Silverstone: Patrick Allen does not find F1 exciting enough

The debate on the sporting interest of Formula 1 seems eternal. With already three wins by Lewis Hamilton in four Grand Prix races, the outcome of the championship could be a foregone conclusion if the competition does not manage to take the upper hand.

In any case, that is the opinion of Patrick Allen, the director of the Silverstone circuit, who fears that the multiple victories of his national champion might ultimately not be beneficial for the British Grand Prix: “My only concern is that if [Lewis Hamilton] wins all the races between now and July, it might become a procession and that will be damaging for the sport. So it would be nice if Sebastian Vettel could shake things up,” the Briton told The Guardian.

« If I can predict, before each race, that Lewis will win with a four-second lead, followed by Rosberg, then Vettel, then Räikkönen, then Bottas and Massa, and this happens at every race, then the product is not good enough. » he specifies while talking about the show offered by Formula 1.

According to Allen, the race for technology has been to the detriment of the importance of drivers in the discipline, which inevitably makes races less interesting for the public: « My opinion is that we need to have a sport that is a bit more exciting than that. We must not lose sight of what the fans want, and they want to watch their heroes as gladiators, not as guys managing a data screen. When that happens, we will have lost the very soul of the sport. If the car is only about technical expertise and reliability, then we might as well have the technical directors on the podium. »

Without providing answers, Allen offers avenues for reflection: « I don’t know what the answer is, but my feeling is that it is not as exciting as it could be. Everything is focused on the technical development of the car and not enough on the drivers’ skills. »