Regulations breaking F1
On Sunday I joined a group of enthusiasts to watch the Hungarian Grand Prix – and what a great afternoon it was.
BRILLIANT STUFF. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) and Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) fight for position during last Sunday’s superb Hungarian Grand Prix. Picture: AFP
The weather conditions played their part in the early laps with a damp track creating havoc with tyre selection, as some competitors discovered to their cost.
Wreckage was strewn across the track and the safety car deployed on more than one occasion, but slick marshalling ensured a quick restart and we were treated to some great racing.
The last few laps were epic, with Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari leading Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, after the Englishman’s great drive from his pit lane start and the brilliant drive by Daniel Ricciardo in Red Bull, before Nico Rosberg chased down his team-mate in the closing stages.
Regardless of the slower lap times, good decisions by the race stewards meant fans were able to enjoy unadulterated racing.
Mercedes team chairperson Niki Lauda believes the sport is too controlled by complex and numerous regulations and penalties that prevent proper racing and the current generation of drivers have been disenfranchised. I couldn’t agree more.
Unfortunately we once again have “experts” looking for ways to improve the spectacle. The latest apparently involves the previously disgraced Flavio Briatore.
A Spanish sports publication reported on a meeting of the team bosses held at the Hungaroring. Bernie Ecclestone and company are calling for yet another working group, following the poor attendance at the German Grand Prix and a reported 30% drop in ticket sales for the Hungarian event.
So what can we expect from the “popularity working group?” If reports are true, they are considering a “success ballast” system. The quicker you are and the more race wins, the more ballast you have to carry. In F1’s case it would be your championship position that would decide your weight penalty.
The members are Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and Force India and it is to be chaired by Briatore. With this latest brainwave and the already accepted double points in Abu Dhabi we are, in my opinion, headed for an even bigger debacle.
To those in power: take a look at the weekend’s race and accept that less means more.
