Why Formula 1 isn't 'dying'

In conversation with a friend the other day I was asked a legitimate question: Is Formula 1 dying?

The friend, in this case, was not some casual observer, but a seasoned paddock figure.

Their status underlines the fact even someone with many years experience can look at the future of the sport and not like what they see.

In my humble opinion the answer to the question is, of course, no, F1 is not dying, nor is it even on its knees.

It is, I would suggest, in reasonable shape, although there are understandably areas where some surgery is required.

Fans greet Barcelona winner Nico Rosberg © XPB

But then no sport is perfect, certainly not one that operates on a global scale such as F1.

Take football, for argument's sake, where you have a governing body in FIFA run by a man in Sepp Blatter who is, for the most part, strongly disliked.

Blatter's organisation continues to defend itself against accusations of deep-rooted corruption, most notably of late with regard to the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to a country in Qatar that has no football heritage to speak of.

From the very top, you then view the very bottom and there are serious concerns over the grassroots nature of the game, that precious little of the multi-billion pound revenues generated is filtering its way down to where it is needed most.

And this is football, the most popular sport on the planet.

To many, F1's problems also start at the summit, and the virtually faceless entity that is CVC Capital Partners and its figurehead in Donald Mackenzie.

It was not so long ago Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley found himself in hot water for accusing CVC of "raping the sport", bravely airing views many would only dare utter in private.

While CVC are venture capitalists whose sole preserve is to make money - and why would any sport want to find itself beholden to such a corporation? - Mackenzie can rightly point to the fact team revenues have increased four-fold since his company bought into F1.

Lotus, Force India and Sauber united in the battle over F1 costs © LAT

The 10 teams have almost £1billion at their disposal, and yet this is deemed not enough by some given the sharply escalating rise in costs over the years.

The cries last season from Lotus, Force India and Sauber for greater parity when it comes to revenue share fell on deaf ears, primarily as F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is locked into unbreakable contracts with all parties.

By his own admission, Ecclestone would gladly tear up those deals and start the negotiating process from scratch such are the problems that, for once, have left him searching for answers.

There are also those who see Ecclestone himself as F1's biggest problem, that at the age of 84 he no longer has his finger on the pulse of a sport he has presided over for the best part of 40 years.

There is the suggestion Ecclestone is out of touch with F1's audience, that while he may be able to negotiate deals with sheikhs and high-flying businessmen, he would not know a tweet from a vine.

Throw in the various court cases that have taken up so much of his behind-the-scenes time over the years, and his reluctance to groom a successor, it leaves people questioning his right to serve as the sport's 'supremo'.

And then we come to Jean Todt, the chalk to the cheese of former FIA president Max Mosley.

Todt's approach has not gone down well with everyone © LAT

As confrontational and belligerent as Mosley was, in contrast Todt has adopted a less-public approach, albeit with the perception he has buried his head in the sand at times when F1 required strong leadership from its governing body.

The fact the teams, via the form of the Strategy Group, now have a say in the running of F1 - the highlight coming last year when Todt's proposal for a cost cap was ultimately vetoed - further strikes at the heart of the issues.

In no other major sport do the teams have a self-serving opinion in policy and rule-making.

So yes, F1 has major areas of concern at the highest levels off track, just as at FIFA, and to be honest like many other big businesses.

How many of us can honestly say we have not been affected or concerned by decision making from above within our own companies?

It is just that F1, naturally, is far more high profile and in the public eye, and therefore such decisions are debated, and often derided, more openly.

On track, well, when have there not been problems regarding the show?

Mercedes' mastery of the current regs has given it a clear edge © XPB

Throughout the ages there have been constant tweaks to everything - the cars, qualifying, the races, points systems, you name it - all to satisfy the constant demands of an audience desperate for perfection.

That is a concept that will never exist in F1 because you cannot make all the people happy all of the time - not only the competitors, but also the fans.

Yet there is so much right about this sport, which sadly gets drowned out by the negative wave that continually flows.

The bottom line is the racing, from front to back, is more often than not still a sight to behold.

We may have the frontrunners, the midfield and the backmarkers, but again how does this differ from a product widely regarded around the world as one of the finest in sport in the Premier League?

At the start of any season you have four, maybe five teams you know are going to compete for the title, then a further eight or so you would put money on as finishing mid-table, and then seven or eight who will likely be battling relegation.

Then there is the technology in F1 which on occasion goes over the head of most fans, but without which the sport could not claim to be the most advanced on the planet.

The unheralded engineers within every team are geniuses for interpreting a complex set of regulations and translating that into machines that enthral and captivate.

Imola is among the classic 'lost' venues © XPB

We have the drivers themselves, of course, and yes, perhaps there are times when we do not see enough of their true characters.

We would all love to see them be more effusive with their comments, as was the way in bygone years.

But it has to be remembered we live in a fast-paced social media-driven world where every word and facial tic is analysed, and the drivers are heavily managed as to how to engage with a voracious media clinging to their remarks.

Finally, we have the venues, and again while Hermann Tilke has produced some sterile circuits over the years since he became the sport's primary designer, the majority of the tracks - both old and new - are stunning creations.

We have lost some historical venues over the years - Kyalami, Imola, Zandvoort, Estoril and Magny Cours to name but a few, and others such as the Nurburgring and Monza teeter on the brink.

We may decry the likes of a gaudy Abu Dhabi, and the introduction of Azerbaijan, but F1 is a business at the end of the day and market forces often dictate as to where the sport pitches up.

The bottom line is there is much to enjoy with Formula 1, which should be celebrated rather than castigated, as is often the case.