Major Challenges Formula 1 Must Address

Outlining the main issues in the F1 and how to address them

From the casual outsider’s perspective, all seems well in the world of Formula 1.

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have ended the 7 years of Mercedes dominance; F1 mania is in full swing thanks to the success of Netflix’s Drive to Survive; and manufacturers such as Audi and Porsche have shown great interest in entering the sport.

Bubbling well above the surface, though, a myriad of issues risk damaging its reputation and alienating its rapidly growing fanbase.

So, what are these challenges, why do they matter, and is F1 and its governing body, the FIA, doing enough to address them?

The Calendar: Money over Morality 

Prioritising cash-cow races is nothing new to F1.

When the sport was run by business mogul Bernie Ecclestone, new races in Bahrain (from 2004) and Abu Dhabi (from 2009) received widespread criticism for the human rights records of each country.

Liberty Media, F1’s owners since 2017, have carried on with this trend by adding races in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Accusations of sports-washing- and F1’s willingness to facilitate it- will not go away anytime soon.

A missile strike on a nearby oil depot during the Saudi Arabian race weekend epitomised these issues and cast doubt over the race.

F1 has also added races in Miami (from 2022) and Vegas (next year) in order to appeal to the growing US market.

All of these new additions herald a record calendar of 24 races in 2023, creating three major issues that risk further damage to the sports reputation

Firstly, F1’s desire to follow the money puts classic tracks at risk that can’t compete with the money of other countries.

Monaco- F1’s crown jewel- took months to negotiate a new deal. The Belgium GP at the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit is far from guaranteed beyond 2023.

Fans both old and new appreciate classic circuits, acknowledging F1’s enriched history. Liberty Media would do well to remember that.

Secondly, there are serious concerns about staff wellbeing.

F1 involves thousands of personnel, from teams, event organisers and the media. 24 weekends away from home out of 37 between March and December, with regular travel between time zones, has been described as far too much by many members of the paddock.

Thirdly, F1’s push to appear more sustainable is undermined by an illogical calendar for 2023 which will have a major impact on the sport’s carbon footprint.

Races in Miami and Canada are separated by a 3-race spell in Europe, adding thousands of unnecessary flight miles.

Qatar is sandwiched by races in North and South America- why not pair it with the season ender in Abu Dhabi?

F1 shows no desire of halting the ever-increasing number of races, with CEO Stefano Domenicali suggesting there could be as many as 30 races in the future.

So far, the sport has shown no interest in addressing any of the above concerns.

Race Control: Lives at Risk

F1 is still suffering from the Abu Dhabi 2021 backlash, when a misapplication of its own safety car rules led to Max Verstappen taking the World Title from Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the race.

F1 fans were polarised by the event and fans on social media have remained incredibly toxic.

The stewarding and race control has been under far greater scrutiny ever since, and it has fallen shockingly far below the standards expected from the pinnacle of motorsport.

The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix was a microcosm of such issues.

Drivers were incensed when a recovery truck was deployed to recover a crashed car, whilst others passed by the incident.

In wet conditions, drivers’ visibility was poor and if another car had lost control- which, even at slow speeds, is distinctly possible in the wet- the lives of both drivers and stewards would be at risk.

In 2014, Jules Bianchi lost his life at the same circuit in this exact scenario. For the FIA to allow a repeat scenario is unforgivable.

The FIA often releases a report on such incidents and regularly fail to hold themselves accountable for their errors.

Their failings undoubtedly continue to contribute to a toxic culture on social media, which has sadly begun to spill out into the race weekend.

Over 2022, an increased amount of misogyny and racist abuse have been reported at circuits.

Budget Cap: Bad Handling

F1 introduced a budget cap of $145 million/year for 2021, intended to close up the field and create more competitive racing.

With the 2021 accounts soon to be released, rumours are circulating that two teams have breached the regulation by several million dollars.

One of these teams, Red Bull, edged the drivers’ championship with Max Verstappen.

At the time the rules were created, Managing Director of F1 Ross Brawn said "This has teeth. If you fraudulently breach the financial regulations, you will be losing your championship.

“It has serious consequences if teams breach these regulations.”

If, and only if, Red Bull has breached the cost cap then serious punishments must be served.

It is not expected that they would lose a championship but other sanctions such as a reduction of wind tunnel test time, and/or a reduction of future budgets, would be a suitable solution.

The sport must ensure it takes its own financial management seriously if it is to attract new teams and maintain its own integrity.

Representation: Minimal Impact

Lewis Hamilton remains the only black driver in F1 history, whilst no female driver has raced since 1976.

F1 has outwardly been keen to address the obvious imbalances across all aspects of F1 through its ‘We Race as One’ slogan.

F1 released a report highlighting progress made between 2018 in 2022 in reducing the gender pay gap, supporting budding engineers from under-represented groups, and the nurturing of racing talent through W Series- an all-female race series that acts as a support race.

Some of these steps are promising and their true impact will only be seen years down the line- but F1 needs to do more.

For all its success in bringing female drivers to the fore, W Series is suffering from huge financial issues and may not be able to complete the remaining races in 2022.

Even if it does survive, its main aim of providing the best drivers with a platform to move through the ranks of elite motorsport is not working.

Jamie Chadwick is undoubtedly the most accomplished female driver, on the brink of sealing a third consecutive W Series title in dominant fashion.

Despite her best efforts, she was unable to secure a drive in any of F1’s feeder series in 2022 (F2 & F3).

There’s not much more Chadwick can do to prove she deserves a shot. Negative comments from Stefano Domenicali, who claimed the prospect of a female driver competing in F1 in the next five years is 'very unlikely’, will not help the cause.

F1 should prioritise long term impact above token gestures for PR purposes. However, while it’s not an exact comparison, sports such as football and cricket have recently made huge strides in representation.

F1 needs to show that it’s doing more to make F1 a far more accessible sport!

What Next?

With a more progressive fanbase comes greater expectation to deliver on critical modern-day challenges.

F1 has failed to grasp many of these aspects so far. Most worrying of all is an apparent inability to manage its own systems properly.

Unless it can visibly address some of these concerns, it risks real damage to its reputation which will undo the success of its broadening appeal in recent years.