That may be true. I have noticed, from casual observation, that in NASCAR only the last 5 laps seem to matter. Most of the race is just constant reshuffle of the pack (some of it artificially induced) for the grand finale at the end. Am I wrong ?
Not sure about all the drivers being able to jump in a Mercedes and being able to win straightaway, but probably half the field could.
I think handicapping goes completely against the spirit of F1 - the pinnacle of motorsport. In F1, you shouln't penalise success to artificially spice up the show. Handicapping is ok in other forms of motorsport, like in BTCC, endurance, Blancpain Championship, but not to determine who is World Drivers Champion. I hope handicapping never get introduced to F1. I much prefer a procession race where the best cars lead and the other follow, than punishing drivers who have previously won. It's a fallacy to think that F1 should have plenty of overtaking.
I doubt that very much: the guy can't even handle a Manor and spins all the time !! I cannot see him posting a pole position, and lead the field to win.
I think it's the aero that make overtaking more difficult. As a driver approaches an other one, the turbulences created by the first car rob the one behind of much of its downforce. You have to be close to a car to initiate an overtaking manoeuvre, and if the front becomes lighter, it's difficult to pass. That, plus the increase in chicanes, and slow corners on many tracks makes overtaking tricky. Also, defensing driving has become part and parcel of F1 nowadays, and accepted as legitimate tactic, when it was almost absent years ago.
I agree with much of what you wrote, but defensive driving was pretty wild during Schumacher's years. It was his multiple blocking moves that resulted in the "1 defensive blocking move" that is sometimes in play today. I think your points about turbulence and passing difficulties means most on-track passes are made in the corners, so we're just probably more aware of defensive driving tactics in modern F1.
I would agree that in the Man vs. Machine equation, the equipment is 95% of the package. The driver however, is still a very critical component to success. They make and execute all the on track, split second decisions. Things the engineers can't control with a mathematical formula or computer program. Which is why to me, if you want a real drivers championship, take away all the pit wall communications and put the responsibility of managing the cars and race strategy back to the driver. If the driver needs help, let him pit for the team to have a look. The never ending quest for performance has reduced the drivers responsibilities and importance thru electronic monitoring and team instructions as well as by faster, more reliable machinery. We'd also require less fabricated rules designed to artificially level the playing field.
When I said "years ago", I didn't mean the Schumacher years, but well before, in the 60s and 70s, when sex was fun and racing dangerous, and not the other way around. I didn't see Clark, Stewart, Fittipaldi drive another car off the road and all blocking their competitors at all cost. Maybe because they could get seriously hurt then. Before, if you were caught by another car, it was assumed that the driver was faster than you and you should let him pass. Now, it's almost accepted (but not quite) to push someone off the road, or leave him no space, even if he is faster. Senna and Schumacher introduced some aggressive tactics in F1, and people applauded them. Now drivers are encouraged to block.
Drafting at 200 mph requires a completely different skill set. When you pull over to pass, you can slingshot your car ahead of the one you have been drafting. There is a lot of strategy. Plus, from what I have been told, imagine going 200 mph wearing roller blades on a surface of ball bearings.
Don't get me wrong; I am not under-estimating the skills and strategies involved in NASCAR, nor the nerves of steel and concentration required to run at 200mph bumper-to bumper lap after lap. Not at all Sir!! But the race itself seems to really starts after the last pit stop, the last caution, or the ultimate splash-and-dash. Until then, it looks, to a layman like me, like a reshuffle of cars jousting for position in the pack for the last 5 laps. You don't see in NASCAR a car romping away from the pack at the start and building a gap with the rest of the field lap after lap like you see in F1. It seems that the rules don't allow that, and any advantage built up by a leading driver is negated by caution periods, so that there is excitement til the end. Like somebody wrote, NASCAR excels in entertaining the spectators for 3 hours, when only the last 5 laps of the race matter.
