Recently Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey has said the sport needs to save itself by reducing costs and simplifying the rules, a situation fans and even some of the teams have been keen to resolve for a very long time.
I personally agree with this line of thought, the spending war over the years has left the sport in a compromising situation that must be addressed, because even while F1 is the fastest and most glamorous motorsport in the world, it cannot continue to behave in this fashion otherwise it will consume itself into oblivion.
While the top teams operate on a watermarking nearing half a billion pounds a year, the small teams are struggling to be competitive on budgets five times less than that, which on the face of it is surely borderline insanity in terms of making the sport function properly, let alone fair and viable for all to operate in.
A spending war should not decide who should be a part of the championship battle each year, something must be brought into to help control this issue to allow a much more competitive race series than what we have right now.
Shifting attitudes
In years gone by it was accepted as normality in F1 that teams would come and go, some survive and some fade which is only natural. But what has changed in recent years, with the help of financial figures being published is the attitude of fans towards this.
The Manor team had to fold in the early part of 2017 due to its lack of investment and potential owners to keep the team going, but people had grown fond of the outfit especially after Jules Bianchi scored his and the team’s first points at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix.
Moments like that help make success because everyone loves an underdog story, the battle of David versus Goliath.
But when Bianchi, unfortunately, lost his life after his tragic accident at Suzuka that year, the team fell into financial trouble and struggled ever since to make headway.
Despite a relatively successful 2016 season with new owners, new car and Mercedes power unit helping the team, the liquidation became almost inevitable after Sauber beat them to the tenth place they desperately sought after due to the prize money involved for being in the final top ten constructors’ standings.
Ever since then fans across social media have felt this was an injustice due to the way the financial structure is handled within the sport. Carey is looking to make changes in this area with regards to Concorde Agreement, but has yet to go into any detail about how finances could be dealt in this new ‘partnership’ for 2021 and beyond.
Fairer Competition
Another problem the sport faces due to its own inability to manage expenditure is the competition level, in 2017 due to the chassis regulations undergoing a complete overhaul and the power units being allowed almost unlimited development, the field spread has been seen to be around three to five seconds, however despite this the leading Mercedes and Ferrari have a clear one second gap to Red Bull and a further half second to Williams and Force India in terms of outright pace.
Due to the nature of regulations that constantly shift, the spread will always grow. In years gone by, we’ve seen gaps as close as two seconds, giving the midfield teams a chance at capitalising on mistakes made by the frontrunners and securing major rewards from it.
The drivers in the midfield have already lambasted this issue and fans are again very unhappy with this scenario.
The issue is not helped by other racing series such as MotoGP, British Touring Cars, DTM and recently most notably thanks to the efforts of Fernando Alonso, the Indycar championship.
All of these categories are boasting incredible competition levels which are allowing for close racing and the ability for almost anybody to take victory, giving motorsport the aspect of unpredictability which the fans and even us the media greatly enjoy.
While we all get a thrill of a great titanic battle among to titans of motorsport like Mercedes and Ferrari, the underdog getting involved and upsetting that balance is quite often a welcome sight.
What next?
With Ross Brawn the managing director of motorsports working with the teams on technical matters to help bring the field closer together, with Carey’s vision of new ‘partnership’ with the outfits in the paddock, a brand new change in the culture of the sport could well be on the horizon.
It may take some time for everyone to accept this change, but for the good of the sport, it must be done. Liberty Media are bringing a huge breath of fresh air into F1 and already making waves just six months into their new venture.
For years the sport has been trying to sweep its issues under the rug and try to carry on as if nothing was happening while the damage was being done out of sight.
The first step to solving any problem is admitting there is one in the first place. Chase Carey and his team have certainly done that with their takeover. I for one cannot wait to see what the future may hold with the new management intent on staying for a long time to come.
