Glance back: the 2010 Formula One Season
What is the current state of the multi-million dollar racing franchise? One can be a pessimistic and call it a dead sport simply because it doesn’t offer the same level of excitement, drama and action packed finishes as NASCAR racing or be optimistic and see the current season as a quest to regain lost glory.
The 2010 season saw numerous changes to its technical structure as it faced a lot of amendments from the 2009 rulebook. The most striking difference is the ban on refuelling during races for the first time since 1993. This saw the previous 80 litre tank replaced with a 250 litre version. The time saved on refuelling would make pit stops shorter which means that races would more or less be won on the track.
The KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) was made mandatory for the 2010 season. In simple terms, it makes an F1 car act like a hybrid car. The system conserves energy in certain instances such as braking to be later used with the help of a boost button. This adds a ‘nitrous’ flair to the sport and makes it more exciting.
Another noticeable was the addition of two more teams to the original ten. This means a total of 24 cars were on the grid – according to simple math, more cars offer more competition.
The points system has also been revised with the first 10 drivers scoring points rather the top 8 previously. Drivers on pole receive 25, 18 and 15 points respectively. This further spices up things as the top 5 drivers are separated by a mere 20 points going into the last 7 races of the season. This has been another positive for the 2010 season. All those who generalized F1 as a Ferrari monopoly will have to be a touch more creative predicting the winning driver and constructor this season.
However, there’s always the party that would still consider F1 as a fading blip on the motorsport radar with NASCAR fans probably in the lead. Having claimed former BMW-Williams and McLaren driver Montoya, NASCAR still features to be an attractive alternative to F1 drivers.
Kimi Raikkonen has been a huge miss this season after terminating his contract with Ferrari last season. Was the manner of departure beneficial to ‘both’ parties; I can only guess as much as the next F1 fan. Reports are suggesting that the ‘Fin’ does not see his future in F1 anymore - another scoop for NASCAR? Only time will tell.
Those who imagined a transparent season for a change will be deeply disappointed with another controversy on the horizon. ‘McLaren and Mercedes GP recently accused Red Bull Racing and Ferrari F1 Team for using a front wing with a flexibility degree higher than FIA regulations allow’ according to ITV. Shady team tactics with Ferrari allegedly ordering Massa to slow down to let his championship challenging team-mate through has been under review with plenty of criticism. Barrichello overtaking Michael Schumacher on the last lap was probably a payback from what the latter did to the former during their Ferrari racing days a few seasons back. With all the drama, the idealist in us would be inclined to introduce 24 F1 cars with the same specifications and simply wait for the teams to score with ‘driving’ and taking the front seat for a change.
The return of the racing legend Michael Schumacher could have been potentially a plus for this season. However, with current proceedings, joining the Mercedes team could be the biggest mistake of his life since the German has failed to even register a podium finish. The driver has even been out qualified by his team-mate Nico Rosberg on numerous occasions.
The gulf between the high and low end teams is the same, if not greater. The top seeded team Red Bull Racing sits pretty at 312 points while teams from seed 6 onwards are not even in triple digits. This has been a persistent offset of F1 which makes it rather predictable to some.
As mentioned earlier, F1 is hugely dependent upon the viewers’ subjective perspective. The optimist sees potential improvement while the pessimist sees little difference in the failing sport.
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