Formula 1, as a sporting entity, has carved a niche out for itself. That is to say, when we think of the absolute pinnacle of motorsport, that’s when we think about Formula 1. Naturally, being on such an elevated pedestal comes with a certain amount of responsibility. The fans love the sport for the drama, no doubt. However, they also love the sport for the other sporting aspects of it, too. Recently, with the boom in viewership and the sport’s inherent fan base, it would appear that the name of the game is shifting itself and abandoning its roots.

The last thing that Formula 1 needs right now is the label of being too similar to another category of motorsport. With the advent of expanding in the United States of America, Formula One Management and the FIA are indeed looking to appeal to American fans. But in the process, is F1 becoming more like an American racing series and abandoning its true identity?

Formula NASCAR may be the threatening reality

Opinions can abound as to the state of the sport. But when a respected insider is forced to speak out, trouble must have been brewing. According to veteran technical guru Gary Anderson, the sport is starting to become a NASCAR emulator.

While appearing on The Race Podcast, he said, “The FIA ​​is looking closely at the rules and looking at what rules there are for safety and what rules there are for show. It’s starting to look too much like NASCAR as far as I’m concerned.” [translated via Google Translate] However, this isn’t the only gripe Anderson has. In a bid to become more like NASCAR, F1 is ignoring blips of the past, too.

He explained, “We’ve seen it many times, even with Michael Schumacher. If you have a good lap time and you’re not sure if you can beat that time, spinning is the best thing to do. Maybe not damaging your car, but spinning and getting the car in the way. Then there is a red flag and the other drivers suffer.”

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Sergio Perez exposed the reality behind Anderson’s comments back in Monaco last year. But there is an alternative being proposed.

One simple solution to eliminate Red Flags in F1

If you’re a driver, then a red flag at the most inopportune time can be the worst news ever. However, red flags aren’t always born out of necessity. As Anderson explained, drivers can sometimes deliberately employ these to get an unfair advantage. But according to McLaren‘s CEO Zak Brown, there is just one simple solution.

He was quoted as Motorsport.com, as saying, “They do that in other forms of motorsports, the penalties, you just lose your fastest lap from that session, and all the drivers tend to do one lap runs so that would penalise the driver if it was intentional or unintentional. Because you’ve messed up someone else’s laps.”

“I think that’s an easy solution, it can be implemented right away. You cause a driver to have to back out, you lose your lap, you get to go again and maybe you won’t have a chance.”

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Can F1 still keep true to its identity while also being appealing to US audiences?