Formula 1 is self-critical

Saturday, after finishing first in qualifying, Sebastian Vettel was happy, surprised by his performance, but also ignorant about how the race was going. “ It could be really exciting or it could be really boring “, he confided. 48 hours after these words, in the paddock, everyone decided: the passion was not there.

Even Fernando Alonso, winner of the inaugural race of this 2009 season, admits that there is a problem. “ Qualifying and starting seem to be the key points for this season, says the pilot Ferrari. After the first turn, the positions were already more or less fixed. » Indeed, the classification at the end of the first round – Vettel, Alonso, Massa, Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher, Webber, Button – didn't change much after that.

Vettel lost three places due to a loss of power (spark plug failure), Hamilton took advantage of his tire change strategy to overtake Rosberg and Button passed Webber after his pit stop. . “ It?s not the most exciting Grand Prix I’ve taken part in », Confirms Mark Webber, finally eighth. “ The world-class drivers I had in front of me made no mistakes. »

Lewis Hamilton confirms this impression. “ It was a particular challenge ", he says about starting with a tank full of gas for the entire race. “ But this is certainly not what will make the races more exciting by hoping to provoke overtaking. I couldn't follow Nico (Rosberg). I was close to him but, in the fast sectors, my tires did not offer me enough grip to fight with him. »

For its part, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) does not say anything else. For his return to Formula 1, the seven-time World Champion finished in sixth place, without having been able to hope to gain positions. “ I did the best I could. But overtaking here was impossible. I had a lot of fun but now we have to work a lot to catch up with those in front of us. »

The drivers are unanimous: the 1 version of Formula 2010 regulations have made the races soporific. Fans of the premier single-seater category will not find much pleasure in following a procession of cars all season long, even at 300 km/h and under the sun. Some are already putting forward solutions.

Martin Whitmarsh, president of FOTA (F1 team association) and team principal of McLaren, therefore suggests reviewing the regulations in order to attend more exciting races. “ We were among those who demanded two compulsory stops per race, so as not to lose all interest on the track. We also need ultra-soft tires, capable of degrading much more quickly than the current “super soft”. They held on too long. » However, such proposals do not guarantee a revival of spectacle, all teams tending to adapt to changes in regulations in the same way.

For his part, Sir Frank Williams, present for many years on the pitlane, thinks that the design of circuits must evolve. Too slow, the Sakhir track and its numerous turns did not help the increase in overtaking. “ A very worrying problem », recognizes the director of the Grove stable: “ There is no magic formula but a change could help the race with circuits with longer straights and wider run-off zones. »

In the paddock, everyone is aware of the problem. If the trend continues in Australia, the weekend of March 26-28, proposals should flood in. But is there a solution capable of finally offering exciting races? The survey proposed by AUTOhebdo.fr offers an unequivocal finding: 75% of you found the Bahrain Grand Prix boring. F1 must do its introspection if it wants to see the rebirth of the passion for Sunday GPs among its faithful.