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I am not sure about this hard tyre idea. It's not great that it would often be beneficial to finish 11th rather than 10th. The reason that success ballast worked well is that it was gradual gaps between each position so it would still always be best to finish as high as possible. I still think the BTCC could do with a return to that system instead of the hybrid, but only in qualifying and race two with level playing field for race one and the reversed grid race.
For the 2024 season, I suspect the top four teams will all produce similarly-paced cars. It has been a while since there was a considerable disparity between the top cars in the championship, and rarely has a change in team brought a considerable change in fortune for one driver. Maybe the Honda was a bit off the pace last year but that is gone now, and I would predict that the Ford, Hyundai, BMW and Toyota will all be approximately equal, with the Vauxhall and Cupra just a small step behind.
I think the driver makes the biggest difference in the BTCC compared to other championships and so I think Ash Sutton will be the differentiating factor and win his fifth championship this year, becoming, deservedly, the most successful driver in the BTCC.
Whether or not it will be a good season often comes down to complete chance, and I don't think the diminished grid will make any difference at all (although the often processional races in recent years due to the hybrid, compared to the old ballast system, might). Hopefully, it will happen to be extremely close between the top contenders at every meeting and we will have a great title fight and lots of wide open races. I think the most exciting development of the silly season is Josh Cook and Rob Huff in the Toyotas and it would be nice to see them spring a title challenge.
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