Different tracks

More often than not its the usual suspects who dominate the Grand Prix. Its either Ferrari or McLaren leading the pack and Hamilton or Button popping open the champagne. The Belgian Grand Prix set in the hilly Ardennes Forest set the scene for something extraordinary. Force India,owned by Vijay Mallya,gave Ferrari a run for its money as Raikonnen was only a few nano seconds ahead of Fisichella in a rare sequence of events.

Now more than ever one wonders,can Formula One actually evolve from being the elitist sport it is believed to be? There was a time when tickets were so excessively priced that those who cleared up their streets for this prestigious event were unable to attend. But as global reach and following gathered pace,so did the organisation. Tickets are now cheaper,and beyond that the sport is now no longer a commodity of the West. With tracks in China,Bahrain,Malaysia and Abu Dhabi,it appears as though the sport is taking stock of changing realities. Furthermore,as the organisation remodels itself during the recession there have been attempts to place a budget cap. The idea was to allow for newcomers and level out the playing field. Unacceptable to the big boys,Ferrari threatened to walk out should that happen. In fact,matters went as far as Ferrari pushing for a new championship.

So,are the stakeholders too powerful? F1 is all about technological advances just look at the evolution of the sport,trace it back to the Industrial Revolution in order to grasp its European dimension. Many of the same companies still command the market and lead it in research and development pushing F1 to new limits. In fact,perhaps this high level of competitiveness is beneficial,especially when newcomers indicate that they too can perform.