[Purist]

I'd like to know what Akrapovic's definition of a "proper race track is". And then, are there any of those in France currently?

As for those pushing back on the color scheme, no, most probably don't realize what it's for, and the audience that saw it this past weekend was probably several times as large as the number of people who have seen the track since the changes were made in 2001-02.

Since they no longer have refueling, provide a tire option that's competitive for the full race distance, so in theory, people could choose not to stop at all. If others wish to run the softer rubber that will necessitate a stop, then they'll have to run fast enough, and overtake if they're not in the lead. And if the field then chooses to just go without stopping, then they'll have to overtake to advance their position any.

Too much of the series' infrastructure is tied in to the current race format, so that will be a tough one anyway.

As for my part, I don't generally watch shorter races, as they're not long enough to get into a groove. Blancpain GT, a few WTCC/WTCR rounds (Germany, Portugal, Macau), and F3/GT Macau are about the only exceptions to that.

Mercedes won't go along with reverse grids, and the audience generally would view that as a "minor league" move, and I don't exactly disagree with the connotation. At the very least, it's a clear sign that things have gone very wrong.

If you went that route, you'd **** off the venues that can't really do the sprinkler thing like Ricard can: Melbourne, Baku, Monaco, Montreal, Hungaroring, Spa, Singapore, Sochi, Suzuka, and Interlagos (non-permanent or have large, sudden elevation changes and overhanging trees that impact drainage/drying).

I think you know as well as I do that full-time access to DRS would be rather pointless. Then, Everyone would use it on the straights, and back it off in the corners. Also, the teams already at the top would be the ones ost likely to have base aero that's good enough to get away with using DRS in more corners. As such, you'd end up spreading out the field more than is the case now. I mean, it's pretty clear to see that if Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes can keep it open for, say, Signes, every lap, Haas, Renault, McLaren, and Toro Rosso can keep it open for the first few laps on fresh rubber, and Force India, Sauber, and Williams can't keep it open in that corner at all, well, we know how that's going to shake out in terms of on-track competitiveness.

Putting all that aside, if it's such a pressing concern, it doesn't work to try just one thing at a time, and take 10 years to sus it out. On the other hand, throwing random variations at te wall and hoping one will stick isn't a working proposition either. Again, this goes back to the "Does Racing Need Fixing?" thread, and what is the definition of "good racing". Clearly, it isn't merely having the tightest on-track competition, or else Formula Ford would be the most popular thing out there.