It would have to be sportscars and prototypes for me. I do love F1, but I hate that it is becoming effectively a spec series these days, with ‘innovation’ being limited to finding a loophole in the rules, and then everyone systematically copying it. By contrast, P1 class cars are hugely diverse, with their own technologies, aero concepts, and so on. Look at the Audi e-Tron Quattro and the Toyota TS030 – radically different concepts and yet closely competitive, and both with the freedom to innovate their cars in the direction they want. P2 class is also in something of a golden age, with teams no longer just there to try and see out the duration, with the class winner being whoever’s car managed to hold together long enough to see the chequered flag. And with the new Mazda SkyActiv turbo diesel engine set to become the standard engine of the series, it looks like the competition is going to get even hotter.
Plus, while I respect the driving abilities in F1, I do think that WEC drivers face a much tougher challenge, both mentally and physically. F1 drivers struggle to negotiate traffic with cars all within 7% of each other on pace, in the dry and bright sunlight, whereas endurance racers have to deal with closing speeds of around 50kph, in the middle of the night, in the rain, with severely limited visibility, while also doing stints nearly twice the length of your average GP several times in a 24 hour period.
It has always confused me why sportscar racing regularly looks to F1 as a source for its future stars, rather than the other way round.
Oh, and plus, WEC teams can afford to pay their drivers, and they’re not in a situation where a huge amount of money is being squeezed out of the sport by an unscrupulous and corrupt commercial rights holder. The future of sportscar racing is looking increasingly bright, at a time when F1 keeps tripping over itself.
