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[QUOTE="Galahad, post: 6259, member: 29"]
It's very difficult to pin down what the "spirit of F1" is, and different fans always have different views on which proposed changes accord with the spirit, or go against it.

It's a business now, even more than it is a sport, and as a result it has to try to appeal to a wide audience. In the past many gimmicks have been suggested that would make F1 more superficially appealing to casual TV viewers. Many of these viewers seem to be interested mainly, or only, in the drivers, rather than the cars, and I think a lot of the conflict - over issues including customer cars, standardisation, technical restrictions - stems from that distinction.

The engineers always call for more freedom in the regulations, but they have their own vested interests. More innovation is a good thing, but it can often lead to dominance by one or more teams, increased costs and safety issues. Arguably, whatever rules framework you choose, one team can always do a better job than the others and forge an advantage. I don't know whether that can ever be eliminated.

The FIA has drawn a line between "driver aids" and other technologies, and I think that is probably the right approach to take. Where you draw the line can be debated endlessly, though.

P.S. Definitely second the comments about F1 News - terrific magazine. Some very esteemed contributors too - Saward, Constanduros etc. - much missed.
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Verification

Which driver is the fake "winner" of the 2021 F1 WDC?