where both guys in the title race ,have historically got on very well. Easy to get them to play parts.
What to do? Well what if Bernie, has a word and asks for a rivalry to emerge, fans love to take a side. They need to take the focus off the cars and lack of competition. You need an enigmatic, natural racer. A thinker, somebody who works at his craft and a forthright team boss who will bang heads and try to hold it together for good of the team. Sound familiar?
It'll go down in history as the great Lewis/ Nico rivalry year, we'll all remember the simmering hatred and fierce competition of two men fighting out for the 2014 F1 championship.
Am I being cynical?

Seems a reasonable I question to me. The Ecclestone version of F1 is rather like the man. Not entirely straight and less interesting than in years gone by. But he s wealthy and happy(ish) and it is his sport.

[StevieBee]

I think it would be far too difficult to stage manage without giving anything away. Something or someone would slip.

[Steffan]

StevieBee said:

I think it would be far too difficult to stage manage without giving anything away. Something or someone would slip.

It has happened in the past in F1 when team orders have stopped the quicker driver in a team winning. Quite how that fits with your "difficult to manage" suggestion I know not. But Ecclestone is a very resourceful man and I have no doubt he could achieve this. It has been done in the past just as Shumacher undoubtedly benefited from illegal computer controlled take offs years ago. Sadly cheating exists in F1 and given the man at the top it is not surprrising. I cannot see this changing given the status quo.

[thepawbroon]

I would fully expect Bernie, as soon as he realised the Mercedes were streets ahead of the rest, to have had a word with Wolff, Lauda etc to ensure there are no processional races. I am talking:

- no direct team orders re: no overtaking
- putting the two on different tyre strategies when the choice is marginal
- public utterances that hint at more rivalry than there actually is.

So, while I don't think anything will be "staged" as such, I do think there will be an element of enhancing the show.

[PurpleMoonlight]

Although there is undoubtedly some rivalry between Hamilton and Rosberg, I am very sceptical it is as it is being portrayed.

After the race, when Hamilton was asked if their previous 13 years of friendship counted for nothing he tried to play it stern but couldn't help smiling and then admitted 'perhaps'.

[motco]

It did have the same feeling of authenticity that the snarling and grimacing at a pro-heavyweight boxing weigh-in has.

[Fire99]

Sticking to what is known, F1 is big business and a 'bust up' between two team mates who are both tipped as the favourites to be title contenders, is pure gold for ratings and potential audience numbers.

Interesting that with some other attributes (Engine Sound etc) worrying the powers at be of reduced spectators, we now have a 'juicy' situation to counter-balance the problem...

[carinaman]

It's entirely plausible given Piquet Junior nosediving into the barriers at Singapore in 2008.

[Troubleatmill]

It is a business.

The main asset is the fans.

If fans stop watching / attending then there is no corporate money for sponsorship.

It is in their interest to have something hit the news every few days.

[mez3]

Imo it is staged.

Great advertising for F1 and Mercedes.

[Rich_W]

I don't think it's staged. I don't think it needs to be.

Lewis has been having it all his own way. And Nico was better this weekend. (I don't buy the pre-meditated angle. He was just pushing too hard, made a mistake and the media pounced on this to try and spice it up) And Lewis gets grumpy easily about stuff like this. When he's winning he's great, when he's not and feels it's not his fault he gets the arse. Understandable really.

In Montreal, Lewis will win. Nico will be 2nd and they'll be back to being more ok with each other. Storm in a teacup.

This is not as bas as Piquet or Schumacher's (many) attempts to fix races.

[Crafty_]

thepawbroon said:

I would fully expect Bernie, as soon as he realised the Mercedes were streets ahead of the rest, to have had a word with Wolff, Lauda etc to ensure there are no processional races. I am talking:

- no direct team orders re: no overtaking
- putting the two on different tyre strategies when the choice is marginal
- public utterances that hint at more rivalry than there actually is.

So, while I don't think anything will be "staged" as such, I do think there will be an element of enhancing the show.

Don't believe it for a minute, he didn't do this for the last four seasons while Vettel romped away, so why now ?

Besides, so far (from memory at least) Merc tyre strategies are similar for both cars..

the "Public utterances" are the relentless media trying to make a story out of something that is barely there- they are team mates, drivers always want to beat their team mate. I don't think there is much more to it than that.

[mollytherocker]

Good question.

I certainly cannot deny the possibility. Wrestling anyone?

I am not sure that Lewis is a good enough actor though!

[RemarkLima]

I feel it's more the media going nuts about it all... Yeah, there's tension no doubt but the media appears to be the ones really pushing the Senna vs Prost thing endlessly.

[mistakenplane]

Dont think for a minute that it is staged.

However would Bernie arrange an entire season if he could? You bet!

[StevieBee]

Steffan said:

StevieBee said:

I think it would be far too difficult to stage manage without giving anything away. Something or someone would slip.

It has happened in the past in F1 when team orders have stopped the quicker driver in a team winning. Quite how that fits with your "difficult to manage" suggestion I know not. But Ecclestone is a very resourceful man and I have no doubt he could achieve this. It has been done in the past just as Shumacher undoubtedly benefited from illegal computer controlled take offs years ago. Sadly cheating exists in F1 and given the man at the top it is not surprrising. I cannot see this changing given the status quo.

There's a difference (IMO) between team orders and a stage-managed race or championship. One might consider team orders to 'contrive' the outcome of a race but these tend to be strategic or tactical decisions rather than the stimulation of entertainment, something that team orders tend to snuff out anyway.

[RGambo]

I don't think the racing is staged, just the way the drivers are interacting with each other. Very dull to watch two drivers dominating and getting along. Much better for those drivers to build up some niggle and rivalry. Otherwise this year will soon be forgotten as nothing more than one team domination ( which it is)

[Jasandjules]

If it was staged we would not have had the Schui dominance nor the Vettel dominance, both of which were for years at a time.

[Troubleatmill]

It is not staged.

It is embellished.