Formula 1 should be one of the most exciting sports on earth (it certainly must be for the drivers). With cars regularly exceeding 200 mph on the straights and cornering at ridiculous speeds, the best drivers in the world and races at glamourous locations across the globe, each race should be a thrilling, memorable event. In recent years however, the sport seems to be stuck in the doldrums.
While there is usually one dominant team, having found that elusive sweet spot within the regulations at the given time, there’s never been dominance quite like the current Mercedes team, who have exploited the new regulations to gain a huge advantage over the rest of the field over the past few years, and this on the back of Sebastian Vettel’s run of championship wins. Race results seem preordained, with teams often lining up on the grid come race day in predictable order. A lack of availability of competitive engines is holding back otherwise competitive teams and the issue of funding is a real disadvantage for smaller teams. Overtaking is still rare, despite measures, like DRS, to counter this and while there are great races, these feel like the exception not the rule.
The vested interests of the top teams seem to be throttling any chance of meaningful change right now but with ticket sales falling at may venues and classic tracks slipping from the calendar, something needs to be done sooner rather than later.