Silverstone chief Patrick Allen has added his voice to calls for a rules shakeup in formula one.
He has told British newspapers that races are too predictable because of the dominance of technology, joking that the winning “technical directors” should stand at the top of the podium rather than the drivers. Allen said ticket sales are up 25 per cent for July’s British grand prix, but mainly because of local driver and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton’s success. “When Lewis wins every week how long will it be before people say it is too predictable?” he said.
As smaller teams fight for survival and grandees like Red Bull-Renault and McLaren-Honda struggle for success in the new turbo V6 era, F1 officials have been discussing a major overhaul of the regulations for the 2017 season. “We need some help from the FIA and FOM in terms of the rules to make it more exciting,” Silverstone director Allen said.
Asked whether he thinks Silverstone’s voice will help to bring about the change, he admitted: “It is a plea rather than an influence. “It seems you could put anyone in the cars and win the race. When you have Verstappen coming straight in from F3, how hard are they to drive? “It would be nice to see a bit more of a competitive edge to things. You don’t see it in formula one and I wonder if the product is right in F1 currently. “If we get to a point where, five, six, seven years from now the fans are dwindling away because the product isn’t interesting we have a problem,” Allen added, saying the “noise” of the engines also remains a big issue.
He said traditional race hosts, particularly those in Europe, rely heavily on their grands prix for revenue, but F1 has shed Germany and now Monza is in doubt. Allen urged those who are left to band together. “As you get fewer and fewer, it becomes like the World Wildlife Fund — you need to protect it,” he said.
