Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Casto
In the end, IMHO, "customer cars" that are mixed in with full constructors is mostly a patch to address how screwed up F1 is. Just like DRS.
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perhaps...although by adding DRS and given my defense of DRS in the other thread, i may have to disagree with you out of principle!
but seriously, RP and AT won races this season all be under very unique circumstances. they did not win on out right pace and the few podiums FI/RP or STR/AT have scored are typically down to circumstance as well.
so from that point of view maybe the greater sale of parts to lower teams is just an attempt to create the veneer of competition...maybe DRS also falls into that category - i have to admit that much.
but the other side of the coin is that RP did at times look to be legitimately challenging for podiums and their untraditional build resulted in them being docked points before the season even started because what they are doing scares people. other teams will want to copy this.
Merc themselves may have even been complicit in the copying. rather they may even be abetting the decline of manu influence. like Ferrari, they will profit from it.
in the years to come we will have a clearer picture, but maybe the Era of the Manufacturers is finally drawing to a close?