IMHO this season's recipe is an over correction. Grands Prix previously sedated by the artificial restriction aerodynamics wrought against wheel-to -wheel combat now look vulnerable to staging a new artificiality. Almost in an instant we've flipped from the hapless guy behind to the defenseless guy in front. Turnpike, interstate-style overtaking is too close to becoming the new vogue and modus operandi in F1.
Prior the start of 2009, the FIA implemented the directives of the "Overtaking Working Group," a collection of influential FOTA members assembled to alleviate the numbing effect of aerodynamic technology upon the sport.
The cars were redesigned with smaller rear wings, smaller front tires, and bigger front wings to greatly reduce turbulent wake, improve front grip, and increase competition. Winglets and additional aero aids were outlawed. In theory, all should have provided the car behind an aerodynamically stable environment in which to attack the car ahead.
There was just one problem. Typical of F1's on-going political warfare, a couple of the slicker players discovered and exploited a loophole in the new regulations which allowed the use of super diffusers.
The turbulence produced by these ground sucking vacuums proved that neither the teams nor the fans had gained much of anything from the zillions spent reshaping wings and cutting winglets. Wing and tire sizes were insignificant in comparison to the ground effect advantage diffusers were known to insure.
Expensive wind tunnels may prove to be the legacy of F1's manufacturer era, but it remains striking that simple aerodynamic regulation has proven so difficult to implement with temperance.
I contend that not all of what we witnessed at Istanbul was good for the sport. Webber's relieving Alonso from 2nd place was simply too easy. That is but one example. We need close racing where neither the attacker nor defender carry a handicap.
No single DRS element alone handicaps an opponent. It appears only that when combined with tires that degrade at exaggerated rate and frequency do we see some drivers at certain times as defenseless we did approaching Turn 12 in Turkey.
F1 is on the right course. There were plenty of dramatic moments outside of the DRS zone. Within that zone, there were battles enabled by the 2011 mix which weren't rendered completely false in the process.
It might just be that 2011's formula for overtaking may need a simple tweak . . .
Mark Webber's still talking about it.
I suppose now they will find another gimmick to pass Sebastian Vettel.
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