Formula 1 fans are skeptical about the excitement generated by the new rules: former driver David Coulthard explains why the number of overtaking maneuvers is not the benchmark
The entire fan community is discussing the new Formula 1 rules and, above all, whether the races will actually be more exciting in the future. The fact that overtaking maneuvers will apparently not become any easier is dampening expectations. But now former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard is joining the debate.
In his opinion, numerous overtaking maneuvers are not necessarily required for a race to be exciting. “If you have the fastest car at the front of the starting grid, why should anyone overtake? The whole principle of Formula 1 is: fast at the front, slow at the back,” says the Scot in the Up To Speed podcast.
“The race starts, but the slowest car will never get to the front and win,” Coulthard emphasizes. “You only have to look at the history of the sport. Be the fastest. As a driver, I wanted to be on pole position because, especially in Monaco, 90 percent of the work was done if I was leading in the first corner.”
“You don’t see 100 goals in soccer either”
“But I don’t understand that,” adds the former Red Bull driver. “If your team wins 1-0 in a soccer game, you walk off the field and say, ‘That was a good game.’ You don’t see 100 goals or the points in basketball or anything like that.”
“So it’s not about how many things happen,” emphasizes Coulthard. Instead, it’s about individual highlights. “I remember Mansell overtaking Gerhard Berger on the outside in Mexico in 1988. That’s particularly stuck in my memory, although I’m probably wrong about the year, but it was an incredible overtaking maneuver.”
“Or I remember Senna’s qualifying lap in Monaco, which was a second faster than Alain Prost’s,” recalls the former Formula 1 driver, who is certain that overtaking maneuvers are not everything. “It’s about those unforgettable moments, not the sheer number. It’s like a social media feed.”