The race today in Monza highlighted some serious issues with Formula 1 for me that have been building for a while, years for sure. Really glad Hamilton is ok, that was actually a scary accident given the routine issue that precipitated it.
That is actually the first issue, two cars contending for advantage through corners. If one driver is later on the brakes or is otherwise significantly faster than the car that is being overtaken then passing in a braking zone or with a creative line through a corner is pointless to resist and so usually the slower car will simply concede or is unable to do much to prevent being overtaken. But this year (and last year, to a lesser degree) the differences between many of the teams seems to be much less than in years past and there is such an aerodynamic performance penalty (and ego hit) to being behind another car that I feel like many drivers are getting more aggressive and inelegant in their attack and defense. It seems like cars are just so damn wide that even if two drivers are being respectful through a contended corner it has become increasingly difficult for wheel-to-wheel racing through corners, especially on long-established circuits that do not have lots of track width plus acres of safe runoff area.
Hopefully the 2022 car rules changes and new aerodynamics will go a long way to helping this situation, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The other issue that the last few weekends of racing has highlighted is the amount of manufactured and real “drama” amongst the drivers and teams. This goes beyond Max & Lewis. I feel like that with social media, Netflix Drive to Survive, limited seats for the number of aspiring and existing drivers, constructor championship standings, etc… it is getting less fun to hear people complaining and posturing about their behavior, performance, and future. Maybe having drivers stick around for so long like Kimi, Vettel, Alonso, and even Hamilton is actually not a good thing because it creates a log jam at the old-end of careers and team driver plans and such. Sure, teams want proven drivers who can perform and provide valuable feedback for car development and they also want to have a promising driver or two ready to come in when the old guy leaves, but there is a constant influx of new and exciting drivers that want to both prove themselves and that teams want see if they can deliver in the spotlight.
All of this is not a new problem, but the drama and the old drivers both seem to be stacking up.
The last thing also relates to the crash today. I have no data and have not heard any press report in-depth on this yet, but I wonder if safer cars and tracks are making drivers take more risks that is degrading the quality of racing and risking more serious accidents when they do occur. I think of how for years now doctors, reporters, and even coaches have been saying that modern American Football safety equipment has actually led players to develop dangerous behaviors. Using their head/helmet as a weapon when hitting another player, not wrapping up to tackle but instead relying on a hard hit, not keeping their eyes on their target but turning their heads or closing their eyes to prepare for the hit, etc… I love the safety improvements to Formula 1 and all auto racing over the years: HANS devices, improved crash barriers, survival cell cockpits, cockpit HALOs, improved helmet standards, virtual safety car, etc… But because the stewards are more unreliable than the US Supreme Court in delivering consistent and motivating decisions for on-track behavior drivers - and because of the issues I raised in the previous sections about the impact of getting passed on track and securing future driving contracts combined with known racing safety strides - I think drivers are more willing to play chicken with another car and hope that the other guy blinks first and if not, well then maybe he’ll take the worst of it and you’ll drive away or ultimately if you can’t have the position then neither of you will continue racing today.
The reputation of Forumula 1 is as the pinnacle of racing technology and the most qualified drivers which results in the most exciting and impressive racing anywhere. All of these issues are beginning to diminish this goal, in my eyes. As much as I can point out a handful of drivers and teams with the most blame, I think it is pervasive up and down the paddock and either encouraged or at least allowed to fester by FIA and F1’s organizers.
