Getting fans back top priority
MOJO GONE: MODERN F1 LACKS ADRENALINE RUSH THAT USED TO MESMERISE THE SPECTATORS
Merc’s supremacy not the only reason why the sport is struggling.
Ireally enjoyed the British Grand Prix last Sunday. Perhaps it was made sweeter by the four-year extension for Silverstone to host this iconic race. The battles on track were the best I have seen for a while.
Lewis Hamilton fought Valtteri Bottas, while Max Verstappen, Piere Gasly, Charles Leclerc and Sebastion Vettel providing some real entertainment.
One disappointing aspect was the enormous time differences at the finish, with Hamilton taking victory by nearly 25 seconds from Bottas who was five seconds ahead of third placed Leclerc.
It is amazing how many lap records are falling to these hybrid engine cars, but there is something missing.
I really have to wonder what on earth the future of F1 will be.
With so many fingers in the pie it is seemingly impossible to even crystal ball gaze.
The big move to hybrid back in 2014 marked the dawn of a new era as the limited number of power unit suppliers struggled for supremacy.
The results since then show that the Brackley-based Mercedes Petronas team had found the edge with victory after victory – a fact not liable to change in the near future.
This dominance by Mercedes is apparently causing people to lose interest in the sport, but a one-team supremacy is not new in Formula One.
McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus and Williams have all taken their fair
share over the decades, so why has it now become an issue?
I do not think you can pin this down to any single factor.
It was rather a progressive change in rules and regulations and the all-important accruement of financial gain since the total commercialisation of F1 by Bernie Ecclestone, CVC Capital Partners and now Liberty Media.
There is no doubt in my mind that modern F1 lacks the adrenaline rush that used to pull in thousands of trackside fans and millions of television viewers.
The multi-cylinder engines of bygone years and their accompanying soundtrack was almost a primeval scream that led to massive traffic congestion at race tracks in the UK and Europe.
Punters streamed to circuits on an F1 weekend to experience the sights and sounds of the true apical point of motor racing.
Add to this the fact it was affordable to most, within reach of the average man’s pocket. So what happened? Fans seem to share a general consensus that the current rules and regulations are stifling wheelto-wheel combat and overtaking.
The latter, they complain, is now almost always due to DRS giving the following car an unfair advantage.
They all disagree with the use of technology rather than the drivers’ ability to affect the outcome of a race.
They are not fans of the F1 rulebook being written around the premise of improving road car technology.
All were in favour of that being taken up in the world of Endurance sports car racing.
Once again those in control are discussing the problems of the sport and one suggestion came from the FIA president Jean Todt at Silverstone last weekend.
Speaking to reporters the Frenchman said:. “The cars are becoming too heavy. If we reintroduced refueling you would have lighter cars at the start of the race and you can have smaller cars.”
Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner did not agree.
In an interview with Speed Week he said. “Go back and watch the races when we still had fuel stops. They were some of the most boring we have seen. The strategy is then dictated by the amount of fuel you put in and I don’t think that does anything for the show.”
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff agrees with Horner but believes the sport should analyse any future proposals carefully.
I am not quite sure how teams striving for greater efficiency from the high tech mechanicals will be able to measure any innovations without around 60 to 70 back room people.
Perhaps the comment from one of the ex-fans at my local echoes the cry of many.
A gentleman of advanced years. his solution was simple: “Take off all the technical gizmos and let them f ****** race!”