GreenBkk.com Formula 1 | 'Boring desert circuits are F1's problem'

'Boring desert circuits are F1's problem'

Mike Gascoyne reckons F1 doesn't need new innovations such as moveable rear wings, what it needs are better circuits that facilitate passing.

Although last year's Championship proved be one of the more thrilling with four drivers in the hunt for the World title heading into the final race, Abu Dhabi, it petered out into a boring procession.

Contenders Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber, who were first and second in the title race, chose the wrong strategy and found themselves stuck behind Renault's Vitaly Petrov with no way to overtake.

It was a boring end to a season that suffered far too many processional races.

However, this season, the powers-that-be are hoping for more overtaking after introducing moveable rear wings and bringing back KERS.

Gascoyne, though, feels what F1 really needs it circuits that facilitate passing.

"You can make an argument that says, 'we had a cracking season last year and why would you want to change anything?'," the Team Lotus tech chief told Reuters.

"Then you could say, 'yes but we had three or four incredibly boring races'.

"If on certain circuits you have cracking races every year then why don't we stop going to boring racing circuits?

"The shame is that, Monaco apart, a lot of the races now that are really boring are all the purpose-designed tracks built in deserts where you could have done absolutely anything that you want.

"Bahrain and Abu Dhabi were the two most boring races (of 2010).

"It's pretty disappointing that you've got two massively boring races on circuits where you had literally carte blanche to do anything you liked. You could have had elevation change or moved sand wherever you want it."

As for the use of moveable rear wings, which allow the drivers to open a slot in the wing to give their car better straight-line speed over their rival's, Gascoyne says the concept will still have to be tweaked.

"I think the governing body has to be willing to change how it's implemented to ensure that it works in the way it's meant to. Very often we've done things like this and they've done more harm than good."

Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)