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Formula 1 in Turmoil: The Ferrari Solution

DL-FERRARI_F1-01 Formula 1’s oldest and most valuable team is pushing for a revolution. The sport is richer than ever, yet continues to lose fans. Last year’s engine switch from V8 to 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrids proved to be a buzzkill to the sensations. One of the best things about F1 has always been the scream of the engines. It was a sound you felt in your soul and its sonic shriek could be felt from your head down to your toes. Unfortunately that sensation is only a memory as the current formula has strangled and muffled the engine noise into something like a loud vacuum cleaner. Last year’s intense season-long Mercedes/Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosburg championship battle did bring some genuine thrills to the grandstands, but single driver or single team dominance has been a problem for years. The costs involved are so ridiculous that second tier teams have no chance to be competitive. Even third spot on the podium is out of reach to them. Classic tracks have been abandoned in favor of more TV broadcast-friendly venues that all seem to look the same. And then there is the aesthetic criticism. Current Formula One cars are ugly and fans are underwhelmed. The world’s premier motor racing series is in crisis and Scuderia Ferrari wants to do something about it. DL-FERRARI_F1-03 The most storied team in motorsports has been vocal in its dissatisfaction with the direction of F1. New team competition boss, Maurizio Arrivabene says that a “rivoluzione” is necessary for the sport to reclaim fans and to flourish. The Maranello team is pressuring F1 organizers for a major overhaul to the sport. Ferrari has taken a rare (for them) step by posting two images on their official website of a design called Ferrari Design Formula 1 Concept that projects their idea of what a modern F1 contender should look like. The spectacular digital renderings succeed in being both technologically advanced and easy on the eyes. The bodywork is sculpted gracefully and the numerous aerodynamic protrusions that litter the design of current F1 cars are mostly absent. DL-FERRARI_F1-07 Il Commendatore, Enzo Ferrari, was always concerned with the beauty of his cars. Aesthetic design and a pleasing line were as important as mechanical performance to the Boss. When, in the '70s, F1 cars became the rolling sponsorship billboards that all racecars have become, the Boss forbid any major sponsorship, insisting on keeping his creations as scarlet and pure as possible. There were exceptions in the form of small decals for actual equipment suppliers, but it’s worth noting that his team was #1 in success and name recognition and he turned down large sums of money in order to keep his cars red. It wasn’t until after the Boss’s death, in the 1990s Michael Schumacher era, that the team finally gave in and accepted tobacco money to help defray the rising costs associated with the series and the huge sums they were paying their German driving ace. DL-FERRARI_F1-04   (image: Curtis Cummings) Science and technology are good things and the relentless change that comes with both is necessary to keep Formula One at the top of motorsport spectacle. Fans and long-term enthusiasts accept this but have been unable to close their eyes to the just-plain-ugly shapes of current F1 cars. Strange aerodynamic protrusions sprout out from every surface. When, during pre-season testing last year, photos were published showing what looked like phallic sex toys jutting out from the noses of some of the cars, fans assumed they were Photoshopped joke photos. Unfortunately they weren’t. One can only imagine what was going through the driver’s minds when the cover was pulled off at the press unveiling. When computers are determining which shape is the most efficient, should engineers and designers just accept what the computer demands without any regard to aesthetics? Some would say that if you want to win in the top leagues, that’s exactly what you should do. DL-FERRARI_F1-05 (image: courtesy of BMW Motorsport) Ferrari thinks they have a better solution. While revealing no specific details of the F1 Concept, the website does ask the question: “Would it be possible to come up with an F1 car which is not only technologically advanced, but also captivating to the eye and aggressive looking?” They realistically elected not to create a completely new new-spec car for their F1 Concept. The website message continues, “And could this be made without having to overturn the current technical rules? At Ferrari, we think so.” Their Concept F1 hammers home the importance of a good-looking design. It is sculpted and advanced and AGGRESSIVE looking. The aerodynamics don’t look like they were glued on as an afterthought. The eye is lead along the impressive contours from front to back. And most important, it looks like it’s ready to be built. “Minimal changes give the car a look that is way different so far. Our challenge was to create something that was, to put it short, better looking.” DL-FERRARI_F1-06 There is an argument to be had that without Ferrari, there is no Formula One. The team is a part of F1’s DNA. No one plops down their hard-earned cash to see Caterham or Force India lap at almost competitive speeds. And come to think of it, Caterham is out this year. Too expensive to continue. The point is that Ferrari has clout. Ferrari can make demands. The Ferrari Design Formula 1 Concept is a statement aimed at the FIA poobahs that hold the reigns of the sport. Winning the second 2015 season race in Malaysia is a great boost to Ferrari and can only make their plea to improve the sport ring louder. Let’s hope that Bernie Ecclestone and company listen to what The Scuderia has to say. And please go back to V8s, or even better, V12s. Loud ones. Please. (images: unless otherwise noted, courtesy of Ferrari S.p.A.)
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