Motor Sport Musings Ramblings of a racing enthusiast…

Being Bernie or: How I Plan to Make F1 Better

Under my watch, I plan to make F1 better. © GEPA

“Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-yeah. He’s got the power. I’ve got the power,” so went the lyrics of that rather infectious pop song by Eurodance group Snap! But what if say, one day I discovered that I too had ‘the power’ to shape Formula 1 in my own way?

Well undoubtedly I would probably freak out and wonder why I had been plucked from obscurity to a position of authority, before getting down to work and setting out my regulations for a better world championship - hopefully securing the long-term future of the sport in the process.

So with my regime in its infancy, let’s start with the most fundamental part of any motorsport...

The Car

Today’s Formula 1 cars look okay, go reasonably quickly and sound decent enough, so what’s wrong with them?

The irresponsible, unsustainable spending culture that encapsulates the development that goes into them, that's what.

So to help the teams from themselves, there needs to be some control over the introduction of development parts. I therefore propose that each and every team submits a maximum of three aerodynamic profiles for scrutineering before the first race – low, medium, high downforce – and only at three occasions in the season would anyone be allowed to alter any of their set ups.

Still on an aerodynamic theme: front-wings would be reduced in size and in their complexity, whilst remaining easily adjustable by the driver. Towards the rear of the car, double diffusers would remain outlawed from 2011 onwards to hopefully allow for some much needed closer racing.

Tyres

There needs to be more choice. I would try my darn hardest to retain the services of Bridgestone within the sport and the best possible way of doing so would be to try and entice at least one rival, leading to a decent tyre war and some much needed competition. To do so, I would suggest significantly cutting costs by reducing the allocation of tyres each driver receives by a third.

Under my regime, a driver would have no more than 12 sets of tyres per weekend. Four sets of slick rubber for Friday running and three for Saturday morning, leaving five for qualifying and the race. Four sets of wet tyres would also be available, but without all the fancy tread patterns that go with them.

Engines

KERS was seen as a bit of a white elephant last year. But one thing it did well was to spur on research and development in the quest for technological prowess.

Yeah ok, so it cost an absolute bomb, but just imagine what the Formula 1 boffins could conjure up if they had a rather attractive carrot dangled in front of them in the form of a totally open, power unit, so long as it ran on cleaner, non-fossil, alternative fuels.

Such technology would be able to trickle its way down to your everyday run-around, thus making the costs of engines significantly cheaper and perhaps even encourage those car manufacturers who departed in their droves to come flocking back to Formula 1 once again.

Testing

I would make at least one week’s pre-season testing off limits to the public, with only a select few journalists and photographers (hand picked by me and my cronies of course) in attendance. This would be in an effort to allow the teams to freely operate whilst not under the glare of the public spotlight and immense scrutiny. Information from this test would trickle out at the end of each day's running.

The other test sessions would continue as normal, with supply meeting demand and each participating circuit providing live timings. Webcams would also be dotted around the track beaming a live feed for those who probably should find something more interesting to do with their time.

Races

Suzuka 2005 was one of the best grands prix of recent years. The reason? Because most of the best cars started towards the back of the grid.

So, in an effort to regularly mix it up and help get around the lack of testing available for young F1 drivers, I propose each team have a rookie assigned to each driver. The aspiring drivers would then qualify on behalf of the teams' main drivers and by doing so, will gain invaluable experience under pressure and provide us with a mixed-up grid. Thus, increasing the chances of a much more entertaining afternoon's worth of racing.

Refuelling during the race would continue to be banned.

Calendar

There should be no more than 18 races per season and these should try and trot around the world in an orderly, cost effective fashion. My ideal calendar would look something like this:

Australian GP - Melbourne
Japanese GP - Suzuka
Singapore GP - Marina Bay
Indian GP - Delhi
Abu Dhabi GP - Yas Marina
Bahrain GP - Sakhir
Spanish GP - Barcelona (street race)
Monaco GP - Monte Carlo
German GP - Nurburgring
British GP - Silverstone
Russian GP - Moscow (street race)
Belgian GP - Spa
Italian GP - Monza
Canadian GP - Montreal
US GP - Indianapolis
Meixcan GP - Mexico City
Argentian GP - Buenos Aires
Brazilian GP - Interlagos

Conclusion...

Admittedly this is all a flight of fantasy and the chances of any of my hair brain ideas coming to fruition are probably very remote. But there’s some method in my madness in trying to help ensure that budgets remain feasible in Formula 1, yet don’t detract from the racing us fans sit down and watch in our droves on a Sunday afternoon.

You might be surprised by a few of my suggestions, don't be. It's my world, my rules and my Formula 1. There are of course many more detailed ways on controlling spending and improving the spectacle, and I’m sure many of you have your own solutions to help Formula 1 remain the pinnacle of motor racing.