The pandemic has forced Formula 1 into “a slight reverse gear” on some of the major changes it had planned for the future, motorsport director Ross Brawn has admitted.
The disruption to the start of the 2020 F1 season, which is due to begin next week, has led to significant rules changes being delayed.These include new technical regulations originally planned for introduction next year. The rules, which are intended to allow cars to race each other more closely, will not come into effect until 2022.
“Formula 1 was in a great place,” Brawn told RaceFans in an exclusive interview. “The new rules were coming, the cost cap was coming, lots of positive things were coming for the future.
“And we’ve hit the pause button or, if anything, a slight reverse gear for a while. But we’ll get going again.”
The challenge they face is part of the reason why Brawn believes F1 must try to hold a championship this year instead of calling it off, as suggested by former senior figures in the sport such as Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley.
“We can run a viable championship,” said Brawn. “I think we can recover a large part of the economics, which is vital for the teams.
“To stop the championship is turning the tap off completely for all the teams. And I think turning it off then makes people reconsider their futures in Formula 1.”
“We’re a big industry,” he added. “We’ve got thousands of people that depend on motor racing for their futures and we can’t ignore that. I think turning it off would have been the wrong thing to do.”
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DAllein (@)
23rd June 2020, 9:00
Really?
Did he forget that they pushed through lots of other atrocious changes (which I believe will ultimately kill F1)?
Jon Bee
23rd June 2020, 10:07
It has become the annual mantra ,”F1 will have closer racing – next year”.
GimmeShelter
23rd June 2020, 21:48
I couldn’t agree more.
Shimks (@shimks)
23rd June 2020, 11:45
So much negativity in articles’ comments. Ross Brawn is a very clever man. Will he get everything right? No. But I am very pleased with the direction he is trying to take F1. If, in the future, anyone is to be patted on the back for saving F1, it will be him.
Robbie (@robbie)
23rd June 2020, 12:54
@shimks Couldn’t agree more.
bosyber (@bosyber)
23rd June 2020, 13:30
Yeah, me too @shimks
Sure, the proof is in the pudding, and yes, in the past F1 has planned many shaky routes that they undermined before turning onto the actual road, and indeed, I too have been sceptical of some of the changes Brawn proposed.
But, they did put a lot more actual thought and effort into getting it right. After all, in principle the 2009 aero changes, based on (too) simple simulations, might have worked some, but for the additive rules leaving a Double Diffuser sized not-a-hole open to exploit and spoil the intended effect. This time they rewrote and simplified those rules. And the 2019 front wing simplification did likely ease the development towards ever harder to follow cars.
anon
23rd June 2020, 22:51
@shimks that is a rather big “if” though, as we don’t know how the full extent of the changes that are being made and which Liberty Media intend to make to the sport will play out.
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
23rd June 2020, 21:49
“… if anything, a slight reverse gear for a while. …”
Oh… Ross… ‘slight’ reverse gear? Is that to compensate your reversal of fortunes for reverse grids?