24/02/2015
FEATURE BY MAX NOBLE
As recently as 1910 it was rather dashing to be in the Cavalry, and a young man with weak, or, compounding matters, poor horsemanship, was an object of pity. Indeed for a lady to show the remarkable ability to ride side-saddle would garner said lady significant respect in outdoor circles. Fast forward 100 years and dressage, a sport directly developed from the need for a cavalry man to be able to wheel and ‘dance’ his horse in combat to stay alive, is under pressure to be dropped from future Olympics, and is the quaint minority sport of the horse-loving fringe.
From two thousand years of land transport domination, and with mastery bestowing instant social status and respect upon coordinated individuals, to an expensive minority sport followed by an eccentric few; who for the most part pursue their hobby greatly untroubled by the soccer following masses, major corporate sponsorship deals, or (unless a Royal is riding) television cameras.
And so to the horseless carriage. From initial sprints and endurance races in France (the first race involving an electric car, which also tickles me given it is currently being pushed as 'new'... the electric car was with us in the nineteenth century. So much for Formula One moving fast on that one!) To plaything of the rich, to commercial horse replacement, to a statement of personal freedom, an embodiment of engineering and design delights. To a social status declaration. To a sporting wonder to match the Olympics and Soccer. Then to what?
I love nostalgia as much as the next former teenager. But the golden age of "love for the car" really was the 1950s and 1960s. This is not to be confused with the age of the 'best' car. That quite clearly is right now. Safety, quality, speed, simple effectiveness, as a mode of transport, are at an all-time high. Yet the love has gone.
As the planet becomes greener. As more and more computers monitor, guide and control our cars for us, so what of us as drivers? Double-declutch anyone? Cadence braking? Strong forearm technique for a recalcitrant dogbox/crashbox?
Where is that social mind-set to hound us into a driving frenzy, where Sundays spent maintaining a sweet clip down a deserted country lane is considered natural and delightful? British sports cars of the 1950s and 1960s would all be buried by the latest range of Japanese sport sedans and coupes (take a well-earned bow Evo, STi, and GT-R). Indeed, while I have sadly not had the chance to measure such, I believe a current "street spec, fresh from the dealer" Evo would dance cheerfully around any Ferrari built before the 1980s. But to what end? Where is the spirit, soul, simple delight and thrill of speed and motion in the mighty Evo, compared to the delights of a delicate 1960s (slower!) sports car?
As transport becomes increasingly automated (driving accident statistics way down, and hence - most reasonably - promoting yet more automation) the motor skills and simple joys of driving are fast fading from the group psyche. Just as no one passed a law forbidding the private use of horses, it simply fell away, so it will be with driving. Then what of motor sport? Where then?
The Chinese see the bicycle as a transport means you use because you are too poor to afford a car. As such they rarely aspire to battle in the Tour de France. Why would they want to clearly follow a poor man's pursuit?
So the following for professional road cycle racing is very low in China. No positive connection for the public. So no action.
Are we now in danger of this disconnect happening between the car using public and the excitement of Formula One? The public are increasingly using public transport, or they are increasingly regulated in their use of private cars. Stuck in inner city jams, or hounded by unmanned surveillance cameras on potentially "sporting" drives. How does that create a connection to the wonder of a Formula One race car at maximum attack on a race track?
I've had friends down the pub ask how Formula One drivers can be fit sportsmen as they sit down for the whole race, so how can it be tiring?
So quite apart from the issues confronting the sport as it looks internally, what about the external environment? The car as an appliance is not that many years away. Simply one manner in getting from location to location. As soon as all the automatic guidance issues are sorted (slowed more by regulation, and public acceptance now than technology) driving skills will go the same way as horsemanship. The quaint capability used by an eccentric few for a very expensive past time. And just as horses are banned on freeways, so too in the not so distant future will be human-in-the-loop cars.
What then for Formula One? Cars will be selling on safety features, comfort, and low cost, mixed with the brand elitism that already riddles the market. So what benefit sporting advantage? What interest driver involvement?
To remain relevant Formula One needs to make a deeper, one might venture spiritual, connection to the public. It needs to excite and entertain in ways that do not require the public to hammer a Lotus Seven down a Welsh back road to understand.
In the countries where the public are closest to this state already, old kingdom Europe, F1 management seems to be on a path of self-destruction. In the new kingdoms of the East (near, middle and far) this level of connection with the public is not being generated. The huge crowds of people needing fast effective transport in these nations are already of a public transport mind set. Those of higher income, seeking prestige and ease, move directly to chauffeur driven cars. That is from the bullet train seat to the back seat in a single bound. No middle ground worrying about clutch bite points, too little heat in the gearbox oil, or tread shuffle. Where is that connection to the delights of speed and the thrill of motion on the limit?
As we yet ready to say a large scale farewell to the human piloted car; Formula One needs to find and foster its spiritual appeal, or we shall soon be saying farewell to it as a sport too.
So what is a poor billion-dollar sport to do? I suggest it needs to redefine the risks it can take (pure speed, dramatic corners, and safe wheel-to-wheel battles) and then solidly connect them to heritage, sporting honour, and the zinging sort of "I want that!" appeal that hooks into the 21st century view of the torrid relationship between risk and reward.
Can we move fans closer to the track edge using armour glass barriers? Can we get that feeling of drivers dancing on the thrilling edge of the impossible once more? Can we use modern media to connect directly to the driver and share the drama of high speed cornering or the daring overtake?
Most fans know that for the majority of its history Formula One cars have been limited by the firm bounds of physics dictating what was possible for the engineering might of the day. Now those same fans know the limiting factor is defined by arbitrary rules, fashioned with the sole aim of slowing the cars. Clearly we now all know we are not dancing on the edge of what is possible, simply the edge of what is allowed. The same governing restrictions we all face in our regulated daily lives. It’s rather hard to sell the Formula One driver as a heroic gladiator when he is bound by "Go slow, proceed with caution!" rules and regulations.
If Formula One is to avoid rapidly becoming the twenty-first century dressage it needs to find its soul, reignite its base spirit of thrill and adventure... and then welcome the thrill-loving fans back with open arms.
Picture Credit: Brec Dressage