Jordan Designer Gary Anderson has a whole bunch of
really good ideas about how to make Formula One racing interesting and exciting again. I have to admit that as a form of entertainment, it leaves something to be desired. I have been watching F1 since 1977, I know all the cars, drivers, and owners, so I have a built-in interest. But someone who has never seen F1 racing before may not enjoy watching cars circle the track for 90 minutes. According to this article the audience for F1 has been shrinking.
"I genuinely believe the cars and regulations have gone the wrong way in the last few years," he stressed. "The cars are not good at following each other - they lose too much grip. You have the fastest car at the front in qualifying and the slowest car at the back, and then on Sunday we somehow expect some miracle to happen that means a slower car passes a faster one on a dirty part of the track when the grip level on the racing line is always better than that off it. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to work out that ain't going to happen. "Really and truthfully, there has to be a change.
What we have to do is create racing. In my opinion we should have reverse grids; the guy leading the championship should have to start at the back, and the guy who is suffering at the front, and as you score more points that naturally will change. It isn't artificial. If you can win the championship that way it will truly be because you have beaten all the others. Not only do you have to be the fastest driver but you also need to be a clever driver; you have to understand the strategy and actually overtake people. It adds another challenge.
Others have proposed reverse grids in the past. The way races are conducted today you really end up with three separate races taking place on the same track at the same time. You have the three top teams competing against one another for podium places. Then, you have the three or four middle teams competing for points positions, and finally, you have the rear echelon competing for slots 11-17. If the grid was reversed drivers would be forced to overtake. That would make each race a better entertainment product, but would it be good for the Formula One industry?