F1 where are you going?

Is this perhaps the question that most fans of the current F1 considered the queen of motorsport would like to ask?

Although I don't want to open a generation gap, in my opinion F1 is heading towards a less rosy future because the technology applied in the present is overcoming the human work of the driver, if we think about the last controversies we are witnessing a tactical dispute from the wall of pits when in reality it should be the driver to be the center of attention and decisions.

Another relevant issue today is the economic and supposedly safety and environmental interests that force the F1 "circus" to go to countries with high population density in Asia and the Middle East to the detriment of the European continent, which is thus deprived of the use of mythical circuits such as: Paul Ricard, Monza, Dijon, Estoril, Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Hockenheim, Kyalami, Zolder etc.

Nowadays I watch F1 from a distance, I don't even have a favorite driver or brand, unlike the 80's and 90's when I didn't miss a GP on television and followed the championship with detail and interest, the whole philosophy of F1 changed with the paddock to become an almost private place, keeping the public away from direct contact with their idols.

In summary, I would say that the current F1 has lost its true essence and spirit and has become a technological showcase and a media show, where at the moment 2 to 3 teams dominate and the others have a lot of difficulty keeping up with this pace because they actually have very different budgets.

At the moment, the 2022 championship is being dominated by Red Bull and Max Verstappen, Ferrari, in turn, has a competitive car but due to tactical errors by its sporting director it has truly “shot in the feet” and so the results have been modest, Mercedes is heading towards the competitiveness it had in the recent past and can still have a say in the title decision.

In my collection of 1/43 miniatures, the F1 theme is not part, except for 2 transport trucks (Brabham Martini and Lotus JPS) and a Carlos Pace F1.


João R.