Is there a future after the past?
There have always been major changes in motorsport, many of which have been setbacks. But all too often it was believed that the new racing formulas and regulations had no future. But in the end, things often didn't get worse, just different.
When Formula 1 switched to a championship with ridiculously small 1.5-liter engines in 1961, nobody believed that real races could be held in the premier class with these sugar-water engines. But despite all the augurs, the new racing formula worked brilliantly. Later came the 3-liter formula, then the turbo era and today the sewing machine hybrid turbo technology is used.
The lap times became shorter and shorter, the cars faster and faster, but the races themselves were no more exciting. No matter what the technology is able to offer in terms of performance, at the end of the day, it is the measurement of the gladiators that is the decisive factor.
The sensational duel between Nico Müller and René Rast at the first Hockenheim race and the last Class 1 weekend was once again the absolute icing on the cake of motorsport.
This doesn't have to get any worse with the GT3 cars in the coming season, even if the Class1 was faster. In the grandstands or on TV, you can only tell the pace from the clock, but you can see the thrilling two-, three- and hopefully even the upcoming multiple battles. The ingenious aerodynamics don't really help to create excitement and can easily be forgotten.
The big battle between the BMW M3 E30 and the Mercedes 190-16V-Evos took place almost without aerodynamic aids, but offered brilliant sport.
The technical competition is certainly exciting to watch, but at the end of the day it is the driver who is celebrated above all. Lewis Hamilton wins, he has won a whopping 92 times to date and is sure to break the hundred mark. The fact that Mercedes has provided him with the best car in the field for years is quickly forgotten, and all the talk is of the greatest driver of all time.
Many drivers have never been able to prove their talent because they have never had the opportunity to sit in the best car. A prime example was Ronnie Peterson, who had the gift of always changing teams when they fell from their peak to a crisis. A Sergio Perez and a Daniel Ricciardo are fighting with blunt arrows, for them a third place is like a victory, because under normal circumstances there is nothing more possible.
So let the guys fight with equal weapons and we can enjoy exciting races, regardless of whether they are a few seconds slower according to the stopwatch.
