Formula 1 – Rules cost points, money and Championships
By Cindy Ferguson
In many sports around the world, if an athlete breaks the rules, is injured or performs badly during a game, there are others to replace him. Unfortunately, in Formula one that’s not the case.
Formula 1 has a simple rule, avoid mistakes and titles will come handy. One important factor besides not crashing the F1 car during a race comes with the safety car rules as well; the pits must linger out of limits to cars until the whole field is cleared up. So, pilots do argue that rules must change in order to evade errors that are costing teams and drivers millions of dollars per race. Others pick the safety car rules out of luck, because the safety car helps someone from the center of the grid to the lead, not because of a brainy strategy, but simply by luck.
Issues with FIA, pilots or teams errors happen very often, on every race and sometimes to the best ones.
That has been the case of drivers like Lewis Hamilton, current leader and contender for the 2008 F1 Championship. Some say Hamilton seems to have a sightless spot in his rear view mirror. Last season h e was locked in a fierce campaign contest with his partner Fernando Alonso and botched to notice another contender making a late rush for the title. With the final race of the term in Brazil, Hamilton was four points forward of Alonso and seven in advance of Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, who’s Ferrari had been silently assembling a respectable run of results, and with no hesitation passed Hamilton on a closed turn. Hamilton finished 7th losing the Championship and millions on sponsorship. As well, simple errors such as using the tarmac to avoid a collision cost the pilot the title in the Belgian Grand Prix in 2008.
Likewise, Felipe Massa was famous for his propensity to spin and for being a bit on the wild side at the Australian GP in 2006, when he disintegrated his Ferrari in qualifying, and then running into Christian Klien and Nico Rosberg at the first corner of the competition. The incident cost Ferrari points on the table and Massa was out for one race as penalty.
Even famous drivers such as Michael Schumacher and Pablo Montoya lost titles, sponsors and millions in cash after incidents on the track. Schumacher was fined several times during his career for passing drivers while the yellow caution flags were on track. Some say his concentration levels were so high, he concurred on simple errors sometimes. It is said Pablo Montoya left F1 because the rules were to severe on drivers and many lost contracts, sponsors and championships for that reason.
If Formula 1 drivers are complaining that because of rule implementation some have lost big agreements, sponsors or even titles, the new rules for 2011 will possibly put in jeopardy this great sport. Teams will need a plan of action in cost reduction that will include the new energy saving technologies, so it is possible that some pilot’s budgets will be reduced a little bit, but that depends on the team.
Since biofuel is the future, the Formula 1 car will be adapted to this technology, but many pilots and teams are against it.
The 2009 Technical Regulations are planned to pick up the racing, so basically Formula 1 would like to go ahead, with developments to permit the cars to run in close proximity to one another without losing performance.
Formula 1 is one of the most profitable sports in the planet and even tough they say that “rules are meant to be broken”, they were created to protect the pilot, the team and specially the sport itself.
About the Author
Cindy Ferguson is a high-ranking sports writer, currently writing reviews on Formula One for the sports betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.