Formula 1 at the Brink

The FIA's Formula 1 (F1) is supposed to the premier motorsport series in the world. However the recent controversy over spending caps (of which the better teams are adamantly against) may unravel the bonds between the constructors and the organizers. The back and forth at the moment is in regards to 'conditional' entries for the 2010 season. It's a dance that mere mortals may find difficult to follow (substitute 'boring' for 'difficult'. ; -)

It's happened before, both in F1 in the 1980s and in American open wheel racing in the 1990s. The prior split in F1 didn't result in as damaging a fracture as the CART/IRL split in the US. But the issues at hand could very well be as bad for F1 as the previous US split.

Personally, I'd like to see F1 lose its 'parade-like' aspects. There is little racing/passing in F1 at the top of the field. The aerodynamics preclude that. From a fan's perspective, I'd like to see them lose more aero grip (restrict the chassis configurations) and place a weight penalty on engine displacement/cylinder-count. Hopefully you'll end up with some screaming 4 cylinder turbocharged cars dicing for the lead on a week-in, week-out basis.

IRL in Milwaukee

The IRL is at the Milwaukee Mile - the oldest racing facility on the circuit (the track - in various forms - has been around since 1876 and auto racing was first held on the horse track dirt surface in 1903).

This is a great segue from the huge facility that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The leaders end up passing back markers within 30 miles of racing! This is great racing and it's fun to watch the jockeying of cars as they try to keep competitors at bay while passing the slow folks.