back to article Wheely, wheely mad: Petrolheads fume over buggy Formula One app

Furious Formula One fans are fed up with the glitzy motor racing contest's official mobile app, which spews out inaccurate driver information and regularly buckles on customers. Worse still, petrolheads who downloaded the app on to their Android and iOS devices were charged a one-off £26 subscription fee for unlimited access …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm?

    If you are a real F1 fan then you are either:

    At the race, in which case roaming data charges will make it really expensive.

    Sat in front of a really big telly that the wife still carps on about with a sound system that annoys the neighbours. Real time ...

    How on earth can you follow it on an app?

    1. Adrian Jones

      Re: Hmmm?

      Or sitting in front of a really big telly, watching the race, with the timing / track position on a tablet / laptop on the arm of the sofa supplying vital data.

      1. Blank Reg

        Re: Hmmm?

        Yup I used to always have the laptop running so I could see the live timing, but that was the good old days when this was provided via a Java Applet, now they use HTML for the live timing and it's crap in comparison.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Hmmm?

        "vital data" in the sense of "essential, indispensable, integral, imperative, mandatory, requisite, urgent, pressing, burning, compelling, high-priority, life-and-death, of the utmost importance" data?

        Just asking. It's sunny outside, I think I'll ride my bike. Enjoy your sport.

        1. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

          @AC Re: Hmmm?

          "vital data" in the sense of "essential, indispensable, integral, imperative, mandatory, requisite, urgent, pressing, burning, compelling, high-priority, life-and-death, of the utmost importance" data?

          My my, aren't you a pedantic little twat.

          Just because something is considered "vital" to one person does not mean vital to everyone. Stop being so literal.

          Just asking. It's sunny outside, I think I'll ride my bike. Enjoy your sport.

          So what? Not everyone likes what you like, and you don't have to like what anyone else likes. Get over it. Why are you even commenting here?

      3. Conor Turton

        Re: Hmmm?

        What is really sad is that Sky have been doing this superbly on laptops and tablets for over a year.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Hmmm?

          I've been following F1 for a long time, well over thirty years.

          I certainly agree that the timing program being crap is not a good thing. I'd even go as far as saying that it should work and it should be free to open the sport to more people.

          However, it's hardly essential. I can easily follow races without it, I'm never confused about who has won and why. You can get a good idea of how people not being shown on TV are doing by keeping an eye on the gaps between the cars, which are generally displayed on TV. Yes, sometimes it's frustrating when the TV director cuts to some C grade celebrity instead of following the action but these days the coverage tends to follow the action and we'll watch a fight for fourteenth place if nothing is going on at the front.

          Anyway, I'm not saying that we shouldn't complain and nor am I denying that some people would enjoy having a working timing program, I'm just trying to add a sense of perspective to the overall experience of being an F1 fan.

        2. mrfill

          Re: Hmmm?

          BBC live races also seem to be able to manage proper live timing. Free.

    2. Tom 38

      Re: Hmmm?

      How on earth can you follow it on an app?

      I don't buy the app any more, partly because the app being shit is not a new thing, but mainly because F1 is less interesting (you didn't know who was going to win or why), and the reasons are simple - the app gives you data which you can follow to see what is going to happen. Watching on TV just lets you know what the excitable gents in the commentary box think from the TV footage that the event producer thinks is worth showing on TV at the time.

      It doesn't tell you where the other cars are, it doesn't tell you what sector times the guy in 14th who has just put on the soft tyres has, or allow you to infer what would happen if the guy in 2nd did that right now. If you're a fan of a team other than the ones currently on top, you can track what they are doing, how their sector times compare to their best, when they should be coming in to pit, what tyre they should put on, will they be switching to a different strategy...

      The app can be used to follow a race, if you can't watch it in any way, but mainly it is a way to better enjoy the experience of watching the race by giving you more data. When I did have the app, I never used it if I wasn't also watching the race.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Hmmm?

        You totally nailed it. But I gave up using the app last year when it became apparent that having droves of information was actually only useful if said information was accurate and timely. That app freaked out on me several times per race, I wasn't going to pay even more for it.

        Now they've parked 70% of the races behind the pay TV blockade, it's harder than ever to maintain interest.

  2. Kane
    Holmes

    The Ecclestone Effect

    As Reg reader Jules told us, "this year, when the free service was taken off the official F1 site and the subscription went up to £26, we assumed great things were afoot".

    Yes, that's right, great things are afoot. Bernie knew he had a massive tax bill incoming and wanted to squeeze a few more quid out of the viewing public!

    1. Rol

      Re: The Ecclestone Effect

      It used to work flawlessly, then it required a little teasing...

      Now it seems nothing short of a hard spanking while dressed in leather will suffice.

      Oh the app! Sorry my mind was drifting.

      1. Rampant Spaniel

        Re: The Ecclestone Effect

        So Max is in charge of it now then? ;)

  3. Cliff

    £26 upfront...

    So why fix it? We've got your money now.

    1. Tom Chiverton 1

      Re: £26 upfront...

      You can claim a refund on Google purchases wihtin a few days, can't you ?

      1. Cliff

        Re: £26 upfront...

        I think the window is in terms of minutes, not days. It used to be 15 mins, but I believe they quadrupled or octrupled it to a still short window.

        That said, if you return the app under SoGA in the UK, I'd fancy your chances.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Grand Pricks

    The clue is in the title.

  5. Uberseehandel

    Techno-wannabees

    Contrary to popular opinion, F1 is not a technology hothouse, the performance of the app is on a par with that of the cars, and some of the drivers.

    The technology transfer from the LMP1-Hybrid class at Le Mans is much more relevant and less chaotic, and the racing is knife edge.

    1. messele

      Re: Techno-wannabees

      That's weird since the KERS system in LMP-1 Audis is actually the old Williams inertia system that they abandoned in F1 years ago.

      Vorsprung Durch Bullshit...

      1. Uberseehandel

        Re: Techno-wannabees

        You miss the point - it took GKN and Audi to make the energy recovery system work - Williams gave up on it. Now it is being deployed to Audi passenger cars, and there are other competing technologies in the LMP1-Hybrid class.

        I think your prejudices are showing

        1. The Real SteveP

          Re: Techno-wannabees

          Actually I think your prejudices are the ones showing -

          WilliamsF1 developed their own flywheel-based KERS system but decided not to use it in their F1 cars due to packaging issues (size and weight of the system), and have instead developed their own electrical KERS system. However, they set up Williams Hybrid Power to sell their developments. In 2012 it was announced that the Audi Le Mans R18 hybrid cars would use Williams Hybrid Power. In 2014 Williams Hybrid Power was sold to GKN, and Williams said that the decision to sell the company then was that Williams was not able to produce the technology for the mass market - Williams is an R&D company, not a mass-production one.

          What that means is that Audi were using it for two to three years whilst Williams still owned it (and the reason Audi used it was because it already worked), and GKN bought it to take it to mass production, which they have done.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    At least it's easy to patch the live web site to look half decent, with this Greasemonkey user script :

    https://gist.github.com/tomchiverton/0e2f044b1eb42d1f2641

  7. werdsmith Silver badge

    The app downloads for free but is limited function. The premium upgrade is £19.99. Or a subscriber can choose to pay for a month for £2.29. Not sure where the £26 number comes from.

    Still £19 more than it should be though.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I think the "£26" is a mix-up between the Pound and Euro pricing - essentially they charge £20 or €26. Either way, it's a complete ripoff for a non-functional POS.

  8. Graham Marsden
    Thumb Down

    Wow...

    ... I didn't know they were equipping F1 cars with airbags now...

    ... or passenger seats, or in-car entertainment systems, or standard seatbelts, or aircon or...

  9. BongoJoe
    Coat

    ...or steering wheels on the wrong side.

    Anyway, the app isn't frozen. It's just waiting for someone to overtake...

    1. PNGuinn
      Trollface

      @BongoJoe

      You mean " It's not dead - it's restin'" (presumably for the Norwegian Grand Pricks).

  10. therealmav

    Perhaps the app is just resting

    Maybe the app isn't dead, its just spent another sunday afternoon watching the dullest sport on TV and has gone to sleep.

    1. Sandtitz Silver badge

      F1 the dullest sport on TV?

      F1 races sure are boring especially if one team is dominating and that's been the case for the last 5 years or so, but baseball is hands down the dullest sport on TV with cricket tied to second spot with any car race on American oval circuits.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: F1 the dullest sport on TV?

        I politely disagree.... golf is in the number one spot and tied for first place with watching paint dry.

        1. Martin

          Re: F1 the dullest sport on TV?

          As always, it's a matter of understanding.

          I just don't get baseball. I don't even understand the rules. So, to me, baseball is boring on TV.

          But I get cricket and I understand the rules. So I enjoy watching it.

          I used to enjoy watching "The Master Game" which was chess on TV. But I can well understand why others would find it mind-numbingly boring.

        2. BongoJoe

          Re: F1 the dullest sport on TV?

          golf is in the number one spot and tied for first place with watching paint dry.

          It would be if golf were even a sport.

      2. Naughtyhorse

        Re: F1 the dullest sport on TV?

        <cough> 20 years or so <cough>

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Anyone completed the F1 Drivers survey here...

    Just like the app it does nothing for me. Click on survey and nothing happens. A day ago it at least said we're upgrading our servers...

    http://gpda.motorsport.com/

    1. A Non e-mouse Silver badge

      Re: Anyone completed the F1 Drivers survey here...

      I'be managed to complete it fine. It's quite long, but it does allow you to comment on most aspects of F1. The only thing it doesn't allow you to comment on is Bernie sucking so much money out of the sport.

      1. Uberseehandel

        Re: Anyone completed the F1 Drivers survey here...

        Well I found it a pretty dire effort. Every single question was multiple choice. The answers were all pre-selected. There were no open questions.

        For example where was I able to say that they should revert to V-10 Normally aspirated engines, with mechanically driven valve gear (not pneumatic) offering 800+hp. With absolutely no energy recovery. These would be fast, noisy and exciting, and would take some driving, especially if wings were banned.

        Whoever put it together stitched up the drivers majorly.I wonder who actually selected the format and the questions? Apart from Rosberg, I don't think many of the drivers are up for that sort of thing.

        At the sporting/quality end of the car industry it is well known that focus groups come up with dreadful ideas, so I doubt that Mercedes had anything to do with it, unless they want to bury it.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    F1 is pants...

    I'm a lifer, or was up until the last couple of years. I used to go to Monza and the UAE each year but not any more. They killed it. Indycar is vastly more enjoyable. Here's what I think is wrong... What do others think...

    * Indycar, each race is closer, literally anyone can win and that leads to a far closer championship. So why is this? I believe 3 or 4 car teams makes for better competition. Whereas having B and C teams just benefits the top guys and kills the drama.

    * Indycar: Cars are easier to pass. Push to pass appears to be much more effective and less artificial than DRS!

    * I find Nascar bland because its all ovals. However track variation from ovals to street racing in Indycar makes for interesting racing.

    * In F1 the drivers are arguably all overpaid and just not hungry enough. Maybe F1 should be more like PGA Golf, where you get nothing, absolutely nothing if you don't win. Sometimes it seems the drivers are just playing it too safe, drivers are too worried about how they look, its all about image.

    * I have some more points, but lets if there's any former F1 fans like me reading the Reg..

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: F1 is pants...

      I moved on to MotoGP for much the same reasons. The skill is extremely apparent when someone like Marquez holds onto a bike who's rear end is dancing all over the tarmac into a corner, and the passing battles are freaking awesome. It helps if you ride a motorcycle and can relate to the dynamics, but even if not, it's way more entertaining than F1.

      Oh. And how did everyone forget to pan the bland dreadful sound of the current F1 cars. MEEHH!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: F1 is pants...

        Not to mention the epic battles in Moto3 and Moto2:P

        1. emmanuel goldstein

          Re: F1 is pants...

          for my money, motoGP is where the epic battles are at.

    2. PaulR79

      Re: F1 is pants...

      F1 lost its appeal to me a long time ago. It went from an exciting sport where races could come down to the last corners regularly to a snore fest where one or 2 cars are way ahead of the rest and only a pit stop mistake or crashing would change it. I understand they wanted to make things safer after a series of high profile deaths such as Senna but it feels like they went too far in the opposite direction and took all the excitement out of it.

      They had a massive amount of technology that made the cars relatively easy to win with if you had the best available and that meant driver skill had less impact on the results. That had to go even if I liked the old Williams / Renault combo but so much else has changed that cars are going around 10 seconds slower than they did previously.

      I don't think anybody wants to see deaths in sport (at least no reasonable person) but the biggest death of all is the thrill of the race. Now it feels more like a tour of the courses with more and more pay barriers coming every year. I hated when Murray Walker left, I hated when it went to ITV but the ultimate thing was taking most of the races to a premium, premium service (Sky and Sky Sports subscriptions). Greed and currency signs flashing all over. All flash and no substance with pretty boy drivers.

      1. Graham Marsden
        Unhappy

        Come back A1 GP...

        It was a great shame the A1 GP series never worked out because it was so much better than F1.

        With only one team per country and the cars being built to a single design which you only had limited rights to modify meant that it really came down to a test of driver skill, not simply who could spend the most money on development.

        Couple that with the two races per meeting, a short sprint and then a longer event with a certain number of "push to pass" activations per race meant genuinely exciting racing, rather than, as happens with F1, I put the highlights on and work on my computer next to my TV until the commentators get excited, then I look up to see if anything interesting has happened...

    3. Naughtyhorse

      Re: F1 is pants...

      I came to the conclusion years ago that sadly the tech has completely fucked F1. and i can't see a way back.

      get rid of telemetry

      get rid of pit to car radio

      return manual gearboxes, foot clutches, no anti-stall

      drop drs

      all petrol lose this electric shite

      use all the tyres, gearboxes and engines you want

      practice when you want

      but none of that will happen, may as well add, wake shumi and resurrect ayerton.

      i still watch, with 1 eye just hoping for crashes

    4. Pete4000uk

      Re: F1 is pants...

      Not sure about the currant Indy car. But the mid 90's turbos were awesome before Tony George decimated north American open wheel racing with the 'IRL'.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: F1 is pants...

      Lost the will to watch when it became a processional that was won on pit lane strategy.

      All the tweaks and twiddles they've made with the rules have taken away the balls to the wall racing that used to happen and turned it into a statistics geek's wet dream.

      The app is just another manifestation of that.

      F1 may be a great spectacle, the sound of an F1 engine being started and warmed will I hope always make the hairs on my neck stand up and give me the most stupid schoolboy grin but that's as far as it goes, the only reason for F1 now is if I've had a rough night sleep and don't fancy taking a tablet.

      Had its day, I'd rather watch the amateurs at my local circuit.

  13. julianh72

    Bernie wonders why F1 viewer numbers are falling ...

    TV coverage is being pushed from FTA to over-priced Pay TV (in Australia, only ten races will be shown live on FTA, and they're not covering the qualifying or practice sessions; Pay TV is only available through Foxtel at $50 per month for SD or $60 per month for HD), and they can't even get their mobile app to work reliably, or link your subscription to the web-site so you can get the data stream there.

    I was promised linked app / website access for the first race in Australia; then they said it would be ready in April, then they said they couldn't process registrations which were made on the Google Play store when you buy the app, then they said it would be working in time for the Spanish Grand Prix (10 May), so I'm not in the least bit surprised its still not working for Monaco.

    I'm a massive F1 fan, but getting access to my fortnightly fix is getting harder and harder ....

  14. A Non e-mouse Silver badge
    Flame

    Bernie is the problem

    I feel that Bernie is the major problem with F1. This year, more than ever, costs in the sport have been high on the agenda and I've been amazed at how much power Bernie has in the sport and how much money he sucks out.

    Stop Bernie sucking the life out of the sport and distribute all the media money move evenly between the teams. Then the smaller teams stand a chance of putting up more of a fight to the bigger teams. (But massive credit to the smaller teams for being where they are right now) Make the prize money the differentiator between first and last, not some secretive gentlemans club.

    Oh - and someone give Christian Horner & Red Bull a slap and tell them to stop being so childish: "We're not winning any more so we want the rules changed". Pathetic.

    1. Pete4000uk

      Re: Bernie is the problem

      His one big mistake was 'selling' F1 to CVC who take a chunk of the money out of the sport.

  15. Cwrw

    The GPDA survey won't work on an iPad

    After many pages of questions you get to the submit screen - entering an email address and your name works OK, but the mandatory 'tick to accept' terms and conditions won't accept a tap. So the survey (around 20 minutes to complete) won't submit. So a bit like the modern F1 racing - it promises a lot, gets you involved and then lets you down ...

  16. MJI Silver badge

    F1 lost me when

    the BBC stopped showing live races.

    Just why do I have to pay a licence?

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