F1 motorsports director Ross Brawn has said that while the sport is trying to make the product more exciting for the fans, it must not lose its integrity in the process, as F1 is also a sport of tradition.
Liberty Media, the new owners of Formula One since the end of 2016, have vowed to majorly overhaul the rules come 2021, when the current set of regulations expire. Brawn respects the ambition of the Americans, but also underlines that there are certain values that need to be kept.
“If you wanted to measure success for us now it would be to maintain the integrity of the sport”, Brawn told F1 Fan Voice in an interview.
“That’s very important, the quality of the sport."
This is something that Liberty Media should keep in mind, as the bureau is keen to “increase the engagement of the public in Formula 1, increase the enjoyment of the fans – the existing fans we have,” in Brawn's words.
One thing that shouldn't be changed, for example, is the duration of racing broadcasts, as "one-and-a-half to two-hour races are right" according to Brawn.
The idea of the F1 being a single-specification series shouldn't be pushed through either according to Brawn.
"The F1 is a fabulous collection of technology and human competition.
"That’s what makes the sport so unique.
"Great drivers need a good car, they don’t necessarily need the best car.
"But then you can get average drivers with a fabulous car.
"You can’t have the technology ruling everything.
"And I think if we had all the same cars and the drivers being the variable, that wouldn’t be right either.”
Another potential big change is the change of the points system. The system currently awards the top ten drivers with points, but discussions are being had of that being extended to the top fifteen or even twenty.
“We’re having a discussion about points system at the moment," Brawn said.
"It’s a big decision to change it.
"If we change it, it needs to be left alone for 10 years, we don’t want to keep messing with it.”
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