Reducing the outlandish cost of F1

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WardenOfTheNorth
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Joined: 07 Dec 2024, 16:10
Location: Up North

Re: Reducing the outlandish cost of F1

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Alan wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 05:39
Hello. Most of you are probably aware that F1 teams have 1,000 or more employees. Many of these employees are focused on designing the cars. The designers seek greater performance while the association seeks to make the cars identical through more and more restrictive rules. This tug of war between the designers and the association is expensive and the designers lose because substantial improvements are banned.

Why not just make all the cars identical? Build all the cars to the same blueprint. The teams could make their own cars, or buy them from constructors.

This move would foster closer racing and save hundreds of millions of dollars. The savings could be passed on to us, the spectators, in the form of less expensive admissions and streaming fees.

We spectators would also enjoy closer racing.
You're describing a different sport.

F1 is as much about the constructors competition as it is about the drivers.

A spec series would not hold anywhere near as much interest for many fans.
"From success, you learn absolutely nothing. From failure and setbacks, conclusions can be drawn." - Niki Lauda

Just_a_fan
Just_a_fan
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Joined: 31 Jan 2010, 20:37

Re: Reducing the outlandish cost of F1

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WardenOfTheNorth wrote:
24 Aug 2025, 17:30
Alan wrote:
21 Aug 2025, 05:39
Hello. Most of you are probably aware that F1 teams have 1,000 or more employees. Many of these employees are focused on designing the cars. The designers seek greater performance while the association seeks to make the cars identical through more and more restrictive rules. This tug of war between the designers and the association is expensive and the designers lose because substantial improvements are banned.

Why not just make all the cars identical? Build all the cars to the same blueprint. The teams could make their own cars, or buy them from constructors.

This move would foster closer racing and save hundreds of millions of dollars. The savings could be passed on to us, the spectators, in the form of less expensive admissions and streaming fees.

We spectators would also enjoy closer racing.
You're describing a different sport.

F1 is as much about the constructors competition as it is about the drivers.

A spec series would not hold anywhere near as much interest for many fans.
Exactly so. One of the central parts of F1 is that the team designs and builds the cars themselves. Sure, that's been watered down with teams buying gearboxes/rear suspension with PUs, but that really just an extension of the time when most teams bought in engines e.g. Cosworth, and gearboxes e.g. Hewland.
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.