Let me go back in time and regurgitate what I had to say about F1 about a year ago:
"99% of the people who are asked this question - What is Formula 1 all about?, would typically answer this way: A sport where cars go round and round the same track without any meaning or purpose. This, at the glance, may seem to be the way it is, but real F1 purists agree that sport is just a small part of F1. The real essence of F1 is all about the research, engineering and technology involved in getting those mean machines to the circuit. F1 is like a test bed for putting the components of a car through the most gruesome tests. F1 is the path through which the latest and the greatest components or features make it into normal road cars that you and me drive everyday."
Therefore, anybody who blindly asserted that F1 is just a mere sport would be subject to extreme flak from me for sure. But of late, strange things seem to be happening in the F1 scene, which has caught me wrong-footed. The recent domination by Ferrari perhaps has left FIA thinking about the seemingly ludicrous ways of equalizing competition. You can get all the gory details here.
Essentially, cars this year would be slower, a lot slower, thanks to the new aerodynamic regulations. Moreover, the new qualifying and race rules will leave the teams taking a conservative strategy. Of course, teams would find their own ways to claw back those last ounces of performance from the cars, but why have such constraining rules in the first place ? If cars get faster every year, so will there be advancements in safety features. In fact, F1 technicians would probate that an F1 car, in its all glory, would still be lot safer than a normal road car. So why not let raw performance drive the spirit of F1?
I think its high time for FIA to revisit what I think is the real philosophy of F1 (which is pushing all limits), rather than thinking of making this a fair sport. If you love F1 and are at unrest due to the new regulations of FIA, please do drop in your comments!
1 comment:
dude... arent u saying that U think F1 is all about the research - something which even the F1 committee doesnt agree with - I agree to an extent that F1 is about displaying prowess and technical superiority but don't agree to the testbed part - there are so many differences between mclaren road version and circuit car, which you know better than me :o)
so there is a fair bit of sport - the amount of publicity, ad revenue and all the other rules which apply to other sports do apply here too- so ITS a SPORT
Q.E.D.
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