Sport or entertainment? Why levelling the playing field is problematic for F1
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What is the Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system in F1?
You're listening to The Undercut with Damon Hill and Mark Hughes.
So, Damon, we've just had the first ADEO adjustment, additional development upgrade opportunities of the internal combustion engines, ICEs. That's a component of the PU, the power unit. And... Are you going to speak English in a minute? Okay, I'll stop with that. So basically, it's a performance equalizing mechanism that the FIA and F1 together have combined to try and bring everybody's internal combustion engines to roughly the same level. Is that something we should be doing? Is that right? Because to me, it feels a bit like The world record 100-meter sprinter sets his time and then you say to him, okay, you can't compete for a while. We're going to see if some other people can't beat your time.
So the ultimate goal is to have a dead heat of all eight runners or whatever it is.
Yeah. So where do you stand on that?
Should F1 use performance equalizing mechanisms like ADUO?
Should we be doing that in a sport or is it a sport?
Well, yeah. Is it a sport? Is it a sport or is it entertainment? And I think we're getting to that point now. We're getting to that threshold where those questions are – I think it's, you know, and Liberty have done amazing things with the sport. You have to say. The way it was run before with Bernie was very kind of like, I mean, it's slightly anally retentive. Sorry if I put people off for these next term. But I mean, I think he was, he took the view that you restrict supply and then you increase demand and liberty. So we need more of access. We need more people to be able to see who these people are. And that's entertaining. And then.
Is Formula 1 still a sport if the playing field is artificially leveled?
If we can get the drivers to do a little dance as well, you know, or put on a funny hat, then people like it. You know, that's where I think you get the kick back from some drivers where they feel they're being put up to entertain everyone in every respect of whether they are, you know, playing silly games in the paddock. just to show their character or whatever. Imagine that being put to the James Hunts and the Nicky Louders. I mean, they created their own sort of personality entertainment factor, although it may have been slightly controversial in today's terms. But yeah, this equalising was part of that. The attempt to equalise was part of an agenda which was We can't have how it used to be where one team gets dominant and stays there for the entire season because where's the entertainment value in that?
And I think that's a fair point. I think they've done the levelling up or the levelling down. Really, it's levelling down, isn't it? You've got the opportunity with... cost caps and people who don't have teams that don't have the most points or they've got more space, but then maybe don't have the resources and the factory and the equipment to catch up. But anyway, you've got a chance to, to equalize. Is that then no longer a sport is, is, is a question because if you've denied people the opportunity, which is part of the show in form one is, is showing off,
How do teams potentially game the system in Formula 1?
the manufacturing and the design and the intelligence of race teams. Yeah. Ability to be challenged technically. It's not just about the drivers.
Yeah. So that's always been the DNA of Formula One, isn't it? And I think while you can say the driving competition, you could call that a sport and But the technological competition, it's still competition, but it's slightly different to sport, isn't it? And I think basically this equalization mechanism is almost making that element redundant. It's almost saying if you get too far ahead, we're going to peg you back. And then it's more – Is it more a sport then for the drivers because you've equalized the machinery? And that goes against the DNA of Formula One, but is there not a case to be made saying, yeah, but that's always been what's wrong with F1 and now we're putting it right?
I can remember Christian Horner saying something to the effect of, If you carry on down that road, you know, the driver's value will be going through the roof because if you've got a driver that's two tenths quicker and no one can get an advantage, then, of course, the driver is the key.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the Additional Development Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system in F1?
0:02–1:24
2
Should F1 use performance equalizing mechanisms like ADUO?
1:24–2:05
3
Is Formula 1 still a sport if the playing field is artificially leveled?
2:05–3:40
4
How do teams potentially game the system in Formula 1?
3:40–5:00
5
What impact does the FIA's regulation have on team performance?
5:00–6:17
6
How does the technological competition differ from traditional sports in F1?
6:17–7:25
7
What are the implications of cost caps on F1 teams?
7:25–8:38
8
Can F1 maintain its competitive integrity while ensuring entertainment?
8:38–40:29
Speakers
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