Why F1's doom-mongers need a reality check

If there is one thing Formula 1 is brilliant at, it's talking itself down. So, after two exciting weeks of testing where the new faster cars provided some decent thrills, spills and a great deal of uncertainty ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, there remain those eager to be all glass-half empty about it.

There are the complaints that the shark fins and T-wings are ugly. There are the fears that overtaking will be non-existent. There is weariness that the same Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull teams are out in front. And of course the cars aren't loud enough.

But I'm afraid to say I'm not a member of F1's doom-and-gloom club. In fact, I've never quite ever mustered up the energy to even think of applying for membership.

Instead, F1's launch period and testing spell has given me the distinct impression that grand prix racing is not only in rude health, there is an argument to suggest it has perhaps never been stronger.

Interest in the new cars and testing was at record levels. Engagement through digital platforms and on social media was bigger than it has ever been, as FOM undid the shackles that have dogged F1 for too long. What's to worry about?

Sure, some may not like the fins, overtaking may be harder, the three big teams may dominate and I wouldn't be against noisier cars, but if that's the limit of F1's major complaints right now, then we have little to seriously be concerned about.

On the circuit, F1's 2017 cars appear to have given us most of what we wanted. The spectacle is heightened.

The ultimate motivation for the ramping up of grip and downforce was about making things more challenging for the drivers. The equation was simple: more difficult/faster cars + happy drivers + enthusiasm and excitement for the sport = more excitement for the fans.

Speaking to the drivers over the Barcelona test, you were hard pressed to find any of them not enthused about what they were experiencing out on track.

Needing to be sharper, no longer being limited by the need to carefully manage tyres and thermal degradation, plus battling cars on the edge of adhesion has left a lot of smiles up and down the paddock.

Fernando Alonso said F1 no longer meant driving like a "child", while Kevin Magnussen confessed that things had previously got to an "embarrassing" state because of the excessive tyre saving.

Even someone like Nico Hulkenberg, not known for regularly getting overenthusiastic in public, was raving about F1 2017.

"If you go flat through Turn 3, it's a hell of a ride," he said. "It's pretty amazing, it's difficult for the public and you guys to understand, you don't get that sensation. It's pretty fucking cool.

"I think you'll definitely see more drivers this year after the race coming out from the scales more fucked."

I remember a private dinner with a driver a few years ago and him lamenting about how the Pirelli era of high tyre management had taken much of the challenge away from driving. So much so, in fact, that he suggested drivers were not really able to be on the limit any more.

One of his main points of evidence was the fact that it was hard to recall frequent occasions when drivers had lost control of their cars through mistakes rather than mechanical problems. In fact - ignoring some of Pastor Maldonado's greatest moments - errors had become the exception rather than the rule.

But F1's 2017 cars appear to have changed all that - and drivers are now beautifully on the edge. Mistakes are aplenty too. Kimi Raikkonen's spin at Turn 3, Daniel Ricciardo's off at Turn 4, Lance Stroll's spin at Turn 5, Valtteri Bottas's spin at Turn 9, and Lewis Hamilton's spin at Turn 12 throughout testing showed that driving near the limit is not so easy any more.

The cars are spectacular too. I spent an afternoon wandering around the first section of the Barcelona track last week, and there is little to be disappointed about.

Yes, at corners like Turn 3, which in theory should be one of the best places to watch, the large run-off areas means the cars are too far away from where you are standing to really get a feel for what is going on.

But close to the kerb on the entry to Turn 1, the thundering V6 noise of the cars as they come over the brow of the hill at the end of the main straight, pushing, pushing and pushing on flat out until hitting the ridiculously late braking point was as good as F1 has ever been.

Best of all though was the outside of Turn 9. Just before the turn in point on the left, the crash barrier juts out and you can stand at the edge of the grass - spotting the cars weave their way through the Turn 7/8 further down the hill before getting back on full power.

Flashing past, instinct urges you to take a step back as the noise and big car rushing towards you gets the heart beating that little bit quicker. Then the next few seconds are all about how much confidence the driver has on corner entry - and if he can keep his right foot fully planted.

The Ferrari looked beautiful throughout - matched only by the Mercedes. Fernando Alonso kept battling valiantly with not enough grunt as his rattling Honda left it sounding unique. Sergio Perez was constantly fighting a bouncing rear end as his Force India squirmed through the bend. Each time through, each car told a different story - just as it should be.

There was nothing pedestrian about this new F1. And when things get more intense amid the heat of competition, there are going to be some great places to watch F1 cars. How cool is the Turn 11/12 chicane going to be at Albert Park? What about the Swimming Pool at Monaco? Or Pouhon at Spa? Or anywhere at Suzuka?

Of course, it would be wrong to hail the new cars as a total success before we've seen them race, and I'm not ignorant to the fears that overtaking may well be harder this year. But equally I don't think you can judge great racing on the fact that passing other cars is easy.

F1 has never been about making overtaking automatic; and a great race is often remembered because there was one fantastic overtaking move, rather than 100 easy ones.

Let's not forget too that some iconic races have been made because overtaking is so difficult. Why do we remember the 2005 and 2006 San Marino Grands Prix so well? It's certainly not because Alonso/Schumacher could make use of DRS and blast past easily...

Sure, overtaking should not be completely impossible, but one of the reasons why F1 can head into 2017 more confident about its lot is because there are now bosses in charge who are ready to take the right action to sort out the problem if we have one.

Spending time chatting to F1 new managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn at Barcelona was one of those lightbulb-going-off moments - because you knew finally someone is in charge who gets it.

As poacher turned gamekeeper, Brawn knows from the other side of the fence where teams are coming from when it comes to rules; which is why he is going to be so good at putting in place a plan to make F1 even better in the future.

He's not under pressure to make a quick buck; keep his bosses happy immediately or make some early wins.

That's why even if F1 2017 does not get off to an amazing start, there is reason to believe that we will get the right action plan, and not a knee-jerk response that leads us down another blind alley.

Best of all, it won't be gimmicks - like the embarrassing debacle that happened with elimination qualifying 12 months ago.

"Until you see what the scenario is, it's a little difficult to come up with a solution to a problem," said Brawn about the possible response to a dull start to the campaign. "You may quite legitimately sit here, and I'll tell you what the problem is going to be: you are going to go to the first race and Mercedes is going to disappear and what are you going to do about it? I don't know if I have an answer, or if there is an answer.

"What I do know is that if we try and create some artificial solution, that will be even worse. It needs very careful thought before we start jumping into reactions. That would have been the approach in the past, we've got to do something.

"If you remember, the qualifying thing came about because Bernie [Ecclestone] wanted to reverse the grid and there was so much horror and despair at doing that, that they compromised and came up with a qualifying system that hadn't been thought through very well and became ridiculed as bad for Formula 1. So we need to avoid that.

"Maybe there is an issue after four races, and we sit down and hopefully we can be a sensible and practical voice."

What shines through - when you take the fact that F1's chiefs have also opened up the social media channels for drivers - is a sense that F1 is being given back to the people who matter the most. That means the fans, but also to a lesser extent the drivers too.

As Brawn says: "The drivers are our stars and, in a small way, giving them the social media capacity is recognising that and saying, 'You're our stars, you're the ones that we want to promote'.

"The teams have got to be a bit less exclusive with their access to the stars. We will encourage the teams to be a bit more liberal with their drivers and really make the stars stand out. We've got to support that."

They certainly now have the cars and the platform to do it. Are you excited about it all? I am.