Dallara hits out at F1's radical new rules for 2017

  • Published on 13 Feb 2017 10:05
  • 6
  • By: Rob Veenstra

F1 car designer Gian Paolo Dallara has hit at out the sport's 2017 rules revolution. The 80-year-old, whose company is involved in collaboration with the Ferrari-linked American team Haas, doubts the much faster cars this year will actually make the F1 'show' better.

"As an engineer I do not know why they decided to focus on higher downforce," Dallara told the well-known Italian blogger Leo Turrini. "Technically it will make it almost impossible to overtake, because no one will be able to follow the one in front of him. We complain about the lack of 'show' in F1 and then go in the opposite direction," he added.

Like many, Dallara suggests the 'Americanisation' of formula one in the new Liberty Media era could change the sport. "As you know, we (Dallara) are very present in America, where there is an obsession to level the competition in every way. But F1 follows a different philosophy -- they even invented the virtual safety car to maintain the gaps between the cars. It's almost a cultural clash," Dallara said. "Do not ask me what is better, I would be partisan," he added.

Turrini also asked Dallara about Ferrari's chances for 2017, but he answered: "You know much more than me and I know that you are extraordinarily cautious. Let's say it like this: when you start playing with a pack of completely new cars, who was losing has a better chance," he said. (GMM)

Replies (6)

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  • 'Americanisation' means a better show...........I'm all for it, there is always one team dominating, Mc Laren, Ferrari, now Merc, we need a level playing ground.....all my non-F1 friends say it's boring, and to attract a new younger audience we need close racing at every race.

    • + 1
    • Feb 13 2017 - 10:44
    • Vet5

      Posts: 225

      True words!

      • + 0
      • Feb 13 2017 - 10:47
    • I think there is a lot of kids still interested in F1, it's just a lot easier nowadays to lose that interest..

      • + 0
      • Feb 13 2017 - 11:05
    • Kids these days are idiots couched over their smartphones social networking away, such a crowd cant be please. F1 shouldn't be bending over backwards to appease lowbrow trash who can't be bothered to use their brains for once and understand the basics of the sport. When they can do that they'd have earned the right to complain about the current state of affairs.

      • + 0
      • Feb 13 2017 - 13:20
    • PeteTirtle

      Posts: 16

      The playing ground is level - the technical regulations are the same for everyone. The dominance of one or two teams over the others has always been a factor in F1 and long may it continue if that means that engineers / drivers / strategists can all show their hands and use their ingenuity to improve their results. Anything that introduces artificiality into the sport will ruin it - it's like saying that in a football match a team will have any goals disallowed if it puts them more than one goal ahead of their opponents so as to create a more interesting championship - how many fans would turn off if that was the case?

      • + 1
      • Feb 13 2017 - 17:22
  • Tpoint85

    Posts: 4

    You have all missed the point for better racing you need overtaking yes? Theses new cars are not built for overtaking with these levels of downforce. It's won't matter about the "show" if the racing is worse then previous years.

    • + 0
    • Feb 13 2017 - 14:10

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