![\"MercV6\"](\"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/MercV6.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRegardless of how popular a racing series may be, it cannot be expected to thrive without manufacturer support.\u00a0 You can gather the world\u2019s best drivers at the world\u2019s best tracks and pack the stands full of fans, but none of it means anything without cars to race.\u00a0 The days of scrappy teams of enthusiasts building their own racing cars have long since passed.\u00a0 Whether they support private teams or field their own factory drivers, major automotive companies have become a necessary part of top-level motorsport.\u00a0 I bring up this obvious point because Formula 1 in its previous form was on the verge of losing this critical element.<\/p>\n
Manufacturers will only devote resources to a racing series if they get something out of it.\u00a0 The free advertising that comes with winning a grand prix is always nice, but the main benefit of racing from a factory perspective is the opportunity to develop and test new technologies.\u00a0 This is only possible when a racing series is relevant to the kinds of road cars that major companies want to build.\u00a0 The small-displacement, high-revving, naturally aspirated V8s that F1 used up through 2013 were the exact opposite of relevant.\u00a0 As a result, Renault was considering pulling out of the sport as an engine manufacturer, leaving only Mercedes and Ferrari to supply power plants.\u00a0 Since it\u2019s unlikely they could have supported the entire grid on their own, F1 would have been left with fewer teams and fewer star drivers.\u00a0 With dwindling support for the series, we would likely have seen a slow exodus of talent to other disciplines.<\/p>\n
By moving to an engine style with greater relevance to road cars, F1 was able to keep its three engine manufacturers, and even attract a fourth.\u00a0 Honda\u2019s planned return to the sport in 2015 is a direct result of the new technology.\u00a0 The sport\u2019s increased relevance allowed Honda to justify the expense of participating.\u00a0 If the change proves successful, F1 may even be able to win back other companies it lost due to its high cost and past refusal to move forward.\u00a0 There was a time when Formula 1 was able to be both a drivers\u2019 championship and a major force in automotive development, and it can be both again if it makes the effort.<\/p>\n
To see what F1 is missing out on, simply look at the entry list from a World Endurance Championship or United SportsCar race.\u00a0 Between the GT and Prototype classes, these sports attract the support of a wide variety of car companies because of their value as a testing ground.\u00a0 Even without F1\u2019s rabid fanbase, endurance racing is thriving and expanding. A major manufacturer can look at the 24 Hours of Le Mans or 12 Hours of Sebring and see an opportunity to improve its products.\u00a0 It\u2019s why Porsche decided to build a Le Mans prototype instead of a Formula 1 car, and it\u2019s why Ferrari is also considering a return to the sport.\u00a0 As the global economy continues its slump and private teams continue to have trouble finding sponsors, can F1 really afford to ignore the benefits of attracting factory teams?\u00a0 Of course not, and that\u2019s why we have new engines this year.\u00a0 Perhaps they aren\u2019t as loud as they used to be, but neither are the engines in modern IndyCars or Audi endurance racers.\u00a0 The high-pitched scream of the old V8s was little more than the cries of a sport slowly sliding into irrelevance.\u00a0 The future doesn\u2019t sound the same as the past, and it never will.\u00a0 Get used to it.<\/p>\n
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Pit Box One is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his thoughts on video games and motor racing on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two races into the season, the topic of conversation in Formula 1 remains the new engines.\u00a0 Considering the reduced noise the turbocharged V6 units make, one could say that the arguments over their merits have become louder than the engines themselves.\u00a0 However, for all the salvos exchanged between critics and proponents of the new regulations, [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":910,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908\/revisions\/910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}