The bad decisions that have brought F1 to its knees

Even the most die-hard of Formula 1 fans would have struggled to defend the French Grand Prix from the critics who let rip after a less than stellar race last Sunday.

Yes, for 30 seconds on the final lap, the back-straight shenanigans involving Lando Norris, the two Renaults and Kimi Raikkonen were utterly brilliant. But that was about it for entertainment.

A procession at the front; an unchallenged race leader roaring way; a field that spread out from the first lap; and drivers once again in tyre conservation mode at a venue that offers little in the way of jeopardy produced a dull afternoon.

It was little wonder that headlines were so fiercely negative on Monday morning. Oliver Brown of the Telegraph labelled it "the worst race I have ever seen", adding "Formula 1 must change or the sport will die".

Dutch newspapers SportWereld and Gelderlander, plus AutoHebdo in France, all shared the same headline idea: "Zzzzzzzzz"

Single-team domination is nothing new in F1. But while periods of insipid uncompetitiveness have come and gone over the years, the sheer scale of Mercedes' well-earned advantage this season, plus the fact the top three teams are well clear of a field that produces very little overtaking (and too much talk about tyres), has worn down fans and stakeholders alike.

Lewis Hamilton was clear on Sunday night that people were right to be unhappy at what F1 was delivering at present; but it was important they blamed the right people.

"Don't point the fingers at the drivers because we don't write the rules, we have nothing to do with the money shifting, all that kind of stuff," he said. "You should put the pressure on the people that are at the head, who should be doing the job.

"I think they are trying to but for many, many years they've made bad decisions."

He is absolutely right on that front. F1's current ills are nothing to do with any decisions made last winter, nor much to do with owner Liberty Media.

Instead, you need to rewind the clock back to the 2012-2013 period to understand exactly why F1 has ended up this mess. It's a run of decisions made in that period that the championship is paying the price for now.

This is how it all went wrong:

1. Giving way more cash to F1's top teams

As then F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone did all he could to get teams to commit to new 'bilateral' agreements from 2013 to keep them in the championship, he had to work extra hard to lure them away and break up what he perceived as a big threat from the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA).

It was his success in getting Red Bull and Ferrari to quit FOTA that spelled the end for the teams' body. But it came at a price, as Ecclestone agreed to extra payments for top teams - labelled Constructors' Championship Bonuses.

This paved the way for problems further down the road as Mercedes soon joined the CCB crew (thanks to its F1 domination in 2014 and '15), and F1 was left in a scenario where its biggest and most successful teams had much more money than everyone else. This is why there is a two-tier F1 today.

2. Teams given too much control in rules process

As well as the attraction of extra payments for the top teams, Ecclestone agreed to give the big outfits a larger say in the rules process with the creation of the F1 Strategy Group.

This again served to reinforce the advantage of the top teams: in effect it handcuffed F1 into enshrining rules that suited this clique of top teams, and prevented the implementation of changes that might be positive for others.

Just look at how the teams' push for more predictable tyres has had a negative affect on the racing.

3. Costs and technology advancement not kept in check

F1 has always been about cutting-edge technology, but it has run rampant in recent years as advances in data gathering, simulations and CFD have led to an inflation of staff numbers within the top teams.

Every element of the car is pored over in minute detail, not only ramping up the costs (at least for those that can afford it) but also taking away much of the championship's jeopardy. It has made F1 too predictable as the wealthy teams spend fortunes trying to take away any unknowns from the racing.

Efforts to try to rein back such advances - for instance the quickly aborted team radio ban a few years ago - have met resistance.

It's going to be hard to wean F1 off this engineering obsession.

4. Too much power put in hands of manufacturers thanks to hybrid rules

When F1 moved away from V8 engines at the end of 2013 and embraced hybrids, it was done as a way of keeping the series attractive to carmakers at a time when environmental concerns were growing and road-car powertrains were moving towards electrification.

But while the idea was right, several elements of the rules have not worked: the lack of noise, the excessive fuel saving, the extent of grid penalties and the overly complicated technology.

One of the long-term consequences is that the rules have put more power in the hands of the existing manufacturers because no independent company could create a state-of-the-art power unit. No other manufacturer after Honda has dared jump in.

The carmakers involved now have a stranglehold over F1 and know full well that if one or two of them quit, then the championship is in serious trouble. That gives them good bargaining power when it comes to getting their own way.

5. The chase for profits taking F1 away from what fans wanted

One of Bernie Ecclestone's big frustrations during the latter stages of his rule under former owner CVC was that his main task was not doing what was best for F1, but doing what was best for the bottom line. The quest for profits above all else took the championship in a direction not everyone liked.

It moved away from classic races to venues in the middle of nowhere - such as Korea (pictured above) and Turkey - which brought little to the calendar. F1 migrated to financially lucrative pay-TV channels, neglecting those fans who had become accustomed to watching it on free-to-air platforms and could not countenance paying for it.

F1 has become ultra-corporate and lost its 'rock-n-roll' image, and since Liberty is a listed company that needs to mind its share price and provide good value for its shareholders, it cannot be relied upon to put fans first if that detracts from profits.

6. F1 chiefs seeking consensus rather than dictating

While former FIA president Max Mosley was often criticised for being too much of a dictator (especially when working hand-in-glove with Ecclestone), current incumbent Jean Todt has been accused of being the opposite and trying to achieve too much consensus.

With new owner Liberty Media equally trying to please everyone, it has meant that at the very time F1 could do with someone taking charge and telling the teams what changes are being made for the best of everyone, the championship has sat back too much and let the competitors rule the roost.

The manufacturers have already watered down engine changes for 2021, they have succeeded in leaving F1 with a budget cap that will realistically be as high as $250million (once exceptions are included), and there is now a danger that teams will time out the rules process to get what they want.

There are growing fears that the rules overhaul in 2021 will not end up being anywhere near as radical as that which was originally promised.

7. Drivers not being involved in rules process

Hamilton admitted that his recent attendance of a rules summit in Paris with teams, F1 and the FIA was a bit of an eye-opener in making him realise that what was being prepared for 2021 was far away from what the drivers would like.

This is no real surprise, because for too long drivers have not been actively involved in the rules process. They are certainly not innocent parties in this, though, for time and again over the years drivers were invited to rules meeting and none attended.

It is only more recently that Grand Prix Drivers Association chairman Alex Wurz has pushed for members to be more active in trying to wield influence. But it's going to be tough to push back against some changes - such as the move to heavier cars.

8. The push for clear boundaries ruining the racing

F1 and the teams have long pushed for clear boundaries and consistency in the application of rules. In response, the FIA has laid down more and more regulations to offer such guidelines; but we've now hit a point where there is some kickback.

The all-encompassing rulebook is now the source of much criticism, for it has left F1 drivers feeling and looking like they're handcuffed when it comes to producing the kind of battles that fans want - as Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo's recent controversial penalties have shown.

None of the above decisions in isolation would have created a problem for F1, but together they have served up a combination that has left the championship facing some major challenges.

Liberty, which only came into F1 long after many of the bad decisions were made, now faces the task of trying to unpick what it can.

But while everyone agrees that change is needed, finding agreement on what the changes should be is a pretty tall order.

Get it wrong, and the danger is that what was saw at the French GP could become the norm rather than the exception. And fans will certainly not like that.