Time to clip Formula 1's wings – then we'll really see Lewis Hamilton flying

My view is that the sport is either heavily regulated (like the A1GP) to promote close racing, or totally un-regulated in order to promote major technological advancement. I think the latter would see more creativity and perhaps the backrunners coming up with creative means of keeping up with the front runners. Right now I find it frustrating that we will generally only see three teams on the top step of the podium this year...

The "sport" has become mega boring. You cannot compare today's events with the golden period of the 80s. Time to dust off the Scaletrix and get the leather whips out.

The biggest mistake F1 made was to allow re-fueling during the race. Prior to that, the drivers had the option of using the turbo to gain extra power for the overtake, the trade-off being the increased fuel consumption while the turbo was in use. Instead of 2 or three stop strategies, the teamns would adopt a 0 or 1 stop strategy. The classic British GB battle in 1987 between Nelson Pique, who didn't pit, and Nigel Mansell , who pitted for new rubber, could not have happened under the new rules.

I think you only have to look to the world of two wheels for the answers. MotoGP provides some of the most exciting and entertaining racing. The machines don't rely on downforce and punching a great hole in the air. I'd love to see F1 without the wings and with a minimum ground clearance (150mm?) to reduce the ground-effect. As part of the proving ground for technical innovation that can benefit the motoring industry I'd also like to see them have to work with fixed amounts of fuel for a race and so force the improvements in efficiency.

This is what is happening next year and would have gone in this year but was felt there are already enough changes. Your op is totally right on, but about a year out of date to carry any weight. Personally I can't wait to see some of the new designs which have been called "radically different"

The issue is more to do with outdated tracks such as Melbourne. The best races last year were those on the newer tracks, which have been designed specifically to increase possibilities of overtaking. New designs of circuits with long sweeping corners and wider tracks have made watching the sport more enjoyable. Plus it doesn't help that drivers are so cautious nowadays, newer drivers are the ones to watch, for example when Montoya shook things up overtaking Schumacher left right and centre in his first season and the same with Hamilton last year and to some extent Glock this year. My answer would be to have longer corners, wider tracks and regular driver turnover. Keep it fresh keep it fun!

Should be good next season when all the bolt on aero bits have to be scrapped. Scrapping refuelling should be the next thing to go. As for the tracks, Monaco has nothing to do with entertainment other than the huge amounts of money is pulls in - it is the most boring "race" on the calendar to watch and shuold be scrapped. Budapest is another procession race that should be scrapped.

That's an interesting thought, but any proposed types of changes like these should ultimately be made at the drivers' discretion; F1 fans and viewers have absolutely no say in the matter.

You seem to be unaware that this is exactly what is happening next year. Slick tyres and reduced downforce are in for next year. Also the enery recovery systems will allow for a form of "push to overtake".

Refuelling should be retained. The different fuel strategies make it interesting.

" like these should ultimately be made at the drivers' discretion; F1 fans and viewers have absolutely no say in the matter." They will when the money starts drying up. Where exactly did you think it came from?

90% of the race is won in qualifications, as starting position matters.

F1 should see cash in on the aerodynamics by having an inverted section on each track! Even I would be tempted to watch dull dulll F1 if this was done.

Well we have to draw the lines some where. Yes the aerodynamics play a huge part, but what makes the cars slower is drafting behind another car, they go much faster and turn much better when trying to over take. If you took off the aerodynamics you would be lowering the chance of overtaking. This has been a pretty good racing season so far for a sport that has been dominated by McLaren and Ferrari, now BMW is up there, other teams are getting closer to the podium. I would rather watch this season play out and see how it works. Theres less over taking now because the drivers have no saftey net, theres nothing to keep them on the track if they push it too far over the edge on a turn. Also im pretty sure you have seen what happens when an F1 car looses its wings, they cant turn, tires tear up faster, they go slower because of the loss of traction. Maybe changing the cars to a completely new design could be in order, but then you have to change the rules and regulations, that means you need engineers to make the decision on the new car design, or you get rid of regulations, then we get the problem of Ferrari, McLaren, and the other big teams putting in a lot of RnD and then we have an unfair race.

This is why I prefer to watch NASCAR.

you can't compare motogp with f1 - for one they are so much narrower than cars which means there are a number of different racing lines the rider can take into any given corner, without losing time. secondly, good races don't have to be full of overtaking to be entertaining. there was a race in 05 where schumacher was glued to the back of alonso's car for about 20 laps and it was one of the best races of the season, and they didn't overtake. the sport is becoming too much of a control series - common ecu, no engine development for the next few years - it's a shame. you want to increase the spectacle? bring back slicks (next year - yay!) and bring back ground effects. that way the cars can stick close to each other and aren't relying on aerodynamic grip from the front and rear wings.

F1 drivers don't need to pass, thanks to blue flags. If these were eliminated in all but the most dire situations, then the teams would be forced to build cars that are capable of passing. Why not just pack up the whole parade behind the slowest car? Well, then you'd put your lead at risk; if the next car were right behind you, any mistake would let him past. But let's go a step farther than that: let's score all cars in the order they finish. And if only (as happened recently) six cars are on the lead lap, then the 1st-place car might finish 1st AND 7th, netting 12 points for the race! How's that for an incentive for passing? It might also cause the lead cars to take on extra fuel to go that extra lap, thus letting those behind catch up slightly. (Read more about how F1 rules make the sport boring here: http://www.thewuestefelds.com/blog/?p=50 )

I like the fact that overtaking is difficult. That makes qualifying such an exciting part of F1. Getting the pole or a position over a rival is a big deal. It makes pit stops more tense as it is crucial that a driver get out in front of his rival. I can see making it slightly easier to overtake, but let's not go overboard and turn this into NASCAR. Qualifying in NASCAR is not nearly important nor are the pitstops when recovery from starting in the back half of the field to win or from being a lap down to win is not exactly jaw dropping.

Senna, Prost & Mansell all had wings and they managed to overtake and entertain just fine. You have to work hard for a goal in football but you still get them, and when they come they mean so much more than a basket in basketball as they're 10 a penny. No one remembers a classic basket compared to a classic goal. Just as overtaking maneuvers in a type of race that sees the lead change about 3 times a lap (such as motorbiking) are far less memorable than a classic battle in F1. I don't think making drivers have to work for a successful overtaking maneuver is a bad thing. I think what's ruined F1 for the best part of the last decade is the fact that drivers no longer need to overtake at all; thanks to re-fueling, they now do all their jockeying for better positions in the pit lane. Fuel stop strategies have ruined the sport as now, a person on a 3 stop and a person on a 2 stop strategy might as well be on different tracks in a different race to each other. At least when all you could stop for was tires it meant that all you could gain was a second or so from having a quicker pit crew, and you had to do the real racing on the track instead of in the pre-race team meeting, trying to figure out how best to pit.