According to the FIA, the top three teams' domination in the first season under the new rules did not happen by accident.
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In 2022, the top three spots were virtually locked out to Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Lando Norris of McLaren, who finished third at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, was the only driver outside of the top three teams to earn a podium spot. Given that one of the main reasons for making such significant rule changes was to offer smaller teams a better chance of winning, the advantage of the largest teams raised concerns that F1’s efforts to narrow the field were failing. However, Nikolas Tombazis, the single-seater technical director for the FIA, believes that F1’s past demonstrates that it is typical for the top teams to start in front when rules change.
Due to the law of diminishing returns, as soon as the regulations have a chance to take hold, the field will ultimately close up. When asked what he felt about the fact that in 2022 there would only be one podium made up of teams other than the top three, Tombazis responded, “It wasn’t surprising. Because there is still an initial benefit for people, it will take some time for the effect of the cost cap to become apparent.
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Ross Brawn, the departing managing director of F1’s motorsport division, recently told Motorsport.com that it would take another year to determine whether the rules had been successful in narrowing the field. Tombazis’ ideas are similar to those of Brawn. “I think there are teams that get on top of it when you have these new regulations,” he remarked. “In the 2009 season, which featured new regulations, just two or three clubs excelled at following them, while the majority of teams, including some of the major ones, suffered. Therefore, I believe we need another season.
“I’m not sure what we do if it keeps going that way because I think we’ve put a number of efforts in place, including the cost cap, the vehicles and tracks we’ve attempted to help with, and the racing format. “Now, everything is geared around attempting to keep the sport’s integrity while bringing it closer together. And then there are the aero restrictions, which are only applied today based on how you place in the championship. So, a lot of factors are working to move things in the right way. I have optimism.
