Future of Formula 1 - will the business remain profitable?
Formula 1 - a well-known pinnacle of motorsport, a place where all celebrities meet, and so on. In the past few years, we have seen a rise in popularity, especially thanks to the battle in 2021 between Hamilton and Verstappen and the Netflix series called Drive to Survive. However, will we be able to keep the business sustainable? How will Formula 1 look in 5 or even 20 years? And is there a chance of a woman becoming a driver?
A threat around a corner and more teams
Let's begin with changes that will influence the World Championship onwards from 2026. To decrease the gap among the teams, the FIA decided to make a few regulations about the parameters of the racing car. The car will be slightly narrower, so overtaking in, for instance, Monaco should be easier. However, there is a threat that might make F1 cars even slower than the F2 cars. The engine should work a bit differently - 50% of the power should be provided throughout the battery system that will recuperate in braking zones and reduce drag. Unfortunately, teams found out that the drivers might even slow down in the middle of the straight due to the battery being completely wasted, or they will have to shift down to a lower gear. That would be an enormous disaster for F1. The gap between the teams might be even bigger, because there will be 6 engine suppliers overall and one brand new team. The automotive company Cadillac decided to enter the business. They will create 2 more spots in Formula 1, which means that we are going to see a bigger battle in Q1 in terms of qualifying for the second stage. Furthermore, there is a possibility to return for drivers such as Sergio Peréz, Valtteri Bottas, or Sebastian Vettel.
Exotic destinations
Another trend influenced by money is the diversification of circuits in the F1 calendar. We expect the entrance of the Madrid GP in 2026 and rotation of Spa and another unconfirmed circuit until 2032. Those are changes that the regular F1 fan is not passionate about. The circuit in Spa-Francorchamps is one of the most traditional venues in the F1 season, with high speed throughout the woods, the notoriously known "Eau Rouge" corner, and so on. F1 management is planning to include even more untraditional race tracks, such as another Grand Prix in the USA, a race in South Africa/Rwanda, and so on. Additionally, there is a lack of racing action on some of the modern tracks, which makes racing even less interesting. Last but not least, this decreases the chances of the appearance of the Czech GP to almost zero, unless there is some millennial talent from our little country.
Females, equality, and brand new Monaco
Formula 1 management is doing 100% these days to get a woman into F1. For instance, they created a brand new championship called "F1 Academy" filled with girls only. The winner of the championship has way better chances to get to Formula 3 or any other "male" series next year. However, there is still a huge physical difference between a man and a woman. The female would have to be incredibly good in every way to get to Formula 1 one day. Basically, it is impossible.
However, the gaps will get closer in my opinion in the future. With more investors in the business, I believe that even smaller teams like Alpine will get competitive in terms of constant race pace (or even in terms of velocity in qualifying). The biggest competition will remain between teammates, so I can easily imagine that Max Verstappen would win the first qualifying session against his co-worker. Well, it's hard to guess because it's Red Bull Racing, finishing in 22nd place while losing just 5 tenths of a second.
Last but not least, we have to talk about the Monaco GP. This year's race was quite funny thanks to the silly strategies of Mercedes and the brilliance of V-CARB and Williams. Two mandatory pit-stop venues are such a good idea; however, it might feel a little bit useless while overtaking is still impossible. Of course, that might change in a small measure after the 2026 regulations are applied; nonetheless, there was a proposal to expand the track. All we need is a longer straight, for instance, the one after the Portier turn.
All in all, Formula 1 has great potential to develop itself in the future. Despite the possibility of facing some trouble, my view is that if the right people remain in power, the sport will attract even more fans around the world.
Jakub Ondruš
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/articles/czed4jk7eeeo<br>
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/gary-anderson-how-id-change-the-monaco-gp-f1-track-layout/<br>
https://blenderartists.org/t/futuristic-f1-car/1151770<br>