Quote:
Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull
Formula E has a lot of potential. Formula 1 I fear is now going back to please the casual fan by embracing the ways of the old (when it was mainstream) and rejecting the new, as that may reduce competition. An ideal situation would be if Formula 1 could have some regulation space for innovation which has a major impact, so that development can happen quickly, effectively and without as much research/costs, but can still provide the wheel-to-wheel stuff we as fans are currently watching this season.
But that is a huge unlikelihood.
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Well the easiest way to allow for innovation is to start from scratch - the last time that really happened was after the Second World War.
If Formula E does take off, Formula One will find it increasingly difficult to resist the change. And when it does happen, I think it would be a good thing, and I think the whole of motorsport would be better off.
Whether we'll be driving electric cars in the future doesn't really matter much - nobody watches F1 because the cars are like what they drive on the road, so this 'road relevance' rhetoric from the rulemakers and stakeholders is a red herring for me.
I personally would lament the day the ICE was retired from F1 and the sound of an engine resonates with me deeply - but there's a generation out there who couldn't care less.
If - and that's F1 spelled backwards
- the sound is
really that important to the so-called purists, then if F1 went electric, what's stopping them from going out and discovering the rich tapestry that is the Rest of Motorsport. Touring cars, rallying, sportscars, bikes...these disciplines need to be much more immediately road relevant and the ICE is there to stay for the foreseeable future, because that's what we drive and ride on the road.
Another reason why F1 is at such a cross-roads is the predatory attitude CVC and Bernie have taken to coverage of the rest of motorsport, to the extent when F1 itself is called a 'sport'. That makes my blood boil. The Champions League in soccer doesn't get called a 'sport', it's a competition, just like F1 is a series, a championship.
If F1 went electric, overnight a lot of people would be repulsed and they would be lost - but equally, a lot of people would switch on and take notice. The entire motorsport community would see a net gain from that, as the so-called purists might turn elsewhere in the sport while the new fans would plug the gap. From there, F1 could build on something new, and it could be the pinnacle of something again.
Anyway, that's just some ginger's vision of a motorsport utopia. Ain't ever going to happen like that.