by AndreaModa » 10 Jan 2012, 03:38
Aerond, that would work fine, you have one team in each series, so there wouldn't be a problem. It doesn't matter that they aren't tied to each other, that's up to the team owner, whether they want to run the whole thing as one operation, like MRT or Jones Racing, or like you've done, with unconnected teams.
FMecha, as far as I'm concerned, I think the limit should just be kept with the F1, 2 and 3RWRS, but if we're to have greater integration with the Indycar-style championship, the REECS, and others, then something might have to be considered. I'm happy with the limit just being for these three series.
Kostas does raise a good point that I've overlooked, but bear in mind there are a number of forum members who only have drivers, and don't wish to own a team. If we say raised the limit of drivers per member to 7 in all series, the likelihood will be that all the slots would be filled by drivers from members owning teams, because quite often they want their own drivers in their teams (something I'm not much of a fan of, but others are and I don't have a problem with it).
If we limit members to 5 drivers, then what we can have is a bit of a crossover, with members having drivers at other members' teams, for example like tommykl allowing me to run his driver Eric Swerts at Jones Racing in the F3RWRS. If we didn't have that we'd loose a lot of the rivalry, controversies and general banter which makes the series what it is at the moment. It also provides each series with balance, preventing one or two members creating a bit of a monopoly over the driver market, which could become the case if we kept the situation unchanged. Of course, team owners can make their own minds up on who to employ at the end of the day, but they can only employ the drivers out there, particularly with the introduction of the superlicense requirements that will come in for the 2015 season.
I can also foresee in the future that we're going to have issues with drivers in the junior categories with no-where to go in future seasons, because there'll be no available seats. I think we should have a maximum age of competition for drivers in each series, we already have on in the F3RWRS, so why not for the other two? It will be a shame to perhaps loose some of the characters which have built up the series to what it is today, but otherwise we're just going to have a logjam where members aren't going to want to retire their established drivers that have been there for years.
Therefore, along with the 1 team, 5 drivers proposal, I'd also like to put forward a maximum age limit of 45 for the F1RWRS, and 40 for the F2RWRS (the F3RWRS already has an age limit of 35). Therefore any driver born prior to 1969 would be ineligible for the 2014 season, and 1970 for the upcoming 2015 season, should this rule come into effect. Of the existing drivers that have their age on the wiki, this would discount only Jack Christopherson and Francois Albertini for the foreseeable future, the next down the line is Mirko Bosevic, born in 1975, and thus would be ineligible from the 2020 season onwards. Because the vast majority of the current grid were born in the late '70s and 1980s, this may have to be lowered, but that's entirely up for debate. What would need to be established however is ages of all drivers in order for this to be applied. About one third of the current grid don't have a birth date on the wiki.
That's right Eddie, that was me with the banner, Spanish GP, 2002. This pile of legal forms won't fill itself in you know...