Yeah. As Hammo put it after the race...
the cars are awesome to drive when you're on your own, and crap for racing

Good explanation here for the changes being brought in for next season to try to improve overtaking:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/technical/2018/6/tech-tuesday--2019-f1-rules-spice-up-racing.html

Cliffs instead of run off areas?

i think even 2 stops mandatory would encourage drivers to push more. I don't think the problem is that the tyres don't wear out, so much as teams/drivers prefer to drive within the tyre to make it last longer to do just 1 stop, knowing it's quicker overall than pushing harder and doing multiple stops - especially when following/overtaking is now so difficult.

making tyres softer/wear quicker doesn't necessarily fix it as monaco showed - they'll just go even slower to make the tyres last longer.
unless they can make the tyres where they will burst after 20 laps regardless, but will perform better the faster you go, teams will nearly always choose to go a bit slower to make a tyre last longer.
and/or bringing back refuelling might add more strategy to it too.

but ultimately they need to fix following/overtaking, otherwise track position is so important teams will just cruise around as slow as possible to minimise pit stops

Great link Ram, I'm glad they listened to me about simplyfying the front and rear wings it's been a bug bear of mine for a while now

Have concerns about DRS though, especially combining it with the simplification of the wings. I hate artificial ways of staging overtaking and I have fears that it could go the other way and turn into an overtaking fest with little required skill other than being within a second of the driver infront.

They need be simplyfying things not over complicating stuff. For the record I'm also against enforced pit stops and mandatory use of two tyre compounds.

Tyres are complicated and I'm not sure whether going back to one compound may improve matters or not. Different compounds do offer nice strategy play outs but in recent years I think they have nullified much of the racing as Bob highlighted.

Anyway I'm waffling, change is good, just hoping that they don't take on too many changes and neutralising the benefits.

I like Alonso but it was stitched up for him to win it.
He was driving for the only factory LMP1 factory team (which is hybrid). Interesting fact found from BBC Sport website- non hybrid LMP1 cars aren’t allowed to lap quicker than hybrid LMP1 cars. If they do, they incur stop/go penalties. They also have other penalties which put them at a disadvantage. Basically, Toyota barring a breakdown were guaranteed to win the LMP1 category. They are the only manufacturer and only hybrid in class. Farce really.

It’s nothing like the achievement of graham hill back in the day.

Thing is they were always likely to get it right eventually...and for all the complaints about the engine, it's not like it was so utterly terrible last year that they were dead last every race...they were basically where they are now.

Without wanting to go anti-Alonso, it would be interesting to know how much (if any) influence he had on the engine change, whether it was him pushing for it or Mclaren just flapping and trying desperately to keep him.

Presumably they have been sandbagging so as not to embarrass all of the other teams with their superiority.

I hope that this decision works out for Red Bull although it makes Ricciardo's future all the more interesting...

Bring back Whitmarsh!

Actually someone was saying over on Planetf1 that they don't need the engine money or the money from finishing in the championship as the car side is now so profitable it can invest and shore up the F1 racing division indefinitely.

Sounded like bull to me but they did provide some kind of link.

Dinostar77 wrote:

Funny you should mention whitmarsh bob, he was approached by a group of people from mclaren who want him back in charge

Yeah I saw that. I thought it was hysterical cos in my humble opinion it was him that was the root of the problem.

Bring back Bring Ron!

For all the failings under Whitmarsh he always came across as a thoroughly decent bloke. I liked listening to him as much as I enjoy listening to Toto Wolff, honest opinionated and open to answering tough questions that others would sherk.

Apparently McLaren have offered Ricciardo £15 million a year to drive for them next season.

Sorry, I should have said 'drive'.

He’s not going anywhere