Despite Ferrari's quit threat, F1 needs more level playing field

Following the FIA and Liberty Media's release of the planned Formula One engine regulations for 2021 and beyond, the Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has threatened to leave F1 because of the rules that reduce the powertrain uniqueness between manufacturers.

Ferrari with all its racing heritage is a valuable asset for F1. In an era where the level of the competitiveness of the F1 grid is questionable, traditions help to keep fans committed to the series. However, F1's viewership is in decline and it's obvious something needs to change. F1 needs closer competition. If current manufacturers don't want it, the FIA needs a create a ruleset that attracts other manufacturers and provides closer competition.

The disparity of the grid is a big problem for F1. It's okay to have some disparity, that keeps up the interest in if a team can close the performance gap or even gain an advantage over its rivals. But the disparity of resources is the problem, be it technical resources or financial resources. A series supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsports should be full of teams with the resources to become a championship contender. That's not the case with F1 these days.

F1 also needs more engine manufacturers. None of the seasons in the 2010s have had more than four manufacturers, the lowest since I don't know when. Car manufacturers raise the profile of the series. It would be great for F1 to have rivalries like Honda vs. Toyota, or Mercedes vs. BMW vs. Audi. Also, more manufacturers would mean more publicity for F1 as they would use it in their marketing.

I think F1 would ideally have enough engine manufacturers to have none of them supplying more than two teams. That would be five to seven manufacturers. Given the preferential treatment to the factory teams, the low number of engine manufacturers hurts competition in F1. That being said, no matter how many manufacturers there are, I think the FIA should require the latest-spec engines available also for customer teams.

As for Ferrari, its brand needs top-level racing. Not necessarily in F1, though it's hard to see any alternatives. The World Endurance Championship is a niche sport outside the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Formula E is still hardly a true alternative for F1, the cars are still so much slower. INDYCAR lacks the global exposure and manufacturers are limited to supplying engines there. If Ferrari left F1 for any of those, it would quickly realize people aren't tuning in to watch Ferrari.

None of the existing series suit Ferrari's brand as well as F1 does. Maybe Ferrari will bring up the idea of a breakaway series, though I think it's too big of an undertaking. If F1 is too expensive for most manufacturers at the moment, how could manufacturers that oppose the cost cutting create a new series? Privateer teams would surely not join the breakaway series so each manufacturer should field up to six cars to get the grid filled.

I hope Liberty Media and the FIA will work for a more level playing field in F1. More equal prize money distribution would help to reduce the financial disparity between the teams. The aim of the future regulations should be to reduce the costs, making F1 more affordable and attractive for both new teams and engine manufacturers, while still leaving room for innovation.

Closer financial parity should lead to closer parity also on track. In turn, that should make it easier for the smaller teams to attract sponsors, further closing the financial gap and helping to match the bigger teams in the engineering.

At the moment there are two tiers of teams in F1. Only half of the field has the resources to contend for titles in the near future, the other half of the field is more or less fighting for their existence. The goal for the future of F1 should be a series full of teams with technical and financial resources to contend for championships. That may never have been the case, though that should be the goal anyway.

If F1 can provide attractive racing for the fans, then Ferrari wouldn't be badly missed if it left the series. Though Ferrari wouldn't want to be aside from such an attractive series that's such an important part of its brand. Liberty Media and the FIA must think about the best of the sport, not cater to Ferrari's wishes.