Future of Formula One
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Fans and those involved in the sport seem to spend as much time talking about the future of Formula One as they do talking about the present. There is always uncertainty about the future of the sport, and disagreements about the direction in which Formula One should progress.
Formula One went through a difficult time in the early 2000s. Television ratings dropped, and many fans simply switched off. This was largely attributed to Ferrari's dominance from 2000 to 2004, a period in which Michael Schumacher won the World Championship for five years in a row. The massive commercial interests of car companies and team sponsors are also at odds with the demand for an exciting spectator sport as the drivers are encouraged to reduce risk to satisfy the funders.
Other factors include the use of driver aids supposedly taking the skill away from the driver and putting it in the hands of the mechanics. Furthermore, many of the smaller teams such as Minardi and Jordan found themselves subject to takeovers as they struggled to keep up with the high cost of the sport. For this reason many rule changes have been proposed for the future.
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[edit] The thinking behind rule changes
There are three key areas which determine changes to the rules of Formula One: increased safety, lower costs and increased excitement for the spectator.
[edit] Safety
Since the deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna in the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994, safety has been the most important motive for rule changes. The FIA see cutting speeds as essential, and it is now common for there to be a radical overhaul of the rules every few years in an attempt to cut speeds. However, designers and engineers always manage to get speeds back up eventually.
[edit] Cost-cutting
The announcement at the end of the 2004 season that Ford (former owner of Jaguar Racing) would pull out of Formula One is seen as evidence of the need to cut the cost of running a Formula One team. However, many believe that, rather than reducing costs, rule changes may actually lead to an increase in costs, as the bigger teams pour huge amounts of money into research in order to get the most out of the new regulations. This leads the smaller teams to be in an even worse position than before.
[edit] Excitement
Many would also like to see drivers demonstrate more skill on the track. Some believe that it would be silly to have road cars which are more technically advanced than Formula One cars. However, most now agree that getting rid of electronic driver aids would be a good way to increase the excitement of Formula One. The format of the sport is also a hot topic, and there is always talk of changing the format of qualifying.
More recently, the focus of changes is moving towards making the research and development that goes into Formula One more relevant to the motor industry in general.[1] Concern for the sport's image may also see changes to address the sport's environmentally unfriendly image.
[edit] Technical regulations
The desire to increase safety, improve the racing spectacle and reduce costs to help smaller teams mean that changes to the technical regulations are regularly proposed and implemented by the FIA. Unfortunately, there are often trade-offs to be made: for example reducing wings would make overtaking easier and potentially improve the racing but the wings provide a lot of space for sponsors to display their logos. Along these lines, one recent FIA proposal was to have a split rear wing. [2]
[edit] Changes for 2007
- Although the FIA had planned to switch to a single tyre manufacturer from 2008, Michelin has announced they will end participation in Formula 1 after 2006, leaving Bridgestone as the sole supplier for 2007.
- The teams finishing 5th–11th in the previous seasons' Constructors' Championship will no longer be allowed to run a third driver on Friday following a rule change. [1] The teams that finish 1st–4th are already banned from doing so.
- Engine development will be frozen from the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, with these engines being used for the whole of 2007 and 2008. This is described as engine "homologation" by the FIA. It was previously set to be introduced in 2008. [3]
- All cars will be fitted with red, blue and yellow cockpit lights. The purpose is to give drivers information concerning track signals or conditions. The lights must be LEDs each with a minimum diameter of 5mm and which are fitted in order that they are directly in the driver’s normal line of sight. [4]
- In order to give rescue crews an immediate indication of accident severity each car must be fitted with a warning light which is connected to the FIA data logger. The light must face upwards and be recessed into the top of the survival cell no more than 150mm from the car centre line and the front of the cockpit opening and as near to the marshal neutral switch as is practical. [4]
- The two Friday practice sessions will expand from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. Any team will be allowed to use two cars, which may be driven by either the two race drivers or a nominated third driver. [5]
- The engine penalty will now only apply in the second day of the grand prix weekends. Any engine change in the first day will not be penalised. [5]
- No car will be allowed to enter the pits during a safety car period until all cars are in the group following the safety car. This prevents drivers from racing to the pits immediately after a safety car is deployed. In addition, any lapped cars in front of a car on the lead lap will be required to pass the safety car and restart at the end of the line-up instead of maintaining their physical position. [5]
[edit] Qualifying
In recent years there have been a number of changes to qualifying, often designed to create a more mixed-up grid to make the race more exciting. The traditional format of a one hour qualifying session with each driver allowed twelve laps was exciting but suffered from the fact that the track was often empty for the first half of the session. The 'one lap' format (whereby each driver had one lap on an empty track to set his qualifying time with no refueling allowed between qualifying and the race) was criticized by both teams and broadcasters for being boring. However, the bosses of smaller teams liked the guaranteed television exposure for their sponsors. A revised format for 2005 using aggregate times from two qualifying sessions was also unpopular with teams, fans and broadcasters due to fans refusing to give away so much of their time on the weekend to Formula 1. The system of two sessions was abandoned mid-season at the 2005 European Grand Prix.
The current 'knock-out' system, which was first used for the 2006 season, sees a partial return to the traditional format but with six cars eliminated after each of two initial 15 minute sessions leaving 10 cars to fight for pole in a final 15-minute shootout.[6]This system has generally been well received but there are a number of criticisms that may result in minor adjustments being made to the system.
- In the final 15-minute session, cars have to start with the same amount of fuel that they will start the race on. This has resulted in the cars running constantly during the session to burn off fuel. From an environmental perspective, this is bad for the sport's image[1] but also means that the television coverage often misses the driver's fast laps.
- The system is overly complex, especially with the rules and tactics being essentially different for the final session.
- As lap times can not be carried forward from one session to another, the battle for pole occurs in the last minutes instead of being throughout the full session. It also makes it harder to see which drivers are at risk of elimination in the second session because the list shown by the television coverage typically consists of fast drivers that have yet to set a lap.
[edit] Politics
Often, politics takes precedent ahead of sport in Formula One. For many years teams have threatened to set up a breakaway series, known as Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC). In the immediate aftermath of the 2005 United States Grand Prix there appeared to be an almost irreconcilable split between teams and the FIA. Ferrari in particular appeared to be politically isolated, partly due to perceived close links with the FIA. There were many calls, particularly from Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, for FIA President Max Mosley to resign.
Ferrari became the first team to sign an extension of the Concorde Agreement to race in Formula One after 2007. Ferrari and the FIA had come up with proposed regulations for 2008 onwards. Meanwhile the other teams were threatening to set up GPWC in 2008. However, fledgling teams Red Bull Racing and Midland F1 (who were still known as Jordan Grand Prix at the time) joined with Ferrari by signing the Concorde Agreement soon afterwards.
Drivers, in the form of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association also had a run-in with the FIA. There was said to have been a split between Michael Schumacher and the rest of the GPDA. A meeting about safety between drivers and Max Mosley was called off after comments that David Coulthard allegedly made.
More recently the 2005 United States Grand Prix has been seen as a wake-up call for all sides, and there has apparently been increasing consensus between teams. There has been little mention of GPWC, with the manufacturers beginning to use more moderate language and referring to themselves as the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA). There is said to be a lot of common ground between the FIA's proposed regulations and the teams' proposals [2]. The meeting between the drivers and Max Mosley also went ahead and was said to be useful.
[edit] Future proposals
[edit] FIA proposals
Max Mosley, the head of the FIA has come up with ideas for reducing the cost, danger and technicality of the sport. New regulations and rules proposed for the future include:
- Reductions in testing time
- The introduction of standard electronic units (facilitating the scrapping of driver aids such as Traction Control)
- The return to a single tyre manufacturer
- Standard parts such as brake discs
- The return of 'slicks' (tyres without any grooves)
Team bosses and FIA President Max Mosley met in Monaco on May 4, 2004 to discuss the proposed changes; the bosses unanimously approved the plan, effective in 2008.
[edit] Teams' proposals
On the weekend of the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix, team bosses met to discuss the future of Formula One. Nine out of the ten team bosses (that is all of them, except that of Scuderia Ferrari) agreed to take part in an eighteenth and nineteenth race (ie. the French Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix) if cost-cutting measures were introduced. Normally, the teams would need to be compensated in order to compete in more than seventeen races per season. The teams called for:
- A reduction in testing to just ten days per season
- The elimination of tyre testing
- The use of a control tyre
The teams' plea for a reduction in testing to just ten days per season is significant as Ferrari, who have an advantage over other teams due to their owning their own private test circuits, are very much opposed to reductions in testing.
[edit] Fans' proposals
During the 2005 Formula One season the FIA, in partnership with AMD and F1 Racing, launched a survey on the internet in a bid to find out what the fans wanted from Formula One. The response was so huge that many fans had trouble submitting their views because the website had "collapsed under the sheer weight of users" [3].
The results of the survey showed that a massive 94% of fans would like to see more overtaking in Formula One, and only 15% thought that the sport "incorporate[d] the right balance of technology and driver skill."
To address the fans' concerns, the FIA adopted AMD as its "official technology partner" [4]. AMD will supply the FIA with a powerful computer that "could run a number of programs which would be equivalent to crews testing with two F1 cars" [5]. This will help the FIA to draw up new aerodynamic regulations for 2008, in the hope of producing closer racing.
[edit] Circuit design
It has been suggested that more Grands Prix could be run on street circuits. In the week of the 2004 British Grand Prix, a Formula One demonstration was held on a short street circuit in central London. A proposed circuit for a London Grand Prix was published, with the starting grid on The Mall facing Buckingham Palace and a complex corner at Hyde Park Corner. Such a move would have two major effects. Firstly, by including numerous famous landmarks it makes the courses more visually stimulating. Secondly, it would broaden the range of skills demanded of Formula One drivers, shaking the domination of drivers who have perfected the art of track driving.
Safety, of drivers and of historic landmarks on the circuits, remains a tricky issue. Therefore, circuits like those designed by Hermann Tilke, such as Shanghai International Circuit, remain in favour. Tilke's designs are said to encourage overtaking, due to their characteristic long straights followed by tight corners. The brand new Istanbul Racing Circuit, designed by Tilke, proved popular amongst drivers and spectators alike, and has already been compared to the great circuits. The circuit's Turn 8 (an incredible long, fast corner which has four apexes) in particular has been compared to other great corners such as Eau Rouge.
[edit] Grands Prix
Bernie Ecclestone is keen to move Formula One into new markets to improve the sport's worldwide appeal. Possible venues for future grands prix include:
New or Returning Grands Prix:
- Delhi, India [6]
- Cancun, Mexico [7]
- Astana, Kazakhstan [8]
- Marrakesh, Morocco [9]
- Cape Town, South Africa [10]
- Orchomenos, Greece [11]
- Moscow, Russia [12].
- South Cholla, South Korea [13]
- Singapore City, Singapore [14] [15] [16]
- Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [17]
- Beirut, Lebanon [18]
- Cairo, Egypt [19]
- Portimao, Portugal [20]
- Prague, Czech Republic [21]
- Gdansk, Poland [22]
- Spielberg, Austria [23]
- San Luis, Argentina [24]
In order to make room for such new races, either the number of races needs to be increased or existing races in Europe need to be removed. In the 2008 regulations the maximum number of races per year has been lifted from 17 to 20.[25] The future for many traditional grands prix is still on the line, however. The first victim of this expansion of the calendar was the Austrian Grand Prix, last held in 2003. From 2007, the European and San Marino races will be lost. The threat remains with several teams having expressed their preference for a shorter calendar[26]. In the recent past, the British, San Marino, French, Canadian, Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix have been placed under threat as attractive circuits in lucrative markets vie for a place in the Formula One calendar. This problem is accentuated by the fact that constructors need to be compensated to race in more than seventeen grands prix in one season. On February 3, 2007, Bernie Ecclestone announced a race in Abu Dhabi from 2009.
[edit] Constructors
Hyundai has indicated that it is interested in entering Formula One. [27]. There have also been rumours surrounding Nissan. However as Renault currantly has its own team and Renault owns Nissan it seems unlikely. [28]
Current agreements limit the number of teams to 12 so prospective new teams are largely limited to buying an existing team. The FIA allowed teams to apply for entry to the 2008 season in the final week of March 2006. There were 22 entries including all the current 11 (2006) teams. All the existing teams retained their places and Prodrive, a motorsport group run by Dave Richards, was announced as the 12th and final team for 2008 on 28 April 2006. Upon Richards' purchase of Aston Martin from Ford Richards may brand the new Prodrive team Aston Martin Racing (or similar). It has been rumoured that if Prodrive enters in 2008 that they would use 2007 McLaren cars with Mercedes engines.[29][30] Uncertainty remains over the form the Prodrive team will take. They were hoping to buy a chassis from an existing team but that depends on changes to regulations. So the Prodrive entry may yet be sold on but Dave Richards would almost certainly try to ensure a role for his company in the new team. [31][32]
Following are some of the other (rumoured) entries:
[edit] BCN Competicion
Backed by Enrique Scalabroni
[edit] Carlin Motorsport
Backed by Trevor Carlin
[edit] Team Dubai
Team Dubai were originally rumoured to be interested in buying Jordan Grand Prix, but have now decided to work towards setting up their own team. Their hopes are to gain technical assistance from McLaren and engines from Mercedes. Little has been heard from Team Dubai for a long time though. [33]
[edit] Direxiv
Direxiv is a Japanese investment company which is in "advanced negotiations" to set up a McLaren 'B' team for the 2007 Formula One season. Direxiv would use year-old McLaren chassis and customer Mercedes engines. Direxiv is already involved in the GP2 Series. [34] [35]
According to former McLaren test-driver Alexander Wurz, he doesn't see the potential team competing for at least 2 years, which would be the 2008 season. [36] Wurz has a race drive for Williams for 2007.
[edit] Team Eddie Irvine
Having spent a considerable amount of time around grands prix this season, former F1 driver Eddie Irvine is said to be considering a return to the sport. Initially, Irvine and his Russian financial backer Rustam Tariko placed interest in the purchase of either the Jordan or Minardi teams. However, with the Midland Group and Red Bull Racing having completed their respective purchases of these teams, Irvine is said to be exploring the possibility of creating a brand new team. [37]
[edit] Racing Engineering
Backed by Alfonso Orlean-Borbon
[edit] Team Schumacher Audi/Volkswagen F1
Strong rumors have appeared that Michael Schumacher may be working with Ross Brawn to either develop his own F1 team or possible take over another F1 team, which is believed to be Renault if that company decides to leave with the engines badged either as Volkswagen or Audi. [38]
[edit] European Minardi F1 Team Limited
Paul Stoddart who formerly owned Minardi and sold the team to Red Bull in 2005, has lodged an entry application for the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship.[39]
[edit] See also
- List of Formula One Grands Prix for complete Formula One results and season reviews
- 2007 Formula One season
- 2008 Formula One season
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Future Rules Proposed in Monoca", UpdateF1.com, 2006-12-09. Retrieved on December 11, 2006.
- ^ Bloomberg.com news UK "F-1 Plans to Reshape Cars, Have Knockout Qualifying". Retrieved on 23 March 2007.
- ^ "F1: Teams, FIA Agree on Races, Engine Freeze for '07", speedtv.com, 2006-09-18. Retrieved on October 4, 2006.
- ^ a b FIA 2006 Technical Regulations FIA.Com Article 22. Retrieved 26 September 2006
- ^ a b c Longer Friday practice among 2007 changes. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- ^ News on crash.net Retrieved on 23 March 2007
