After the F1 Strategy Group met on Thursday, they finally decided on what measures they should take in order to return the sport to its former glory.
The meeting was spearheaded by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, FIA president Jean Todt and Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, Williams, McLaren and Force India team chiefs.
Their main focus was to drop lap times by 5 to 6 seconds starting with 2017 – which would mean an aerodynamic rules evolution, wider tires and less weight on the car.
Surprisingly though, refueling is making a comeback after being banned in 2010, though there will be regulations in place, such as a predetermined maximum fuel load.
According to Autosport, members of the committee also voted for higher revving engines and louder cars – which we’re thrilled about, since fans were already starting to complain about these issues lately.
From next season, teams will get to choose their tires freely (two dry compounds from a selection of four) – which isn’t something Pirelli is particularly excited about. They argue that it would lead to too many different race strategies, which is fine by us since the top teams will probably mirror each other’s choices anyway.
Another main talking point was the introduction of customer cars, which teams are now officially exploring. This is something that would only benefit the top teams, so we’re sure that it will raise a lot of eyebrows in the near future.
Bottom line, things are in motion and we’d rather focus on the positives than the negatives. We’re behind just about any and all measures that help make Formula 1 more competitive – besides, there’s no way all teams can ever be 100% happy with the rules in place.