NOW IS THE TIME FOR AN F1 REVOLUTION
• New far-sighted leadership required for post-Ecclestone era• Wholesale changes must be made for fast evolving world
The highly respected and influential monthly Motor Sport magazine is presenting a radical new vision for the future of Formula 1.The April issue – on sale today priced at £4.99 – features a striking graphic of Bernie Ecclestone with strong echoes of Jim Fitzpatrick’s famous sixties poster of revolutionary Che Guevara which has become an iconic symbol of rebellion. The accompanying cover lines are every bit as arresting – they read: ‘Ecclestone’s in the Dock and on the Rocks… Time for a Formula 1 Revolution’.Faced with an ageing audience, a growing number of teams mired in financial difficulties and increasing predictability, Motor Sport’s esteemed new Grand Prix editor, Mark Hughes, writes ‘the revolution is long overdue’. In his first major feature for the magazine, Hughes not only argues that F1 is in urgent need of systematic changes but also puts forward his own in-depth propositions for a new ‘cutting edge sport for pure racers, perfectly configured for the 21st century’.
The magazine’s far-reaching proposals include:• Restructuring of the sport’s finances to give F1 teams more return combined with the Introduction of a budget cap. This would make F1 teams less beholden to demands from commercial partners thus removing the need for technical sterilisation of the sport and pay drivers• Opening out the technical regulations to allow for greater competitive volatility• A reduced 15-round F1 calendar with grands prix only staged in countries with strong F1 fan base• Reducing fees charged to circuit promoters staging grands prix, thus reducing ticket prices• The re-introduction of a tyre war to generate more unpredictability• The end of codified driver penalties to encourage real racing• The removal of all pits-to-driver communications• Banning team PRs from circuits to encourage freedom of speech and personalities to flourish• Capped costs feeder formulae with chassis engineering freedomIn the April issue of Motor Sport, Hughes states that greed has damaged the sport, turning what was once ‘a vibrant, vivid, alive, unsettled and exciting environment where anything might happen into a predictable, codified template of commercial success where everything is uniform and conforming to the consensus’. He calls for what he terms as the ‘punkish’ element to be put back into F1 thus creating an environment of ‘constant radical change, often rebellious and unbeholden to big business’.To achieve this Motor Sport reasons that every aspect of the sport – commercial, technical and human – needs to be addressed.It demands that the FIA world governing body revisits the commercial ownership which currently sees 40 per cent of the annual estimated $1.5bn revenue lining the pockets of private equity investors rather than helping to make the sport self-sustaining. Hughes says: ‘The sport should be owned by the participants, not a third party that essentially rapes it’. To achieve this, the article maintains the FIA needs to unstitch the controversial 100-year deal that saw its previous president, Max Mosley, sell the commercial rights to Ecclestone for a paltry fee of $360 million – a similar sum to that paid for NASCAR’s commercial rights for just one year.On the technical front, Motor Sport proposes retaining the new breed of hybrid engines but removing many of the limitations thus giving engineers greater freedom to create more unpredictability. It also calls for a radical rethink on aerodynamics – together with the possible abolition of wings – to increase overtaking without the need for artificial aids such as DRS. In addition, Hughes promotes the reintroduction of rival tyre companies to create further volatility while drivers should be encouraged to race and not penalised for over-commitment. Technical freedoms should also be extended into lower feeder formulae to fuel new engineering blood.Switching to the human aspect, Hughes contends ‘F1 drivers have been tamed’, turned from ‘adrenalin junkies’ into highly scrutinised corporate ‘employees’. In his vision he wants to see them have far more inspirational roles. Drivers and team members should be free to speak their mind with team PRs banished from the F1 paddock. When it comes to the races all pits-to-driver communications – including pit boards – should be banned putting more onus back onto drivers to make their own decisions.“The future of F1 has never been more uncertain and there’s a very real danger we’re heading into the chaos of a post-Ecclestone wasteland,” warned Damien Smith, editor of Motor Sport. “Everyone working in F1 – and that includes those of us at Motor Sport – owes Bernie a huge debt of gratitude as it was he who first turned this sport into a global phenomenon. More recently, though, his controlling influence has squeezed the spontaneity out of F1 and we firmly believe his time is past. As our readers can find out for themselves, now really is the right time for a revolution.”Boasting the most experienced and informed editorial team in F1, Motor Sport always provides unrivalled in-depth coverage and opinion on grand prix racing past, present and future. Alongside the major ‘Revolution’ feature, the latest April issue puts the spotlight on the return of Ron Dennis – and the real story behind his F1 exile – as well as a special tribute to American racer Peter Revson who died 40 years ago.
