Those who have passionately followed the sport for decades have witnessed a fairly straight forward "formula" evolve into a politically charged enterprise that brings more annual legal revisions than the US Congress.
In recent years, we've become accustomed to each new season bringing a raft of new revisions to that formula. Some stick . . . some don't, passing into obscurity under the tireless tinkering with what I might contend wasn't broke to begin with.
However, following three Grands Prix into the 2011 rule book, quickly obsolete tire compounds and a DRS enabled spectacle in China, F1 has crossed into a place from which it can no longer return . . . and I wonder what this means?
Don't get me wrong, I thought the Chinese Grand Prix was fantastic. Regardless the loss of Bahrain, F1 2011 felt like ages in the making. Australia was fantastic, as was Malaysia. I'd bet the only real fear anyone had going into Shanghai was just how quickly Vettel would run away with it all.
I've personally voiced concern that F1's rules makers have grown too reactionary. Heck I'm so old school that I still have never found a truly legitimate reason to drop the original points system of 9-6-4-3-2-1. IMHO, it remains the perfect mathematical representation of each finishing position to the rest of the field . . . and every single iteration from that has been a digression.
Oh well.
Take a look at the attached BBC Post Race snippet.
Is Webber suggesting that the fight we witnessed in Shanghai was not real? Is he merely playing the humble sportsman downplaying the significance of his drive through the field from 18th place?
Regarding the age old complaint over the lack of overtaking which gave us Shanghai 2011, I counter that F1 rarely makes the 6 o'clock news because it requires an appreciation born from dedication to sublime skill over slick, manipulated . . . at times scripted . . . entertainment.
Following F1 has always inspired my imagination. As a result I've developed a suspicion that those like myself who watch from the infield may not truly experience what it is like to fight for position, wheel to wheel.
The seductress is speed, at once portending the starring role yet potentially spoiling the plot as inconsequential. It marvels those who witness, but ultimately requires patient command from those who practice its craft. I might argue that F1 drivers are ironically the most patient beings on the planet.
As a result, the occasional late braking maneuver of year's past was rarely casual, and I wonder if the specular shine of quickly degrading tires and DRS will fade into the everyday ho-hum of instant gratification.
The often outspoken and controversial F1 legend Niki Lauda previously referred to DRS as the "most stupid idea."
For now, I'm glad it's here, however I think time will tell whether Lauda and Webber are onto something.
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