Skip to main content

F1 needs to get back to basics in order to spice up the show, according to Alain Prost.

Now a Renault advisor, the F1 legend and quadruple world champion is an avowed 'purist' who thinks the sport was better when the rules and cars were simpler.

"The engine rules are the most complicated," he told Ouest-France when asked about what Liberty Media should do to the 2021 rules to improve F1.

"Every change to the engine involves significant costs, but they should in any case be more powerful with more fuel available and more performance," said Prost.2021

And he thinks an approach based on simplicity would also work in other areas of the rules.

"Technically it should be simpler, giving rise to the possibility of surprise, ingenuity, and the driver making the difference, rather than these machines of war that we see today where 80 per cent of the performance is aero and engine.

"I would like to see a better balance," he said.

Prost doubts that the 2019 rule tweaks will make a big difference, arguing that the size of the modern cars is actually the main problem.

"Personally I would remove the diffuser. In my day we had different concepts with big performance and we followed each other with no problem. We need much simpler cars aerodynamically."

And he said the simpler rules of the past meant the sport was genuinely interesting because of variety.

"Over a year we had turbos, V8, V10, V12, Michelin, Goodyear, Pirelli," he recalls. "We cannot go back to the past because it's very complicated to have different technologies. But it's a balance of technology that makes the difference."

Share this article

5 F1 Fan comments on “Prost: F1 should simplify to improve”

  1. Gregory S Carroll

    I could not Agree More !!!

    • Simon Saivil

      Most people agree, but the Liberty Media don't, and they are the ones that matter. Everybody should do what I did: cancel your cable subscription. Why bother watching ? If you are trying to fall asleep have a shot of whiskey - that'll do the trick as well as watching the Formula race.

  2. Euan Naude

    I agree with Prost ...Bernie took the excitement out of F1 ..the Yanks are now running it they took the girls out of F1 ...no big deal ...but lets put the excitement back...like they have in Indi racing ..let the teams decided on fuel loads tire changes pit stops not the rules and does not matter what cars they are driving as FI motor sport has always been the driving force of the change in the motor industry and always will be given the chance ....

  3. bent spanner

    That my fellow petrolheads is why Mr prost is the Professor,F1 needs to listen and act to his and other greats of the sport or for sure F1 will die .

  4. Norm

    Bring back tobacco sponsorship.
    Oil companies sponsorship mandatory, the BIG ten.

💬 Join the conversation — see the latest comments from F1 fans →

Comments are closed.

Most recent 10 F1 News items:

✅ Check out all our F1 News & Updates  »

Join our FREE weekly F1 Newsletter

Enter your email address & confirm your subscription

Get Your Tickets For Next Events

Latest Column

Last Classification

Newest Sound or Podcast