It’s a bit funny that a lot of people weren’t interested in Formula 1 before and Now see And treated one of the least competitive Formula 1 seasons in decades. Red Bull, seven races in it, has won every race, thanks to either Max Verstappen or Sergio Pérez. This trend is not like it ending early at any time, unless both people are having a bad race at the same time – totally out of the question and one reason no team has ever won every live race. next.
However, this spectacle is nonexistent, with the question of each race weekend as to who will finish on the podium. Fernando Alonso has been a pleasant surprise in this respect, and Mercedes has managed to improve this season compared to last, but no one has actually tested Red Bull and at this point, that doesn’t seem to change. change.
In some dark corners of the Formula 1 fanbase, some are wondering if the rules could be changed mid-season to create better competition conditions for the leaders. The answer is no, because it’s ridiculous, but the idea has gained enough traction for F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali was asked about it in this week’s official Formula 1 podcast, Beyond The Grid.
[Tom Clarkson]: Did the mid-season rule change slow you down?
[Stefano Domenicali]: I think it’s not fair to say that, because we can’t be seen as a manipulative sport. This is not right and not fair. I don’t envision anything, this kind of approach.
TC: The best thing you can do is keep the regulations intact and allow everyone to converge at the top?
SD: I think it’s the right approach, because the rules were changed not many years ago and so this is bound to happen.
TC: Is there anything more that can be done to help the teams at the back? Can you give them more time in the wind tunnel?
SD: This is a game changer in terms of sports, it’s not fair. F1 has always been a sport with cycles in which teams are very dominant and then several others enter the equation. Our goal is to ensure that these cycles are shorter in the future. Here’s what I mean, as a franchise owner but also a sports lover, I want to see.
Domenicali also admits that, for sure, Red Bull is dominating, but several other teams are closing in, believe it or not. The fight for all spots behind Red Bull, he said, could even be interesting to watch.
TC: When we look to 2023, it seems to me that the gap in this sector is bigger than we expected, given the new regulations that have been introduced to close the sector. How surprised are you that that happened?
SD: I think the gap is between one team and the other, while the other teams are very, very close. Red Bull has done an incredible job and this is a meritocracy job. It is true that the gap may seem large, but we need to be cautious because we know that in life, things can change very quickly. Others are very, very close if you look at the gaps. I think they did an incredible job and that should be commended. What we want to do is make sure that this gap will be as small as possible. I’m sure other teams are watching how they can keep up with their growth amid budget constraints. It will be interesting to see if the growth curve of the leading team slows down, because after all, they did better in less time. That will be interesting to see over the next few months.
Now, for the discerning Formula 1 fan, the battles for second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth place – the points – certainly their own interesting rivalry, and it makes me smile every time Alonso does well, because he and I are roughly the same age, ie old. But beyond that: nobody wants to see a procession, that’s how it feels at the moment, having only been going for a third of the season.
Not that there hasn’t been a mid-season rule change in the past – there certainly have been there was a lotfor different reasons – more than in the past, they are often done to deal with pressing issues rather than one group simply prevailing over the other.
I suppose it’s also a good education for newer Formula 1 fans who may not be used to boring rule debates or simply boring seasons, because they don’t have the self-loathing needed to watch Formula 1 in Michael Schumacher’s years. Red Bull will be this year’s construction champion, for better or worse, and even the CEO of F1 knows it, and then next year we’ll start from scratch and hope for something exciting. more taste will happen.
