Formula 1 arguably the world's most exciting motorsport. With some of the fastest cars on the planet, as well as some of the most intricate circuits, Formula 1 has it all. Except depth in competition. I believe that Formula 1's extreme standardization has ultimately led to this destruction in competition.
One would think that with so much standardization that races could be a free-for-all for anyone to win. However that doesn't seem to be the case. It has inadvertently created superpowers within the sport which
look unlikely to be moved from the top. As all cars have to pick from a set list of brands, it is difficult for new technologies from emerging companies to break into the market. Teams are no longer allowed to choose from different tyre manufacturers, and all have to use Pirelli. So instead of designing cars that then have manufacturers match tyres to, the designers have to work to maximize the tyre. I believe this severely hinders competition, as it no longer allows for complete customization.
Similarly this year, Formula 1 introduced a new protective system called the halo (The Y shaped attachment over the driver in the picture below). It has changed the aerodynamics of the car, and therefore need to be adjusted to best suit the driver. In this season, Ferrari had the genius idea of mounting the car's wing mirrors to this system to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle. However, it was deemed unacceptable, and new rules have been put in place that mirrors are no longer allowed to be moved to the halo system as it provided them with an "unfair" advantage. But this is the beauty of this sport, as well as any sport. Teams do what they can to find any edge over their competitors. If no one else has though of it, then that's unfortunate. This is how the cars will advance and how the sport will as well.
Formula 1 cars have now changed size, and inadvertently made an unfair advantage. Cars are now wider, and thus more difficult to overtake. This was highlighted most in Monaco, a notoriously narrow and twisty track. A usually exciting race turned into a procession after lap 10, as no one was willing to risk an overtake to avoid car damage. Even drivers stated that they found the race boring and didn't need to drive at full capacity to maintain positions
Don't get me wrong, there should be parameters that need to be met. However, I think that they should be given ranges to work with rather than precise figures. Just like how other sports can use a variety of brands (such as baseball players getting a choice of bat brands), Formula 1 needs to be open to allowing variety to the teams. Unless this changes, Formula 1 will eventually turn into over glorified and overpriced car racing. The races will become predictable and lack the excitement that car racing is supposed to entice.
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