F1 expects a great year after positive start to new era
MANAMA — Formula One CEO Ross Brawn has predicted a great year ahead after declaring that the most radical rules overhaul in decades has lived up to its promise in the Bahrain Grand Prix opens on Sunday.
The light-flooded race around the Sakhir desert track saw a change of top order with Ferrari reviving the standard setting and the once dominant Mercedes struggling.
FT also has an intense battle for the top spot between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s world champion Max Verstappen.
The purpose of the new rules, which includes redesigned cars with cleaner aerodynamics, sleeker styling and larger 18-inch (45.7 cm) wheels, is to spice things up. for racing action by allowing racers to stay behind each other.
Brawn said that on the evidence of the first race, they appeared to have served, with lots of chopping and shifting all over the court.
“I can remember some of the first races being quite tedious,” the Briton told reporters after Leclerc led teammate Carlos Sainz to the Ferrari team’s first half-season opening since 2010.” We don’t have that today. I am quite satisfied.
“I think when you watch racing cars, you can see they can race.”
In addition to the design rules, Formula One introduced a tighter budget cap, at $140 million with a projected narrowing to $135 million by 2023.
It also has a new governance structure, requiring only a ‘supermajority’ instead of unanimous agreement to push through any last-minute changes, which means that any major breakthrough discovered by a team can be can be vetoed by opponents.
“Nobody out there at the moment can put another $100 million into a program to solve their problem,” Brawn said. “So no one will withdraw.
“I think there’s a lot that has come together that we can look forward to in a great year.”
However, Brawn warned not to be ignored by the successful launch of the new rules.
He said the 2022 cars are just a starting point and the work to make them race even better must continue.
Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali agrees.
“We need to take it step by step but for sure, the first signals are really encouraging,” said the Italian.
“Formula one in the moment is definitely in great shape.”
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