It is clear that modern day Grand Prix racing is not what it once was. Although Hamilton against Rosberg has been far less dull than the years of Schumacher's dominance and has provided its share of thrills and spills the sport is not at its best. With new team rules coming in at the Silver Arrows and them seemingly being on the precipice of team orders it is becoming undeniable that the sport needs a shake up. So here are 3 practical ways to bring the excitement back.
Stop the Safety Car starts.
Twice this season wet races have started under the safety car.
In the past the rain that caused this was not enough to prevent proper racing and it should not be now. In Monaco, with the crowded nature of the track and no run off area, it was an understandable decision but at Silverstone it was a farce. Drivers came in for intermediates as soon as the safety car left and the race began. Conditions were tricky but they should not have been beyond the capability of the full wet tyres (more on this later). The best drivers in the world with more downforce than ever before should be able to race in the wet. Indeed the spins and collisions are what a casual fan enjoys watching and what give the following of the sport something to talk about. Especially in an era of the sport where almost the only way Mercedes might be stopped is by passing them at turn 1, a full racing start, whatever the weather is more important than ever before.
Improve the Tyres.
Although Pirelli have done what they were told and deliberately produced a tyre that degrades with the intention of adding another dimension to the sport through tyre management, it is time for the experiment to end and be classified as the failure that it is. Tyre management may be intriguing for Formula 1 aficionados but for the casual viewer, upon whom the future of the sport is dependent, cars driving as fast as possible is more exciting.
Cars should be free to battle each other without worrying excessively about tyre wear. Although tyres should not be so good they cease to be a factor, it should still be hte case that drivers who manage them better than others should be rewarded. However tyre wear should not be as important as it currently is. If drivers were free to race hard or try alternate strategies with longer stints without risking a blow out (such as Sebastian Vettel's in Austria) then the show would be far more entertaining.
This is without mentioning the dreadful Extreme Wets this season that nobody trusts (according to Sebastian Vettel). Add more durable dry tyres to an extreme wet that works and Formula 1 should recover some of the actual racing that has been lost.
Bring back refuelling
To add to the competitiveness of racing and excitement of a Grand Prix going back to refuelling where the race was a sequence of shorter sprints would be a good start. With fuel levels acting as another variable between cars races would be less predictable. Allowing drivers to go for it between stops and start with a lighter fuel load, whilst also bringing another element to strategy and adding to the unpredictability of pit stops would add intrigue and incident to the race weekend.
Purists may disagree and more radical commentators might back funding equality, engine equalisation, a draft system for drivers these 3 steps should not be overly difficult and help to provide the shot in the arm that Formula 1 needs.
