F1 2011: A 20-Year Comeback According to Trulli

Jarno Trulli, a Formula 1 driver for over ten years – first steps in 1997 for Minardi – believes that Formula 1 has returned to the time when he started. Even more than the technology and competitiveness of the cars, it is about the drivers that he makes this observation.

According to Trulli, the 2011 F1 drivers interest a team not for their talent, but for their wallet. This strategy is identical to the ways teams operated in the 90s, where the driver had to pay to get into F1. The arrival of sponsors has greatly contributed to this change in the DNA of F1 championships.

Today, it is no longer the arrival of sponsors that causes this growing need to please investors, but the departure of automobile manufacturers. Without Renault, BMW, Honda, or even Toyota, F1 is losing solid companies with significant funds.

And rather than seeing it as an advantage where the drivers would no longer be just the communication tool of a multinational, Trulli sees it as a heavy disadvantage; that of forcing young drivers to show the green bill to get their seat.

«For a few years now, F1 has taken a wrong turn: the contracts are getting worse and worse, and the only thing that is explicit and grabs attention in them is the money. » comments the Italian to the sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Nowadays, only four teams can guarantee excellent drivers. For the others, the level is much lower.

When I started in Formula 1, driving skills were more important. Constructors wanted, despite having good sponsors, winning drivers. Now, team budgets rely much more on the funds brought by the drivers.

« Lotus is the most serious team among the new entries in F1 in 2010 and 2011. But the day money runs out, they will also need to opt for this strategy. No matter how serious we are, our organization is small. The Marketing department is not like that of a top team. For me, F1 in 2011 has gone back 20 years… to the early 90s: Small teams and few manufacturers.