Newey worries: 'This could make F1 less popular'

Adrian Newey has a clear warning for the FIA and Formula 1. Red Bull Racing's top designer fears that with more rules and regulations, the sport is losing its appeal, he reveals in conversation with Motorsport.com. He therefore calls on the motorsport federation and F1 to be more cautious in introducing more and more rules.

It was always the strength of Formula 1: different constructors building their own cars and, each time, trying to outsmart the competition with innovations. This is becoming increasingly difficult now that more and more restrictions are in place regarding what teams are allowed to do technically. This is partly because the FIA and Formula 1 want to prevent one team (Red Bull) and one driver (Max Verstappen) ruining the competition every race, simply because they have better equipment than the rest.

Newey warns that too much regulation - and thus too little opportunity to be innovative - harms Formula 1. "That is the danger of over regulating, that if the cars became so over regulated, and it became effectively one-make formula racing, then history dictates that whenever a racing series has become one make, it invariably becomes less popular," Newey said.

As an example, the Briton cites the US IndyCar championship, which was very popular in the 1990s. It featured several manufacturers who were always trying to outdo each other. "Its popularity was starting to rival F1 at the time. Shortly after that it became a one-make series, certainly on the chassis, and two-make on the engine side. And its popularity in truth has dipped," stated Red Bull Racing's CTO, warning that Formula 1 should not go down the same road.