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I think we're looking at things the wrong way around. It appears the elephant in the room is Formula One and not the lower formulae. For a variety of reasons, single seater racing has defaulted to spec. formulae just about everywhere [F3 is a Dallara spec. formula] - except for F1 ! Like many others who've been involved in motorsport for decades, I hate it but I have to accept it. As others have already pointed out, this development has created a chasm between F1 and the other rungs on the ladder from an engineering, driver and above all, cost perspective. The spec. formulae below F1 will not be changed into open formulae, so it leaves us to do something about F1.
There are a couple of options :
- Dramatically restrict the development window to specific areas and use spec. components for everything else.
- Make F1 a spec. formula itself.
It would seem that the latter would make more sense in an environment of austerity and cost control.
So what about engineering evolution and innovation - well, sportscars, touring cars and rallying should be the platforms for that. In fact most of the socially useful innovations are already taking place there. The two major innovations in F1 over the last 2 years - the double diffuser and the F-duct are not only incomprehensible to the man in the street they are extremely expensive and utterly useless follies in existance until they're banned by the FIA.
I think we all need to wake up to a future where Formula One is first and foremost about entertainment and excitement. All the investment needs to be plied into improving the show and not into a futile and incomprehensible space race.
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