Multi-team title fight, more demanding cars... the Sky F1 team state their wishes for the new year in Formula 1
Friday 13 January 2017 13:05, UK
Will Mercedes be caught? Will the new rules produce more challenging cars to drive? And what will F1's anticipated takeover begin to mean for the sport?
Ahead of a big year on and off the track for Formula 1, we asked some of the Sky F1 team to make their wishes for the sport in 2017…
"I want to see a more open championship with Ferrari and Red Bull getting genuinely in the mix with Mercedes for the world title.
"But also, especially with potentially new ownership being confirmed in 2017, it's time for F1 to have a big think about what it is and what it wants to be. Is it entertainment? Is it a technical exercise? Is it a business? Or is it a sport?
"In our eyes it's entertainment: on Sky F1 we broadcast and explain the sport and people invest time on a Saturday and Sunday to watch on TV.
"With the increasing influence of engineers making Formula 1 into an execution of a pre-planned computer programme - and that didn't get any better in 2016 - my continuing wish is that we see a bit less of that and a bit more unpredictability in 2017."
"What I want is the ability for the drivers to go wheel-to-wheel and battle it out as part of a compressed grid.
"So I want the Force Indias and Williamses of the world to be able to compete against the might of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. And, as a driver, the most important thing for me is that the skill inside the cockpit is being shown and seen on TV.
"What would also be really nice to see is not just a two-way fight for the championship but a four or six-way fight. We've got a chance of Red Bull being able to get closer to Mercedes, but also it would be lovely to have the scarlet Ferrari in that fight as well."
"Variety is the spice of life and Formula 1 has been a bit mild on that recently.
"I hope that Red Bull back up their smiles towards the end of 2016 with some good lap times in testing and we get more cars fighting for race wins in the future.
"I also hope that Force India and small privateer teams like them can continue to mix it and prove it's not all about the big boys. And there's Max Verstappen, who I hope delights, thrills and appals in equal measure throughout the course of 2017."
"I hope that it's a good show in 2017. It would be great to see faster cars, faster lap times and hopefully a bit more competition throughout the pack.
"The reliability of all the new cars should be okay because the power units stay the same, so hopefully we'll see a better rate of attrition again.
"I'm keen to see how Max Verstappen continues to develop and I'm just really excited to see Formula 1 drivers being able to drive how they want to drive and not be in protective mode all the time."
"I hope we get to see the inter-team competition that we've rarely seen in recent years.
"Okay, we've had the odd year where two teams have genuinely battled for the title, but in the context of Formula 1 overall we need two or three teams capable of winning every week. That's definitely my main wish."
