Yes, yet another take on how to "fix" F1... 
I put "fix" in quotes because I'm not 100% sure I'd say F1 is necessarily "broken"...yes, there are serious problems that need to be addressed for the sake of the long term health of the series, but I also believe there is lot of extra noise & criticism piling on from people who are frankly not part of the core F1 fanbase which I think creates the illusion that things are worse than they actually are.
With all that said...here is my take on the 2 potential routes I think should be taken on the cars themselves to "fix" F1. I think they need to choose between:
1) Let the engineers go wild. Keep the downforce high; simplify the engine spec and let the teams go nuts building high output power units that really scream. The drivers would once again be climbing out of the cockpit covered in sweat and exhausted. Fans get to see lap records being flirted with every race weekend while feeling like they are truly seeing the best drivers in the world manhandling these machines right at the edge of safety.
2) Focus on the racing and road-relevancy. Back WAY off on the downforce and keep the engine specs relatively narrow & complex (which reflects the cutting-edge state of current engine technology). Engineers really focus their efforts on driveability, as every race weekend is producing bumper to bumper, wheel to wheel action up and down the field. These cars end up a few seconds off the lap record at any given circuit, but the fans don't really take notice because they are too busy watching the drivers jockey for position throughout the field.
Feel free to poke holes in my logic as you see fit...
I put "fix" in quotes because I'm not 100% sure I'd say F1 is necessarily "broken"...yes, there are serious problems that need to be addressed for the sake of the long term health of the series, but I also believe there is lot of extra noise & criticism piling on from people who are frankly not part of the core F1 fanbase which I think creates the illusion that things are worse than they actually are.
With all that said...here is my take on the 2 potential routes I think should be taken on the cars themselves to "fix" F1. I think they need to choose between:
1) Let the engineers go wild. Keep the downforce high; simplify the engine spec and let the teams go nuts building high output power units that really scream. The drivers would once again be climbing out of the cockpit covered in sweat and exhausted. Fans get to see lap records being flirted with every race weekend while feeling like they are truly seeing the best drivers in the world manhandling these machines right at the edge of safety.
2) Focus on the racing and road-relevancy. Back WAY off on the downforce and keep the engine specs relatively narrow & complex (which reflects the cutting-edge state of current engine technology). Engineers really focus their efforts on driveability, as every race weekend is producing bumper to bumper, wheel to wheel action up and down the field. These cars end up a few seconds off the lap record at any given circuit, but the fans don't really take notice because they are too busy watching the drivers jockey for position throughout the field.
Feel free to poke holes in my logic as you see fit...
