McLaren demand level playing field in Formula One

Liberty Media and FIA have a battle on their hands with respect to the new regulations that need to be put in place, as the top teams want their ‘technical advantage’ to be carried forward, while teams in the midfield want a more ‘level playing field’.

Considering the ‘fan related benefits’ when a more level playing field exists in the sport is titling Liberty Media and FIA towards bringing in spending caps and more power unit regulations.

The disparity between the top 3 and the others was on display the Australian GP qualifying with the 1.732s separating the quickest and slowest team in Q1.

Even the top 3 were separated by quite a margin as Hamilton secured pole by 0.7 seconds in Q3.

Hamilton apparently used Mercedes’ ‘party mode’ during Q3 in Australia, displaying the kind of mojo that the car possessed, leaving all competitors and fans gasping for breath.

Eric Boullier has pointed to the harsh disparities that exist in the sport and wants FIA and Liberty to address them in the best way possible.

“As long as we can’t all reach a sort of plateau on the performance, it’s going to be the same.

“Mercedes has designed a very competitive engine and car since the beginning [of the hybrid era] and it looks like it’s very difficult to catch them up.

“I think we need now to have from Liberty and the FIA the new regulation package from 2021 and hopefully there will be enough restriction in this to close up the gap or to have a level playing field.” he said.

Boullier feels that fans want fierce competition and wheel to wheel racing and only a level playing field could provide that.

“We all want to have a great show, we all want to see cars fighting on track and banging wheels. This is what the fans want to see.

“For that we need to have a competitive level which is much closer between the first one and the last one.” Boullier said.

Liberty Media will share the new and revised blueprint with teams and drivers at the Bahrain Grand Prix and the new regulations will kick in from the 2021 season.

Steiner too feels that F1 needs to do something to bring about more competitiveness in the sport as the teams in the midfield and at the bottom don’t have much to fight for.

“The regulations and the future should go that it is a level playing field or as close as you can get,” Steiner said.

“There is a big gap at the moment and therefore you have this – the top three teams that are fighting for the championship and we fight for the crumbs.

“They do a good job to get money, spend and invest it – we cannot. It is part of the competition – but is it good for the sport? I don’t think so.” he concluded.