As we enter the 2015 season, the 65th Formula One season to be officially contested, the question should be discussed: how has Formula One changed over the years?
In 2014 we began a whole new era of Formula One when the sport went to Hybrid power for the very first time; many criticisms came forward about the speed and noise of the new era. It was clear that the sport had to go down this road sooner rather than later, otherwise it would have faced extinction. Renault were not interested in carrying on the V8s and nor were Mercedes, and Honda would not be coming back into the sport after a six year absence but for this change.
The fans of old are still crying out for a move back to V8s and V10s even now, whose fuel consumption is higher and faster, but with serious pressure on manufacturers to explore a greener option and Formula One being the global sport it is with hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, the change was right and needed to happen.
All the engines last season managed to complete the season using 30% less fuel in 2014 than 2013, which is a phenomenal achievement, all of this while being no less than 3-5% slower than the pace of 2013, producing more horsepower and torque whilst having up to 40% less downforce; surely this a great success for the hybrid era, and with power levels increasing for the new season, I’m hoping this trend can continue.
We are now in 2015, and if we look back 20 years, we had only just lost the great Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher had won his first title. 40 years ago and Niki Lauda was preparing for the 1975 season in which he would win his first title in a time where safety standards were still sub-standard and drivers were dying every season.
It’s clear to see how quick the sport has come in years since, we are using 1.6 litre hybrid turbo engines now where 20 years ago a three litre V8, V10 or V12 was the engines of choice, but what I have found is that many fans of the sport are continuously making cries that Formula One needs to go back to the good old days. But I ask: what are the good old days? In times gone by we’ve had a 28-32 car grid, but pace difference was so enormous the lower teams couldn’t even qualify for the race some weekends. Are those the good old days?
The point I have tried to make to every fan, whether you are younger fan or an older fan of this great sport, we must continue to look forward and embrace this new future that Formula One is offering, and not look back to the past where we may have enjoyed great times before, but the sport has a lot more to offer in the future.
Let’s enjoy it.
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