To defend necessary improvements

Changes to Formula 1 rules are sometimes received with dismay by fans and teams alike, depending on how the changes affect those who have a legitimate interest. However, through security improvements or competitive improvements, it is a necessary and integral process to familiarize oneself with the “new normal” in order to prevent F1 from becoming stale.

Changes to regulations, especially in Formula 1, can be expensive. They always come with the cry of being unnecessary and sometimes the reasons for them can be debated. Lewis Hamilton has already suggested that the optimizations be made for 2021 in order to “tie us back” to Mercedes after the Red Bull challenge.

However, rule changes are an important part of motorsport for several reasons. Perhaps the most obvious are security and the need to respond to technological trends or developments.

F1 regulators are in a constant battle to contain speeds so cars don’t grow out of the circuits. Changing cars is cheaper and makes more sense than constantly reworking the racetracks.

It used to come in the form of engine regulations, but more recently aerodynamics – the main driving force behind F1 performance for the past three or four decades – has been the goal.

Jos Verstappen, 1994 Belgian GP

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Similarly, rule changes enable a response to potentially undesirable technological advances such as traction and stability control or too rapid an increase in performance, such as the first era of ground effects.

They enable motorsport to follow automotive trends if necessary, for example the increased efficiency of the highly malicious turbo-hybrid engines.

Other security developments, including the halo, can trigger rule changes, but they do not always have a significant impact on costs or the order of the competition. As with any change, people often first complain about seeing something else before they get used to the “new normal”.

Rule changes are often expensive and need careful consideration – which wasn’t always the case in Formula 1 – but they’re also important. And done right, they offer added intrigue and excitement at the beginning (and during) of a new season

Almost as important – whether on purpose or not – is that rule changes can also disrupt the competition order. Reigns that grow longer over time are not good for F1 as a whole, and fans always respond to the excitement of increasing competition or to a different order than last year.

Almost all of the major F1 rules revolutions in the history of the World Championship have resulted in a change of guard at the front – or at least a new challenge for the front runners. Exceptions are McLaren’s time at the helm in switching from turbo to normally aspirated power in 1988-89 and the ongoing Mercedes winning streak despite new aero regulations for 2017, though the change in the latter example meant Ferrari got much closer to that (then) silver arrows.

McLaren MP4-4 Portuguese GP 1988

Photo by: Motorsport Images

The downside is that new regulations often spread to the field as the larger / better funded teams can adapt better and faster. There are exceptions, however. The 1994 ban on all electronic gadgets closed the field significantly, ending a Williams advantage so large it looked more like the loopholes in the 1950s.

The 2022 regulations aim to do something similar while addressing the financial problem with a cost cap philosophy already in place. If more teams have a chance to win next season, few will complain about the changes. And even Hamilton, who says he enjoys the competition, will surely welcome it – provided he decides to stay in Formula 1.

The 2022 rule set also aims to improve wheel-to-wheel racing by addressing the “dirty” air problem that puts a chasing car at risk. This has been a problem in F1 since the 1980s and has not been properly addressed despite several rule changes. But it’s more about the way the changes were worked out and implemented than the fact that things have changed. Hopefully, in 2022, F1 will be able to tackle the problem more successfully.

Rule changes are often expensive and need careful consideration – which wasn’t always the case in Formula 1 – but they’re also important. And done right, they offer additional intrigue and excitement at the beginning (and during) of a new season.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12 and Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images