No worries Ian. You should have heard how much I moaned about F1 during Schumi's dominant era!
Dominant driver, dominant car, dominant team, and still the team principle (Todt) manufactured results. He (almost) completely screwed the life out of the business (I won't call it a sport).
It took me a while to appreciate that that in this time we were witnessing one of the great associations of the business/sport. Top driver, coupled with a top designer, top stragegists and a budget for endless testing and tyre development. That success didn't come overnight but when it did the planets were aligned for some time. I never liked though the manipulation by Todt at that time, and of course, now recent history shows us that Ferrari even had an FIA sanctioned veto agreement on any developments any other team might have.
That truly was obscene.
Arguably Red Bull are almost on that path now, but the dice are considerably more loaded against it. Newey hates the rulemakers and his continuance in the business/sport will be limited as he sees the rulesmakers removing his technical licence to be innovative. And there is the dichotomy. The 'sport' should be the pinnacle of automotive development, but it has to be reined in to keep it as a 'sport' and not a technical excercise or 'arms race'.
Pit stops are and always have been part of the race, but I hate to think of the time and money wasted on computing all the variables that are involved today. For me there are too many stops. which serve only to confuse and confound spectators and viewers alike. This turns the race into a series of sprints, which I don't entirely like, but of course, does keep it 'entertaining'?
I still remember those '80's bores with Prost just droning on almost a lap ahead of everyone.
I honestly don't know what the answer is. Ever since Chapman came out with the Lotus 78 the sport has hurtled down a path to aerodynamic oblivion. Then Lotus started using active suspension. Is it all their fault then? Of course not, but the rule makers never got to grips with it then and they never have since.
I don't blame the manufacturers. they come and go as they please much like in all fields of racing. What they do though is flood the business with development cash for a time which distorts the status quo.
The counterpoint to this is NASCAR I guess where rules and design is strictly managed. It is a drivers championship but most races here are often won in the pits and by strategy. Not so different then really, but a lot lot cheaper and massively successful!
Despite everything I remain encouraged. Budgets will come down and hopefully manufacturers will only remain in the sport as drivetrain suppliers ultimately. Perhaps like in the NFL, teams should be allowed an 'engine' pick instead of the draft pick and the manufacturers involved must all supply an equal number of teams. But that would have to be voted in unanimously and one team wouldn't agree. probably the Red one.
If there is a good model maybe the DTM provides it. Mercedes and Audi have consistently had a tremendously open battle for the last x years since Opel left. Until last weekend Audi were leading the championship with a driver in a 2 year old car! Now they have to accomodate BMW in 2012, which I am sure they will because they know it is in their best interests to do so.
Don't see Ferrari ever being allowed in there!
Bernie will go one day and then............what? Will it still be F1 or will Bernie by then have F'd every1?????????
No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012
(lights blue touchpaper and retires!) 
Not fantastic news to THIS F1 fan. I've said before, the BBC coverage of GPs since they took over from the commercial channel has been superb and it's a crying shame.
