Autosport – 01 August 2019

PIT + PADDOCK OPINION

14 AUTOSPORT.COM 1 AUGUST 2019

id a thrilling German Grand Prix give us a

tantalising glimpse of where Formula 1 could

be in 2021 and beyond if the rules play out as

the FIA and Liberty Media intend them to?

I’m not suggesting that we’ll see chaotic

pitstops, multiple safety car periods and cars skating across

slippery runoffs every weekend. What Hockenheim did achieve

was to remind us that this sport is not just about the three

pacesetting teams, with a cast of supporting players fighting

for what we’ve all come to describe as the ‘midfield’ honours.

At various stages of the race, cars from Alfa Romeo, Haas,

Renault, Toro Rosso and Racing Point ran in the top three.

Of course, it was all down to the rollercoaster impact of tyre

choice for the prevailing conditions, and the attrition among

the regular pacesetters creating a void at the front.

In the end, pure performance – in terms of both drivers and

cars – paid off, and the top two finishers were guys who could

have made the podium on any given Sunday. Nevertheless, the

fact that teams other than Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were

able to play a starring role, and the destination of that third

podium slot became a major focus, added immeasurably to

a fantastically entertaining afternoon.

And that is at the heart of what the sport’s bosses hope to

achieve in 2021, when the key target is to close up the field and

do exactly what happened in Hockenheim – give teams from

outside the established frontrunners a genuine shot at a podium

finish and, if random circumstances allow, even the odd win.

A dire French GP in June sounded a few alarm bells about

the current state of the sport. Fortunately, Paul Ricard was

followed by exciting events in Austria and Britain, even before

the German rain created last weekend’s spectacular show.

“It’s the best possible response to the unfortunate criticism

the sport received after the French GP, some of it surprisingly

vitriolic,” F1 boss Ross Brawn wrote this week. “Not every race

can be at this level, but there are enough to make this the greatest

motorsport series in the world.”

Hockenheim was a reminder that there are a lot of good things

in the current format. However, as Brawn also readily admitted,

not everything is perfect. We can’t rely on divine intervention in

the form of rain a couple of times a season, and, in an age of social

media rants, short attention spans and massive competition for

leisure time, we have to accept that people now want to see the

best show possible every weekend. So change has to come, but

without compromising the core values.

“Wet races always create chaos, and chaos is something that

can be very entertaining,” said Grand Prix Drivers’ Association

director Sebastian Vettel on Sunday evening. “We know that,

we’ve seen it many times.

“But I think the job to do is that we make sure that we string

the field together more in dry conditions when we have normal

races, in order to put on a better sport and for us to be able to

race each other harder and longer throughout the race. That’s

the objective for the future.

“The DNA of the sport is correct, it’s the same DNA it had

50 years ago, so I don’t think that needs changing. I don’t think

you change football, the size of the goal or the amount of strikers,

just because one match has been less entertaining. I think keeping

the rules as they are, the format as it is, is the right way to go.

There are some big things that we need to correct in order to

have the right impact.”

In June the deadline for the 2021 rulemaking process was

extended until 31 October, with the laudable aim of ensuring

that it is conducted and concluded as effectively as possible.

However, as the ongoing Brexit saga shows, the inevitable

outcome in such circumstances is that Parkinson’s law comes

into play, and the job expands to fill the time available.

Last month, a productive 2021 meeting took place in Paris

featuring all the key players, including, for the first time, the

drivers, and some good progress was seemingly made. A second

gathering, held in Geneva just before the German GP, saw that

momentum stall. Opinions remain sharply divided on key

points, especially the use of standard or prescribed parts.

“It seems like we’re talking about the same issue time and

time again,” says McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “And very little

progress is made, because all the teams have stated their

position. And that’s not going to change.

“The idea that 10 teams are going to somehow converge

for the first time in the history of F1 in the next three months

is just not going to happen. So I think it’s just time to get the

show on the road.”

Let’s hope that Hockenheim serves as powerful motivation

to everyone involved of just how good F1 can be when the

playing field is levelled – and that Liberty and the FIA are

able push on with their plans, despite the inevitable

opposition from those who are resisting change.

An exciting race in Germany showed just what’s possible when the weather levels the

playing field. Will Liberty and the FIA be able to work similar magic using the rules?

ADAM COOPER

The way forward for F1?

“Hockenheim was a reminder

that there are a lot of good

things in the current format”

D