zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
New Show and Tell Sessions Promise Transparency, But Of Course This Is F1
New Show and Tell Sessions Promise Transparency, But Of Course This Is F1-August 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:54

Next season, F1 wants teams to share their setups with fans

Formula 1 is on the cusp of a major rule change. In 2022, will burst onto the race track. The new car brings with it budgetary restrictions and through the season.

The sport’s management is also hoping to run a raft of other changes next year, including , and is also plotting a series of “show and tell” events for teams to showcase their cars ahead of each race.

According to , F1’s managing director of motorsport, Ross Brawn, wants to open the door to the media at sessions where teams showcase setups to stewards and scrutineers ahead of the race.

Brawn is reported to have said:

“What we’re doing on a Friday is a big session for you guys [the media] to have a look at the cars and talk to the personnel.

“We’re pushing on with initiatives to get greater engagement and a greater insight into what’s happening.

“So next year, on a Friday morning, the cars will be presented to you. The teams will explain the changes they’ve made for that weekend and they’ll declare to the FIA the changes they’ve made.

“It will create another nuance and other interest in the sport, because the technical side of the sport is quite fascinating to a lot of fans.”

Christian Horner and Ross Brawn smiling at a Grand Prix event

During , the Friday morning sessions will see teams showcase the bodywork that they intend to run over a race weekend to the FIA. This will set the Reference Specification for the car, which it must match at various points over the grand prix weekend.

Now, Brawn is hoping to bring the media into such events to ask questions and get a look at the specs each team will run.

But F1 is a notoriously secretive sport. Teams protect any possible technical advantages behind smoke and mirrors to avoid dropping any hints to their rivals.

So, while they will be happy to divulge details to the FIA in order to compete in a race weekend, will they willingly do the same for the media? Personally, I can’t imagine someone like Mercedes chief technical officer James Allison offering aerodynamic insights that will then be published for all to see.

The 2021 F1 drivers gather round a model of the 2022 F1 car

Also, who are these session for? The workings on an F1 car are notoriously complex, so will the average fan understand the impact slight tweaks to wing angles and widths could have over a weekend?

I devour F1 content at an impressive rate of knots, but would still be lost in any technical briefing. And I’m sure many of the sport’s viewers would feel the same.

Instead, such events could be used as ammunition by “traditional” F1 fans who currently look down on anyone without a masters in engineering and the enthusiasm to watch every practice session. They might one day say, “oh you can’t be a real fan if you don’t watch the technical scrutinizing sessions.” That sounds unbearable.

So while an explanation of each team’s new car at the start of the season would I’m sure be welcomed by many fans, one ahead of each race weekend might not be the best way to create exciting content that engages viewers.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
The Stars Might Be Aligning For Porsche’s Return To F1
The Stars Might Be Aligning For Porsche’s Return To F1
Another week, . But this time, it looks like the stars might be aligning for Porsche’s return to the paddock. Rumors of have been circulating for years. Now, a mixup of the engine regulations in 2025 could entice the brand back onto the track. , Porsche now believes that...
Aug 26, 2026
New Show and Tell Sessions Promise Transparency, But Of Course This Is F1
New Show and Tell Sessions Promise Transparency, But Of Course This Is F1
Formula 1 is on the cusp of a major rule change. In 2022, will burst onto the race track. The new car brings with it budgetary restrictions and through the season. The sport’s management is also hoping to run a raft of other changes next year, including , and...
Aug 26, 2026
Formula 1 Is Ruining Its Best New Idea
Formula 1 Is Ruining Its Best New Idea
Formula 1 has had two sprint races so far this season, ahead of the British and Italian grands prix, with another scheduled for the Brazilian Grand Prix in a couple weeks. In those grands prix, the sprint race results — instead of qualifying — but next year, apparently, that...
Aug 26, 2026
Williams Is Setting Itself Up For A Painful Start To Formula 1’s Next Era
Williams Is Setting Itself Up For A Painful Start To Formula 1’s Next Era
I think I speak for everyone when I say that Formula 1 is better when Williams is better. As one of the sport’s oldest names and — until recently — a family-run operation, it’s been refreshing to see the team challenge for points-paying positions once again after a pitiful...
Aug 26, 2026
Formula DRIFT Is Still One Of The Greatest Things On Earth
Formula DRIFT Is Still One Of The Greatest Things On Earth
Imagine a place that’s part cool ass race, part JDM meet, and part swap meet of car stuff. That was Formula DRIFT. The last race of a nine-race season ended at Irwindale Speedway also known as The House of Drift the weekend of October 22-23. A field of 35...
Aug 26, 2026
Here's What It's Like To Get Your Bones Puréed In An Old M3 Race Car
Here's What It's Like To Get Your Bones Puréed In An Old M3 Race Car
The first time I’d ever been on a track in a car going very fast, I rode along for a hot lap of Lime Rock Park in a Mazdaspeed 3. My friend had won some sort of contest for rides before an American Le Mans Series race in 2012;...
Aug 26, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved