F1: You're in charge

RasputinLives

No passing through my dirty air please
Contributor
There seems to be a common view on the board at the moment that F1 is in the doldrums and needs change so I thought it would be interesting to get everyone's views on what they would do if it was up to then.

For this scenario you are the 100% dictator of F1 - Bernie squared if you like. You can implement any rule or regulation change you like in an attempt to shape the sport into what you think it should be. You have 100% control and nothing will be vetoed by any team or business.

So put your money where your mouth is and tell us what you would do. No idea is a daft one here as I think we'd all be interested to hear everyone's views. Maybe just maybe we can get a better view than all those stupid FIA surveys and have some good debate.

I have my own ideas but will post them later rather than in the main text.

So go on. You're in charge. Hit us with it.
 
1.Reduce engine restrictions: allow any 4 stroke engine design but keep maximum fuel allowed so teams still need to hit fuel economy targets. Increase fuel allowance for any engine that uses more than 25% production road car parts (by weight). 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 cylinders or rotary, doesn't matter as long as you can cover the distance on the set amount of fuel.
2.Spec single element front wing-50% less downforce than current levels
3.DRS anywhere on track, anytime but only for a certain number of minutes per race, with a countdown clock beside each drivers name so we know how much DRS time they have left.
4.Only 4 mechanics over the wall at any time, to slow down the pit stops so fans can follow easier
5. No matter what exact tire compounds are brought to the track, they are labeled Soft, Medium, Hard
6. Saturday sprint race for qualifying-reverse grid by drivers championship points and half distance of full race (Championship leader starts last for sprint race)
7.One spare car per team in case of catastrophic failure of one of the primary cars in first few laps. Spare car can be driven by development or spare driver only on Friday/Saturday. Primary drivers only allowed in spare car on Sunday and only if their car fails on the grid or is taken out in the first lap.
 
Well marksawatsky has saved me a lot of keyboard tapping because I agree with almost everything he's written. Especially the part about fully open engine regs.

The only thing I'm not so sure about is the sprint race, reverse grid qually but as I can't think of anything better, that will do as well.

So I'm going to say, all of the above and...

Far fairer distribution of money. A total end to odd payments based on random criteria invented to see teams buy into the ringmaster's vision.

I would also end the team entry bond and virtual franchise system. If you can build a car that meets the regulations and can get it onto the grid, you race. If you want to turn up at one race or enter all 20 you can.

Power to the people brothers !!! (And sisters)
 
Oh, one more thing.

A total end to teams having any involvement in the rule making process. If you don't like the regs **** off and do something else.

I stand to be corrected but I can't think of any other sport in the world where the players are given so much control over the game.
 
I agree with marksawatsky, and the rest of you so far.
I would also add that all tickets should be capped at £50, half price for kids, and no corporate only stands.

All cars should be supplied with the same basic engine, from a single supplier, and teams can then tweak them to get the best out of them, with a cap on the amount of money spent on tweaking. So the big teams are stuck with the same rubbish as the back street teams.
 
Ok here goes:


1 – Hire a team of the best engineers to design and build a car from scratch with emphasis on reduced aero and downforce. This car is to be tested and altered thoroughly until it is certain that they can follow each other and overtaking is possible. It will then form the basis of the regulations.

Each team is then given one of these cars and a month of unlimited testing. At the end of the month the team will have to inform the FIA if they intend to compete using the FIA standard car or whether they are choosing to build their own. If a team chooses to build its own then their entry fee is halved.

This will be the standard car for a 3 year period with unlimited development and upgrades allowed on these cars within the regulations.


2 – Engine restrictions will be removed meaning any number of cylinders or hybrid devices are allowed, however a strict control on HP and fuel consumption will be put in place.

The FIA will invest in at least two independent companies in order for them to produce F1 engines.

Any engine supplier will have a direct contract with the FIA and not with the teams. The contract will be to produce a certain number of engines which will be supplied to the FIA meaning they will supply to a specific number of teams. The teams will submit a top 3 preference of which engine they would like and these will be submitted to the FIA and passed to the engine supplier who will pick which teams they would like to supply. After this the engine suppliers can work with the teams as little or as much as they like.

The engines will be supplied to the FIA who will them supply the units to the team at random ensuring that all engines are produced must be the same.

The teams will pay the FIA for the engines and the FIA will then pay the supplier. This will ensure the FIA are able to assist any teams not being able to afford their bill and make sure the engine producers are always paid on time.


3 – Tyres. At least 3 tyre producers will be tendered for and asked to produce a Hard tyre that might possibly make a race distance and a Soft tyre which is built for speed but not to last. Like the engines the tyre companies will be contracted to the FIA and not the teams. Distribution will work on a similar draft preference scheme.

The compulsory tyre change rule will be scrapped


4 – Fuel. All cars will be fitted with a fuel tank which could at a push do a race distance. Refuelling will be allowed but not compulsory


5 – Testing. Whenever possible a full days testing will take place on track the day after a Grand Prix using only the development drivers. This will be free to enter for fans

6 – An effort will be made to increase the grid to 15 teams. Hopefully the prospect of being able to be supplied a car that should be reasonably competitive and not miles off the pace should attract some of the bigger names from the lower formula to enter in the top tier.

26 will still be the limit on the gird meaning the pre-qualifying will be reintroduced and will replace Practice 3. This will take place on the Saturday morning and be a 15 lap sprint race. The race will feature the bottom 14 drivers from the previous race result with the previous 16th place being on pole and so on. The top 10 drivers in the race will get through qualifying for the afternoons qualifying session.

The bottom 4 drivers will be permitted and extra hour practice session at the next grand prix which will take place on the Thursday.


7 – F1TV will be born which will provide free coverage of the main race to every country around the world. it will also run a small monthly subscription fee (I.e. the same price as Netflix) which will allow access to all other sessions, other formula and downloadable content (documentaries etc).


8 – An attempt will be made to make the F1 calendar make such geographical sense in its journey by splitting the season into 3 sections. Starting with the Australian/Asian sections of races in Spring, moving on to the European sections of races in Summer and then finishing with the races in the Americas in Autumn. There will be an Champion for each of these sections as well as the overall champion.


9 – An attempt will be made to establish a suitable F1 friendly track from the current Le Mans lay out. An F1 race will be held at Le Mans the weekend before the 24 hour race and this will be the start of a weeklong festival of motorsport. Lower formula races will run there mid-week all leading up to the 24 hour race


I probably have more but this is already a long post that I doubt anyone has read fully anyway.
 
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I stopped reading at "refuelling to be allowed"

Yeah yeah I know. I just thought it would create more tactical options and therefore more chance of people doing different things. Taking the risk of running a full load and not stopping could pay off at some tracks whilst the short sprints could work at others. Variables create good racing.
 
Certainly agree about variables.

The trouble is, in modern F1, they plug all those variables into their computers and everybody comes up with the same answer and they all do the same thing.

Hence at every track we go to Ted tells us what the preferred strategy is.
 
In addition to what Marksawatsky has proposed, I would eliminate staggered grids which exaggerate the importance of pole position and virtually guarantee that, barring the unforeseen (increasingly unlikely, give the reliability of today's cars), the pole winner will win.
 
1. No radios.
2. Any moveable aero device only operated by driver and allowed at any time.
3. Christian Horner not allowed to speak during any F1 broadcast.
4. Teams paid on a $ per point basis, no historic loyalty arrangements.
5. Standard (simple) front and rear wings.
6. David Croft not allowed to speak during any F1 broadcast.
7. Tyres made of bubblegum like they should be (you know what I mean).
8. Gravel traps, not tarmac run-offs.
9. Ted Kravitz to just shut the **** up.
 
  • Open regs on the floor. Basically reintroduction of ground effect downforce. No plank.
  • Standard single element front wing in aluminium to cut cost
  • No DRS you won't need it if you do the above.
  • Fair distribution of money. This will bring in more teams.
  • V10 3 litre engines. With simple kers system. Then freeze the engine regs for 10 years. We need stability.
  • Free to air races in full in all countries that want it. Remove the subscription exclusive contracts. It is killing the sport.
 
Perhaps an easy design parameter for aero would be;
Wings no limit on number of elements, each element or sub element not to have a frontal radius less than 5mm, no aero element to have an an outside edge that has the capability of puncturing a tyre between or the rear of any wheel.
Ride height, unlimited, however no part of the car including aero may contact the track or kerb, however automatic devices may be fitted to the bodywork or chassis to reduce the clearance between the track and kerb, the limit of wear on these devices to be limited to a maximum of 2mm.
Engines free, no limit on cylinders or fuel type, maximum fuel load 100litres.
Tyres and wheels free, though the extremities must be within the maximum width, any number of tyres may be used in the race, qualifying tyres must be used in the race and have a life of 10 laps in the race, those qualifying tyres need not be the starting tyres, wet conditions excepted.
 
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