If I Ran F1: Alex Goldschmidt

Alex Goldschmidt

FIA and ITR-accredited freelance journalist, Alex Goldschmidt, gives his thoughts on what he would change if he were given the reigns of the Formula 1 world.

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When it comes to the current rules involving the Power Units, all specifications would be frozen for 2 years to maintain parity, with fuels and lubricants being provided more scope when it comes to composition. The fuels themselves would be required to have a minimum of 25 per cent bio-fuel to help further reduce emissions, and ensure further development for future relevance towards automotive technology.

One of the main things that racing needs to have is a spectacle, which needs to excite the fans as the business end of the weekend approaches. First of all, I’d keep the format as it is (still using Q1, Q2 and Q3), but the sessions would be run as follows:

  • Q1 – 20 minutes long – slowest ten eliminated
  • Q2 – 10 minutes long – slowest seven eliminated
  • Q3 – one lap shoot out between the top five

All drivers would be issued with a set of the softest Pirelli compound tyres to get the fastest times possible per sessions with no tyre changes allowed. In the case of Q3, there would also be five points awarded for the driver that gets pole position, going down to 1 for fifth place. Drivers not going out during Q3 will receive an automatic five-place grid penalty and receive no points as well. There has to be a fight for the top spot, otherwise, qualifying isn’t worth doing.

DRS would be outlawed, as overtaking is a skill that a driver learns all the way through their career, rather than it being too artificial. There is only so much assistance that a driver can rely on, as the control of the car should be mandated by those racing themselves.

For the race, all drivers will be provided with three different sets of tyres, which do have to be used during each Grand Prix, thereby enforcing a mandatory two pit stops per race. This could also mean that the strategies could be somewhat limited in what the teams and drivers can do during a race, but promote drivers to push harder to go for the wins.

Again, penalties will be issued in terms of points and grid places for the next race, with Race Control being able to exercise their decision rapidly. And the last thing that I would change in terms of the sport itself is just to get rid of the double points at the final race. Consistency is one of those terms measured in how successful a driver is over the course of a season, so why give people an outside chance in a championship they may not even be in contention for?




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