What I liked about F1 cars, when I came to the sport, was the fact that they were bare-knuckle cars - stripped of everything unnecessary. They were tubs with a steering wheel, a gear lever attached to a rod, some brakes and an engine. The engines were racing engines but they were not anything truly "advanced" they were just raw. There was no b.s. about "road relevancy" because it was the lack of "road relevancy" that attracted me and most others. The drivers had to manhandle the cars. I was impressed by the skills required to get the best out of them - lap after lap. The only thing they were the "pinnacle" of was the formula series F3, F2, F1, etc.
Now the idea that "F1 is all about technology" and must be "road relevant" and "green." Yes, the technology advanced - aluminum became carbon fibre, mechanical injection became electronic injection, bias ply became radial, and on and on. Nothing wrong with that, but it was never portrayed as part of a "we must have the pinnacle of technology" scheme. Then came the driver aids and this is where many people got off the bus and started to be more remote fans. Now the technology and approach is absurd in many cases. It is just car racing for God's sake. Telemetry beamed via satellite? Engine modes? Torque procedure settings for better starts? Tires that degrade to add spice? Creating sparks purely for "the show"? Radio messages about saving tires and fuel? Powertrains that are so complex some of the world's largest car makers are still struggling after more than a year? Rules that are so arcane that a driver is assigned a 70 place grid penalty?
If road relevant technology is the new be-all and end-all where are the driver-protection air bags, the catalytic converters, the fully automatic gearboxes, the banning of huge front and rear wings, the impact-activated seat belts, the all-weather tires, engines that last 250,000 kms., the use of local pump fuel, the tire fenders, where's the driving in the dark, why no cold weather races, why can't an F1 car idle at rest for long periods, why can't the driver start the engine himself, why can't he do up his seat belts by himself... and on and on.
I'll regurgitate the type of advice that many people on this forum dispense: If you want a "road relevant" race series please watch the Nissan Micra series. As you can see I am not in favour of cherry-picking road relevant technology and adopting a phony stance about how green F1 is and how my new car has a flappy paddle so I can pretend to be as skilled as Lewis (well, maybe for the first week I own my new car, then I'll tire of it).
Some may say that guys like me cannot deal with change. Well, I've been an F1 fan for over 40 years so look back on all the changes that have occurred and then tell me I can't deal with change. Some change is good, some stinks.
