McLaren team boss Zak Brown hopes that the battle for the drivers’ championship this year will be more open with the introduction of new regulations in Formula 1 before the 2022 season.
Changes to encourage closer races and more overtaking opportunities will go into effect before the new campaign kicks off in March, the first major change to F1 rules since 2014.
Last season’s title race was one of the most dramatic in the history of the sport, with Max Verstappen defeating Lewis Hamilton in the championship on the final round of the season, but Mercedes too had enjoyed unprecedented dominance under the previous regulations.
Since the 2022 season is a clean slate for the teams, Brown would like several teams with a chance of winning the title to go to the final Grand Prix of the season, after Mercedes and Red Bull have won the most races.
“My hope is that next year we’ll go to Abu Dhabi with three or four cars that can fight for the championship. I think that’s the ultimate goal,” said Brown.
“I think this year has been spectacular, up and down the grid, and I hope, with what has been implemented, the new car designs and the intent of the new aerodynamic package, that what we are seeing now is just a taste of the future . “
McLaren made significant strides last season, winning their first race in nine years when Daniel Ricciardo won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Lando Norris also enjoyed a formidable first half of the campaign as McLaren battled Ferrari for third place in the constructors’ championship, a fight the Italian team eventually won.
There have been some fears that the regulations change could usher in a new era of dominance for a team if they got ahead early on, like in 2009 when Brawn rose to the title and in 2014 when Mercedes took advantage of it.
But Brown believes it will be a different story this time around and predicts a narrowing of the field.
“I would be very surprised if there was a boring campaign with the new cars next year,” said Brown. “I think you will get some winners and losers and some surprises. I would be surprised if there was dominance.
“You could get a team that might be dominant for a short time, like Brawn was when they found out in 2009. But I think with the cost cap now in place, you can feel the tension being put on the teams that stopped developing this expensive car over the next year.
“I would be surprised if the field doesn’t get closer and closer.”
