Former Mercedes CEO Nick Fry discusses the impact of equal equipment in Formula 1, suggesting that races would not drastically differ even if all drivers competed in identical cars.
Nick Fry would love to see all Formula 1 drivers compete in the same car, but the Brit believes that the results wouldn’t be much different from what was seen in the 2023 season.
Fry thinks that the three-time world champion currently stands in a class of his own, and it would even be advantageous for him if everyone had the same equipment.
Fry joined BAR F1, short for British American Racing, in 2002, where the now 67-year-old Englishman took on an increasingly important role.
Nick stayed with the team as it was first taken over by Honda, and later competed in Formula 1 under the name Brawn GP. While Brawn took on the role of team principal during his team’s success story, Fry was appointed CEO, a position he held until 2013 when Toto Wolff took over his job.
Verstappen Would Benefit from Equal Equipment
“It would be great to organize a race where everyone drives the same car, but unfortunately, that’s not realistic,” Fry said in an interview with OLBG.
“Such ideas have been toyed with in the past, but they pose difficulties for sponsors,” Fry notes, who thinks that races wouldn’t necessarily become more exciting if everyone drove the same car.
“Unfortunately, I must say that Verstappen is currently just showing that he is the best driver at the moment, so I don’t think it would make much difference.”
Fry even suggests that it wouldn’t be bad for Verstappen if everyone had the same car. “It could even be to his advantage, as he has already shown that he is good enough to always adapt, and he would probably drive better than all his competitors in any car,”
Fry says, implying that a variable factor would be eliminated, and Verstappen could no longer be beaten by an opponent who might have a better car that weekend.
“I’ve heard someone say: if you can drive, you can drive anything. I don’t think it matters whether you put Verstappen in a lousy car or in a Red Bull, he would probably still beat the rest. He can adapt so well, that I think unfortunately it wouldn’t make a difference,”
Equal Cars May Limit Verstappen’s Wins
Fry adds, who does think that Verstappen with equal material could no longer win from the back of the pack, as the Dutchman did, for example, in 2022 at Spa-Francorchamps.
“If Max were to start at the back, he would still do better than the rest, but perhaps he wouldn’t win. The car is also important, of course. Red Bull has both the best driver and the best car.”
Equal Equipment in F1 What Would Happen?. Equal Equipment in F1 What Would Happen?
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