Comments on: Disaster averted — there will be one Formula 1

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Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:15:56 +0000

[...] Disaster averted — there will be one Formula 1 [...]

By: Clive

Clive — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:00:38 +0000

You have defined good government in sports – it should be so undramatic and fair as to be invisible. It is only when strange rules are introduced and inexplicable decisions imposed that we, the fans, notice that there is any such thing as an organisation that runs the show.

By: doctorvee

doctorvee — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:37:54 +0000

I know what you mean about the cost reductions. We still don’t know how it will be policed or exactly what form the reductions will take. My guess would be that it will be mostly standardised parts for parts that are perceived not to be part of the ’show’. But that is one of the things that will no doubt still have to be thrashed out over the coming months.

As for driver numbers, I think the number 1 should always be vacant so that the World Champion can take it, but the Champion’s ‘normal’ number should be reserved so that he can have it back once he’s no longer number 1. How the numbers would be allocated in the first place is a different matter. I suspect you’re right that the drivers probably wouldn’t even care that much anyway.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:17:51 +0000

My only scepticism is around the ‘voluntary’ efforts to get the team budgets down to 1990 levels in the next couple of years.

While I am totally against Max’s budget cap, If there isn’t an official auditor in place, how can you tell teams are trying to lower their costs?

If, for example the start of Ferrari’s 2011 campaign starts as badly as 2009, what’s to stop them simply throwing more money on the bonfire (as they undoubtably have done this year) to fix the problem and ignore the efforts to cut costs just to get back to winning again and increase their stock value?

I kind of like your idea about the same number sitting with a driver for his career, but at this stage, how would you introduce it?

At the moment, Hamilton has car 1. Next year he will not be the reigning world champion, but how would Button/Vettel/Nakajima (You never know!) feel that they were forced to keep their original car numbers, while the #1 car is running behind them?

I disagree that driver numbering is clinical… maybe it’s a matter of pride, but I know I would want the world to know that I was #1, even if that was only for the previous year, and it is quite humbling for Hamilton to have to drag the #1 car around in 15th place…

I think it was Alain Prost who stated that Hill should have the ‘0′ car following Mansell’s retirement as that he didn’t want to be a ‘nothing’.

Maybe a compromise would be for cars 1&2 to be reserved for the previous year’s WDC and runner up, and if they failed to defend their championship they would revert to their ‘normal’ number?

Although, given that drivers are changing their helmet designs seemingly by the race these days, would they even care about their number?