It is no secret that the key to the success of a sport as entertainment is its ability to connect to its audience on a human level, and for their decreasing visibility in the cockpit, it are the drivers who draw in Formula One crowds.
This is not to say that technology and innovation or the thousands of people employed by the Formula One industry to create these spectacular machines do not have a place at the heart of the formula, but flags bearing the name ‘Mercedes PU106B Hybrid’ are few and far between.
With this in mind it’s easy to understand why team principals – or perhaps, more pertinently, principals of teams struggling for performance – agonise over the idea that their star drivers are unable to deliver on their potential under regulations that emphasise engine and chassis performance.
“Driving a modern Formula One car,” goes the increasingly repeated catch cry of the agitators for change, “is too easy”.
Cue: reminiscing of some golden era gone by, of a time when drivers would ease their exhausted bodies from the cars, dripping in sweat, having expended every last drop of energy. Images of Ayrton Senna winning at Brazil in 1991 have been conjured frequently, as have, uh… all those other times drivers have had muscle spasms while driving the cars.
Somehow today’s drivers don’t stack up to these mighty images. Lewis Hamilton’s increasingly outlandish hairstyles seem hardly perturbed by 90 minutes in the car, for example.
So have Formula One drivers lost that hero quality? Is this sport, billed as the pinnacle of motor racing, no longer the challenge it used to be?
The rap sheet doesn’t look good on first glance. Team bigwigs, a string of past and present drivers, and even Pirelli, the sport’s tyre supplier, have all decried the drivers’ lack of sporting spectacle. The Formula One cause is also hindered by the fact it has a teenager, not yet old enough to drive a road car unsupervised, in its midst – talented though Max Verstappen evidently is.
What’s worse is that drivers from WEC land are proclaiming how much greener their grass is. Formula One could be great too, if only it would wake up to “real driving”, whatever that is.
The sport’s attempts to scrub up its drivers to appear more heroic have been hit and miss. A ban on driver ‘coaching’ via team radio is regulated inconsistently, largely because no-one is really sure what should be considered as aiding the driver over merely keeping him informed. In any case, pit-to-car communication continues unfettered in sportscar racing, allowing fans greater insight into the sport without compromising image.
The perpetual call, which is borne of little thought, is for cars that are “harder to drive”. This is to be achieved, say the preachers, by making the cars faster by piling on the downforce.
One must assume that it is beside the point that this generation of cars, introduced last season, had downforce stripped away from them to make them more difficult to drive in combination with masses of torque from the new engines.
Controlling fishtailing cars and traction events were supposed to revitalise the sport – but now a formula for point and squirt racing in which the driver need merely put his foot down is the answer? It doesn’t tally.
The critical difference exists in what we consider to be fundamental to great drivers, and 2015 is exhibiting a divide between two points of view: that a great driver is one who endures physical stress, and the best drivers are those who exhibit deft car control.
For consideration of this question, I defer to former driver turned Sky Formula One pundit Martin Brundle.
“It’s wrong to say that the 2015 cars are too easy to drive,” he said after completing a demo run in Force India’s 2015 car. “They are different.
“There is a surplus of power and torque over grip. You have to creep up to the limit, and that means you have to leave grip and speed on the table.
“You have to work out how much power and grip there is, you can’t just floor it and let the torque do its job – and I think that is harder to do.”
There’s no doubt every driver wants to be able to put his foot down and go as fast as possible, and equally that this sort of driving is physically strenuous – but does it make drivers heroes?
Rather than tearing itself down by lamenting the loss of feats of physical endurance, Formula One should be praising itself for being the home of driving nous.
Those detractors argue that Formula One should be a step beyond other categories, and on this there is no dispute – Formula One today requires a special sort of driver, and surely this meets the definition of ‘hero’ as closely as any sportsperson can hope to achieve.
woodart
Guest
lack of wheel to wheel racing. many blame the aero kits for hardly any side by side racing but indycar constantly manage it ,and not just on ovals. usually I dont bother with any street races but watched the indy car g.p. from toronto, and what a race, on a wet, narrow bumpy track with three different surfaces. lots of side by side, and scary outside passes. the cars are all fairly similar with either chev or honda engines but this parity really makes the drivers efforts and team refueling and tyre stratigies stand out. as for heroes, hopefully being good at a sport shouldnt make someone a hero, thats nearly as bad as giving knight-hoods to singers.
spruce moose
Guest
It is a broad and lazy statement, but there is modicum of truth in there. I'll expand. While there have always been dominant constructors, and no doubt in future there will continue to be dominant constructors, seasons in which the dominant constructors are so dominant other cars can't get a look in is a problem and mighty boring. Last year was redeemed only because the top 2 had a legit stoush for the title, much like the Senna/Prost days. If it was only one, like Schumacher in the early 2000's, then yeah it becomes incredibly boring. Red bull were the dominant constructor in the early 2010's, but other teams still had a genuine chance of having a driver win the race. Vettel's late 2013 dominance was rare. Alonso mania was the rage in 05 and 06, but he had to work for his championships. Other drivers had a shot. Hakkinen won back to back in 1998-1999, but Eddie Irvine ran him to the very end in 1999. Bottom line is people appreciate a dominant car, but only when the dominant car has to fight to prove dominance. Not go around a circle 60 times where the only thing preventing it from victory is a bad wheel nut at a pit stop. Add into the mix these days that the cars sound horrible, they are 2 seconds slower than 5 years ago, you can't refuel, overtaking is possible solely with technological additions and yeah, it is very boring racing. Finally, while I understand the safety necessities, very few tracks are raced on these days where you need to risk it to win. Hermann Tilke has robbed the sport of even safe risks. One reason why people like Spa is because it is a challenge. If you want to gain time and floor it, you run the risk of running into gravel, or skidding onto grass and losing time as a result. But with Tlike's courses, if you run wide on a corner, you are still on asphalt and the time loss is very minimal. There is no risk/reward factor with aggressive driving. It's no coincidence that 90% of the better grand prixs are on non-Tilke courses. I'll continue to watch F1, but boy it is a challenge these days.
Simoc
Guest
It took Haakinen 100 races to win and then it was because Colthard lifted to let him through in a gentlemans agreement. He wasn't regarded as a character then, unless you call Raikenon a bubbly outgoing character. All these things are looking back. It's not smart to call F1 boring, unless you love being bored. If you don't watch it you won't be bored. So writing a comment to say you find it boring tells you more about the writer. If we had Ferrari winning, then Williams , then McLaren the same cars would be the best ever.
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
I concur re-Hamilton. I certainly don't consider him Senna's equal, this is purely the view of those who worship him, despite his questionable characteristics outside the car! 400 Grands Prix plus awaits Verstappen if his career lasts for two decades...
anthony ripley
Guest
I have not seen or even read the name Michael Shumacher.never forget his acomplishments or all his races thank you
Michael Lamonato
Expert
I'm only disappointed I couldn't work in the words of Sky's other wise man, Ted "It's the only Dutch word I know" Kravitz.
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Agreed — except thinking of Hamilton as the modern Senna is making my head spin! As for Verstappen, can you imagine his race tally alone after racing for a likely 20 years straight? Eep...
Rodney Gordon
Expert
"It's so boring this Formula One, that's what I hate about it most" Martin Brundle
SM
Guest
Lazy comment. Grand Prix racing has always had dominant constructors.
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
Very insightful analysis Michael! The definition of 'hero' changes according to what is in front of the drivers. They can only achieve as much as the machinery at their disposal permits, thus they shouldn't be deemed in any lesser light than their predecessors, Each era has the right hero for the right time. We don't have a Senna cult-figure (Hamilton is as close as it gets) or characters such as Mika Häkkinen these days, yet there's no denying that the beasts of today still demand a great deal of skill, therefore the drivers command respect as much as those in decades previous did. I second Jawad's sentiment regarding Verstappen - he's ten years away from even scratching the surface of his prime of his career if it lasts until the standard late-30s, imagine his standing once he hangs up the helmet!
Michael Lamonato
Expert
Thanks, Jawad! Yeah, that's pretty much it — and that problem's now systemic. Formula One has this backwards-facing mentality about it now, and nothing will ever live up to the 'good ol' days'.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Great piece Michael! Some will forever remain dissatisfied. Go back to the mid 2000s when 'Alonsomania' was a thing, or even today with the amount of attention that Lewis Hamilton gets amongst the British fans. Sure we may not have the same breed of hero as in the past, but I guess for youngsters today you see trackside; the likes of Hamilton or Alonso are hero-like. Young Verstappen too with his nous could go down that path in years to come!
Michael Lamonato
Expert
That's a pretty broad statement, Mike — there's definitely still a contest. What in particular's turning you off F1?
Mike from Tari
Guest
The whole thing has become boring as there is no contest anymore.