F1, stalled !

The new Formula 1 season is upon us and it was with a  great deal of excitement that I looked forward to it, to see some of the most brilliant drivers of this age pitted against each other in competitive cars. The prospect of watching the pairs of Button and Hamilton, Vettel and Webber and Massa and Alonso battling it out as team mates and potential title contenders was mouth watering . Three additional teams had joined the fray and Force India looked to become a strong midfield contender this year. If this wasn’t reason enough, a certain Mr Schumacher had decided to return with the team that won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles last year. Which F1 enthusiast wouldn’t relish the prospect of such an exciting and compelling season ahead !

Sadly, it was all over in the first race. The excitement was short lived and in my case lasted for a few laps only. What was expected to be a exciting contest between drivers has now turned into a contest between the manufacturers. It is a bit like modern day cricket, where the conditions are heavily stacked in favour of the batsmen at the expense of the bowlers’ misery. Flatter pitches, regulations, protective equipment, heavier bats and even the ages old ‘benefit of the doubt’ have favoured the batsmen.

There is no balance left in the sport. Narrower tracks, an increasing number of ‘street circuits’ have hampered bold driving styles and overtaking opportunities. Any overtaking, if it happened, was due to the disparity in the cars’ weights, aero packages and driver skill. With the new regulations for 2010, I think it is time to safely say that F1 as we knew it is dead. No longer will we be able to see bold overtaking manoeuvres, wheel to wheel racing, frantic pit stops, elaborate strategies (not the Singapore 08 type !) and, to put it simply, some very good old fashioned racing. Which F1 fan can forget JP Montoya’s daring moves on Schumi and the rest in the years gone by and more recently, Kobayashi’s stunts last year at Abu Dhabi. It appears that F1 has stalled this year just when it was meant to accelerate away.

Personally I feel that there was nothing wrong with F1, until they brought in all the changes that is. F1 has always been at the pinnacle of motorsport, pitting both man and machine against each other leading the best combination to the top pedestal. It was a victory of both man and machine. Lately, it seems that the focus is just on the machine and the man has been forgotten in a world of eco-consciousness and corporate power struggles. The fun and thrill of seeing a human versus another has taken a back seat. Sunday’s race at Bahrain was testament to that. I had been waiting for this weekend, salivating all over at the prospect of seeing a good race but after the first few laps, I stopped drooling. My mouth got parched and I felt dehydrated. It felt as if the whole process had just got into reverse gear. The drivers had settled into formation, much like at Monaco, and it was the same train from start to finish, unless ofcourse, somebody crashed out or had mechanical issues. Barring a few exceptions the standings after the race mirrored those of the qualifying session. If I had the sensibility to understand this earlier, I would have just watched the qualifying session and not bothered watching the race ! I understand the importance of Monaco on the calendar and why drivers hold it in such high regard, but please spare a thought for the paying spectators and us television audience. We like to see good driving, racing and overtaking rather than a procession of cars from lap 1 to 70. And surely, one such race in a calendar year is enough !

Apparently, the FIA don’t think so, hence the slew of new changes. With the old system, atleast the refuelling left an element of suspense about each team’s strategy. With different cars running different fuel loads, we expected a frantic dash by some, a more sedate drive by others. We got to see overtaking not just at the first corner but many more times in the race. Pit stops made for exciting points in the race as that was where some of the strategies unfolded. The drivers could race at full tilt knowing that they don’t have to preserve their tyres and save them till the end of the race. Track positions changed hands frequently and as demonstrated last year, the final standings were not a replica of the qualifying sessions !

The best things in life are the ones that are simple and the administrators are FIA need to see this. F1 had only dulled over the past few years due to Schumi’s and Ferrari’s domination. It didn’t require a change in regulations to be more exciting, all it needed was an even playing field. Now that we have the drivers and more than one constructor who can push for victory, I think it is time the sport went back to the starting line. Cost cutting measures, safety regulations, green agendas are all fine but not in the one sport where money, risk and petrolheads are its living embodiment. Let man and machine be one again. Give us back the racing, give us back our Forumal 1.