The sport that I am talking of is not a pastime or a passing fancy. It is Formula1, a Euro centric sport, a passion and a symphony of fitness, talent and money that has consumed me for the past nine years. The only other sport that comes closest in stirring my soul is the Paris Dakar rally.
The reason that I am writing this article is because I am happy, and happy for a very good reason. An Indian has finally made it to the pinnacle of motor sport albeit riding piggyback on the sponsorship wagon. But mind you, even Mikhail Schumacher paid for his first drive. Now I feel that I can talk about F1 and not be ignored by my friends and colleagues, who are supposedly the foremost authorities on cricket.
Needless to say, F1 has a history of more than half a century behind it, marked by memorable moments of tears and joy, highs and lows, and trials and tribulations. But, I am not going to get into the historic details, what?s over is over, right! What I am going to talk about is its present and future (my take). Perceptive F1 fans can skip the present and directly move to the future paragraph.
PRESENT
Formula1 authority (FIA) is currently suffering from scarlet fever and making a lot of money in the process. The viewership of F1 was never higher and is currently second only to that of football and Olympics (only during the leap years).
The reason that they are worried is that Ferrari, Ferrari, Mikhail Schumacher, Ferrari, Mikhail Schumacher and Mikhail Schumacher (oh ok! Mikhail is how most of the continental Europeans pronounce Michael) is what that the collective F1-viewing public?s conscience comprises of.
Of course there are the Montoyas, Raikonnens, Alansos, Webbers and Trullis in their McLarens Mercs, Renaults, BMWs and Toyotas but these drivers and team?s collective fan followings cannot hold a candle to the Schumi Ferrari combine.
This fan following combined with Ferrari?s on track dominance is giving other teams and manufacturers sleepless nights.
With Ferrari injecting over 400 million euros annually into its F1 effort, means that the rest of the teams have to cough up similar sums to stay competitive and for what; the collective groan from the grandstand when a non-Ferrari crosses the finish line first.
Then, there is this rivalry between Bridgestone and Michelin, which is single-handedly making F1 cars faster then they ever were (which implies less safety). How? Pretty simple actually, just make the tire compound softer and grippe?er than the rival?s tire.
So in effect, everyone except Ferrari is finding the slice of Formula1 pie to be indigestible. Now, this bitterness of the teams and manufacturers (except Ferrari) can be diluted if FIA chooses to share the ad revenue spoils fairly among the teams, but that dosen?t seem to be happening.
To top it all the F1 technology regulations are pretty stringent and this means that Formula1 ceases to be the platform on which the car manufacturers can demonstrate their technical prowess. Currently all the F1 teams are bound by the Concorde agreement with FIA till 2007, so the manufacturers (except Ferrari) are planning a breakaway series called GPWC, which will rival the F1 series of FIA from 2008.
FUTURE
I feel that the FIA?s F1 is the only credible platform on which car manufacturers can display their technical prowess. Max Mosley (FIA President) and Bernie Ecclestone (majority shareholder of FIA) are no fools. They know that the GPWC series that the car manufacturers are threatening to launch unless FIA meets their demands is merely a bargain tool. Currently FIA has - tightly written contracts with most of the venues (racing tracks) that can host races of F1 caliber, logistics and established methodology.
The technical regulations are stringent not without reason; there is usually never any consensus amongst the manufacturers and teams themselves and they need someone like Max Mosley to lay down the rules that are fair to both the small teams and large manufacturers.
Of course FIA will be screwed if the car manufacturers pull out of F1, but the car manufacturers themselves will lose out in the process. Now assuming that there will never be a GPWC series, what does the future (post Schumi) hold for F1? The answer is quite a lot.
FIA is expanding rapidly with new race venues coming up mostly in the East and there are a few colored-faces in the driver line up. It is gaining popularity in Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East.
F1 is a corporate sport, which is why it will never have mass appeal, but its future is pretty secure. All F1 needs is a few heroes now and then.
PS: The difference between manufacturers and teams is that manufacturers mostly supply the engines while the teams build the chassis. Ferrari, Renault and Toyota are exceptions ?cause they build their own engines and chassis.