Time for a revolution

This is a response to "The FIA must not let its row with Ferrari become a split that would destroy F1" from F1 Fanatic. Contrary to that post, my feeling is that it would be good for Formula 1 teams to make some revolutionary changes to the sport without having to negotiate with Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley. Let me comment on some of the big questions that have been posed by the media.

Can Formula 1 survive a split? Look what happened in America.
Formula 1 has become such a perversion of its glorious past that it would be better for Formula 1 to destroy itself and start anew. Some fans are concerned this would mean a repeat of the slow death of open-wheel racing in America. But I think there are some reasons why a Formula 1 split might work:

• The popularity of Formula 1 is not based on a single race. The teams individually have strong fan followings, in a way that IndyCar teams never had. The fans will watch where their favorite teams race. Heck, if McLaren raced at Le Mans, I would stay awake for 24 hours cheering them onwards.
  
• Because of Bernie Ecclestone's greed, Formula 1 has been losing many of the classic venues anyway. So, if a "new" Formula 1 series raced at Imola, Zandvoort, Kyalami, Silverstone, Montreal, Surfers Paradise, Watkins Glen, etc., that would just make me want to watch more. Remember, the IRL also failed because they didn't initially race anywhere except short ovals.
• The teams will be able to split their revenues more fairly.
• No one will watch a series consisting of unknown teams that were recently graduated from GP2. In fact, I don't think it will be possible for those teams to compete unless the "official" Formula 1 rules were changed to accommodate existing GP2 or other lower-formula cars. The CART-IRL split was possible because it was not expensive to race an Indy car. However, it is hugely expensive to race a Formula 1 car. In fact, I believe any Formula 1 split will be more similar to the USAC-CART split of 1979, which was quickly won by CART.

In contrast, we must remember why exactly the CART-IRL split did not work:

• CART never had a chance, because the IRL owned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
• There was nothing wrong with CART before the split.
  
• Both CART and the IRL insisted on racing on the two least-inspiring circuit types: short ovals and street circuits, while classic road circuits such as Road America and Laguna Seca gradually disappeared from the schedule.
• Since 1996, both CART and the IRL have failed to produce a decent video game. Yes, I am serious.
• CART failed to keep its best teams from moving to the IRL.
  
• American open-wheel racing destroyed themselves by turning into two spec series.

Can Formula 1 survive without Ferrari?
Here's another big question coming out of the media. Actually, I wouldn't mind if the FIA's Formula 1 dies because of Ferrari's departure. But let's say Ferrari leaves for sports car racing or some other series. Can the other teams survive?

Sure they can! Let me tell you a story from my childhood. The first time I heard about Formula 1, I was seven years old. I had a friend who had a PC with color graphics, and he showed me what I thought was an incredible game at the time called Grand Prix Circuit by Accolade. "You have to choose the McLaren," my friend said. "It's the fastest car." It looked fast, too, with its classy Marlboro livery, which reminded me of the all-conquering Marlboro Penskes that I had become aware of, via Indianapolis 500: The Simulation.

Then, maybe a year or two later, I was spending Christmas Eve at my uncle's house. He had a stack of Road & Track magazine, and I happily thumbed through it, being into cars and stuff. I remember looking at the racing section, and kept seeing the name "Ayrton Senna" at the top of the results. Huh. This Senna must be good. And he drives a McLaren. Of course.

Of course, you'd have to be quite ignorant to enjoy cars and not to have heard of Ferrari, even at that age. I already knew that Ferrari made some of the most exciting supercars, such as the F40. But somehow I never regarded Ferrari as a top Formula 1 constructor until I started following the sport years later.

As long as there's someone building and operating the world's fastest cars, be it McLaren or Ferrari or Bugatti or Shelby, there will be a Formula 1.

What is the best way forward, then?
Here are my recommendations to the Formula One Teams Association:

1. Do not sign another Concorde Agreement with Bernie Ecclestone.
   
2. Do not sign up for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.
3. Negotiate directly with race organizers. Offer to race at those circuits for half the previous price. The teams would earn the same amount anyway, now that there's no commerical rights holder who needs half of the earnings.
4. Open up the rulebook to allow for more technical freedom. Be committed to rules stability. Allow customer cars and old Formula 1 cars. Formula 1 needs to appear accessible instead of an activity for the elite that people cannot relate to.
5. Along the same lines as #4, do not restrict grid sizes. Allow all interested teams an opportunity to compete.
6. Build the world's fastest cars and break lap records. This will ensure that people watch the new F1 series instead of the FIA's. In fact, the series should purposely visit circuits where the lap record can be broken.
   
7. Allow drivers to race outside of Formula 1. This will help promote the new F1 series; for example, rivalries developed in sports car racing may continue and thrive in F1, and audiences will follow.
   
8. Race on more "unsafe" circuits that are narrow, fast, bumpy and untainted by chicanes.