Topic: Is Formula One In Trouble?

[MG]

Here are two articles from ITV-F1.com. One looks at the passing issue, upon which it seems there are as many suggestions as there are fans and the other involves filling the vacancy left by USF1.

Read 'em both and then let us have your thoughts.

James Allen On Passing

After a winter of feverish anticipation and predictons that 2010 could be Formula 1's greatest ever season, the uneventful season opener in Bahrain came as a massive disappointment to many fans. ITV.com/f1's James Allen evaluates whether the Sakhir race really was as bad as it seemed, and looks at possible solutions to the problem of overtaking and entertainment in F1.


The aftermath of the first grand prix in Bahrain was not what most people expected when they were giving the event the big build-up. The new rules and the way they have affected the racing have turned many people off and the hype which had been a positive force in the build-up was turned against the sport.

Instead of celebrating the start of what was billed as being the most exciting season for a generation, we have had some painful soul-searching and plenty of mischief on the part of the media. Bahrain was a ‘snore-fest’ according to many. As a commentator I know that days like that are where you really earn your stripes, keeping the interest going and looking for the less obvious storylines.

But, as with all sport, there is always the ‘what might have been’ scenario.

Had Sebastian Vettel not succumbed to a problem with the ignition in his Renault engine in the final third of the race, we would almost certainly have seen Fernando Alonso attacking him for the lead of the race, as the Ferrari was working better on the hard tyres than the Red Bull. Alonso had been biding his time and planned to attack in the final 10 laps. If that had happened we would all now be celebrating. But it didn’t and we are complaining.

The debate has centred on the predictability of the racing, due to the way the tyres work. It was clear that almost all the top 10 would qualify on the soft tyre, switch to the hard around lap 15, and then stay on the hard to the finish. Because it is so hard to pass with these cars, especially if the car in front is similar in pace, this creates a high-speed train and unless the pit crew make a mistake or you mis-time your stop, you will stay in the same position in the train.

So the result depends almost entirely on the qualifying and the first lap of the race. After that the pattern is set.

It didn’t help that the Bahrain organisers, who did an outstanding job in every other respect, added a fiddly new section to the track which spread the field out even more. That should be removed for next season – the track was fine as it was.

My website has had over 500 comments this week, left by readers debating solutions to the problem. Led by the media, most of them argued that it was the aerodynamics and particularly the double diffuser which made it so hard for one car to follow another closely enough to pass.

However leading aerodynamicist Frank Dernie argued that it is the sticky tyres and mechanical grip which spoils the overtaking – that and the absence of mistakes from drivers on gearshifts. He advocates hard tyres and manual gearboxes as the answer to the problem.

There have been calls to restore refuelling but apart from the fact that the cars are not optimised for that, with giant fuel tanks, getting everyone to agree would be very difficult. There is also the practical problem that it would be almost impossible to adapt some of the cars to have a refuelling nozzle, due to the way they have been designed.

There isn’t much room for optimism this coming weekend. Melbourne is never the most exciting race but there is often a safety car, which can shake things up a bit. I think we should give it the first four races before we rush to judgement, however.


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FIA Begins Search For New Team

The FIA has begun its search for a new team to potentially enter onto the grid next season and made clear that only squads that fit with the “overall long-term interests” of Formula 1 will be considered for selection. One position on the grid remains unfilled after US F1 earlier this month had to admit defeat in its bid to race in 2010, with the FIA subsequently confirming that a replacement team would not be granted entry for this season.

The governing body had already announced it would reconsider the issue for 2011, however, and on Friday issued a statement in which it called on would-be teams to initially register a formal expression of interest “to fill any vacancy that may exist” on next season’s grid by April 15, ahead of a full application process.  It also said that as part of the process it “may also identify one or more possible ‘reserve’ entrants to fill such vacancies”. And while the FIA says candidates will receive the full terms of the selection process and application criteria once they register their interest along with a €1,000 administration fee, it has revealed the basic requirements it will be expecting teams to show.

It says the selection process will be open to candidates who would be capable of competing in the F1 World Championship for 2011-2012 – with the two-year period of entry likely to be imposed because the current Concorde Agreement expires at the end of 2012, meaning all current teams are only signed up until then.

The selection criteria will include the technical ability and resources of the team; its ability to raise and maintain sufficient funding to compete and the team’s experience and human resources. Importantly, the FIA says it will also assess the value the candidate may bring to F1.

The FIA anticipates that full applications will need to be submitted to it by the end of June. It tells prospective entrants to expect their proposals to be subjected to a thorough due diligence process, with a final decision set for July.

US F1 had asked the FIA if it could defer its entry – which it was awarded in the first round of 2010 applications last May – until next season, but the American-based squad now has to reapply for a position should it have the funds to revive the project.

Serbian-backed hopeful Stefan GP failed in its attempt to be granted US F1’s place on this season’s grid but is now likely to be joining other 2011 hopefuls in submitting official applications in the new process.

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The second article raises some interesting questions:

A. Does the sport NEED 26 cars on track if the bottom 6 are 5 - 10 seconds off the pace? Can you imagine what the impact of all those back markers will be at Monaco?

B. If the sport is going to invite new teams, should it offer special considerations to those teams - principally in terms of additional testing time - to help them get up to speed?

C. If the new Concord Agreement expires in 2012, what is to keep the FIA from booting one or more of the teams out of the circus tent if they prove too slow? Isn't that asking people to put up a LOT of money and effort with no assurance that there will be some reward down the road?

D. Should the 107% rule for qualifying be re-instated? Mock Webber thinks so. But isn't that an unrealistic expectation to place on the new teams?

I could probably think of more, but my fingers are tired.....