Even F1's 'Class A' is uneven

It is not by happenstance that traditionally grandstands at race tracks have for the most part been constructed at corners: what fans come to see, after all, is driving artistry, and that finds little expression on a straight.

That being so, one of course regrets the crushing downforce of today's Formula 1 cars, and the progressive conversion of once daunting corners into straights. This is true of nowhere more than Silverstone, where, as Max Verstappen remarked, a corner like Copse - like Spa's Eau Rouge - is these days 'easy flat'. In itself that militates against overtaking, and the practice is further discouraged by overwhelming 'aero', which prevents cars from closely following each other through a quick turn. If the problem has been with us for countless years, it grows ever more acute: "Anything within five seconds," commented Christian Horner at Silverstone, "and you're in 'dirty air'..."