Though they proceed to impress emotions of apathy for a big portion of Components 1’s hardcore fanbase, dash races have now turn into deeply ensconced as a sporting ingredient of the fashionable world championship.
Dash races had been introduced in after Liberty Media assumed possession of F1’s business rights holder FOM – and Liberty are evidently eager on the format.
Components 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, particularly, seems to be the most important fan of dash races of anybody. Below his management, dash races have doubled from three per season to 6 over the past three seasons.
Domenicali has beforehand mooted the thought of introducing reverse grids into the game for grand prix occasions. Whereas the thought has lengthy confronted opposition from groups, he has as soon as once more begun pushing the thought of reversing grids for dash races, as seen in F2 and F3.
The dash race format is simply seen at one-quarter of the world championship rounds and Domenicali’s enthusiasm for it’s clearly not shared by lots of the drivers. However having step by step established the idea, has the time come to shake it up once more with an much more radical change?
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For
Dash races exist for one cause solely: leisure. An try to supply a extra bite-sized, intense type of racing to thrill followers even additional. As a result of if F1’s followers love racing, why not give them extra of it?
However too usually, the 100km races fail to ship the spectacle that everybody would need to see. And sometimes it’s the identical group and drivers ‘preventing’ for the victory and factors paying positions that followers can anticipate to see doing so on Sunday.
So by inverting all or a part of the grid, you’ll all however assure followers the joy of seeing uncommon automobiles and drivers preventing for the victory and seeing the quickest automobiles on the grid having to work to achieve positions from deep within the pack. What’s to not love?
Towards
Reverse grids work for junior formulae, that are inherently speculated to be coaching grounds for drivers in search of to compete someday in Components 1 or different main championships.
By forcing the quickest groups and drivers to begin from the center of the grid, they’re serving to to offer essential racing expertise to probably the most proficient drivers and providing alternatives for individuals who could must develop their abilities extra an opportunity to style the extraordinary strain of battling for a podium or win. A possibility they won’t usually get.
And provided that drivers can be racing of their positions by way of totally synthetic means, what worth would there really be if, say, Gabriel Bortoleto wins a dash race for Sauber from reverse grid pole?
I say
Stefano Domenicali is definitely a fiercely clever determine, who has made a extra significant contribution to each Ferrari and Components 1 as a sport than the overwhelming majority of individuals ever to work for both. But typically, it’s onerous to grasp what his motivation is behind a few of his takes in regards to the racing collection he presides over.
Oh no, that’s proper. The motivation is cash.
It might be silly to fake to not see why reverse grids are interesting. Positive, let’s see how far the McLaren drivers can rise from the again row of the grid in 20 laps. That might be way more intriguing a prospect than most dash races are ever prone to supply at the very best of occasions.
However there are far, far too many issues with reverse grids to ever significantly fathom introducing them into the present dash format.
Initially, how a lot of the grid is ‘reversed’? The highest ten, like in F2, or the whole area? Whichever they do, how do they resolve the unique grid order to reverse? The outcomes of Friday qualifying? What’s the incentive for drivers to do their finest in dash qualifying, in that case?
Then there’s an important query of championship factors. Previously a reward solely withheld for high ten finishers in a grand prix, they’re presently handed out to the highest eight in Saturday dash races too. In case you introduce reverse grids, will drivers nonetheless earn factors based mostly on their ending positions? If they’ll, received’t that result in farcical dash qualifying periods the place drivers try to get the tenth-fastest time? And should you take away factors from reverse grid races, what’s the incentive for drivers to care about dash races in any respect?
Reverse grids make no sense in Components 1. In any capability. In some unspecified time in the future, the pursuit of making worth for promoters has to overridden by the pursuit of sustaining F1’s worth as a sporting competitors. One that’s speculated to be probably the most prestigious circuit racing contest on the planet.
In the end, dash races want reverse grids about as a lot as Components 1 wants dash races to start with.
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You say
Would you prefer to see reverse grids launched into F1’s dash race format? Solid your vote beneath and have your say within the feedback.
Do you agree that F1 ought to introduce reverse grids to its dash race format?
Strongly disagree (63%)
Barely disagree (4%)
Neither agree nor disagree (7%)
Barely agree (10%)
Strongly agree (13%)
Whole Voters: 158
Loading …Which grand prix weekend format would you like?
Dash races with totally reversed (complete area) grids (13%)
Dash races with partially reversed (high ten) grids (4%)
Present dash race format (6%)
Whole Voters: 134
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