Diez: Blowouts renew debate — spec cars or design freedom?

As I wrote last week, the 2024 Formula 1 season is already shaping up to be a continuation of 2023’s Red Bull romp. Two races in, a pair of 1-2 finishes with Max Verstappen leading Sergio Perez home. The only difference was a smaller margin of victory — 13.6 seconds versus 22. Meanwhile, the IndyCar season opener at St. Petersburg saw a 7.9-second winning margin as Josef Newgarden dominated proceedings from the pole. Penske Chevys finished 1-3-4 with Pato O’Ward’s Honda in second. And at Phoenix, Christopher Bell’s Toyota topped the field by the relatively wide margin (for NASCAR Cup) of 5.4 seconds. Contrast that to Daniel Suarez’s .003-second win at Atlanta for comparison.

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These results point to a situation that has been widely discussed over the last several years — the question of spec cars versus freedom of design. Although rules have been tightened in F1, teams still design and build their own cars, giving them the opportunity to gain an advantage before the season even begins. IndyCar has used spec chassis for years, with engine-leasing programs tightly controlled to ensure similar power output between manufacturers. NASCAR doesn’t field a complete spec car but is 90 percent of the way there, mandating single-sourced parts for the Gen 7 car. So which approach provides closer racing? Based on results over time, the spec approach puts more races in the hands of the driver and team, whereas the designers, aerodynamicists, and engineers largely predetermine the Formula 1 season. And yes, I’ve been around long enough to be nostalgic for the days of more freewheeling rules and innovation that used to characterize the Indy 500 and NASCAR manufacturer wars. But in today’s economic and safety climate, there’s no going back to Novas and Superbirds.

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One of the highlights of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the performance of 18-year-old Oliver Bearman for Ferrari. After Carlos Sainz was stricken with appendicitis, Ferrari opted to put F2 pole sitter Bearman into the car. After running only free practice 3, he qualified 11th, just missing the Q3 session, and went on to finish seventh in the race, scoring his first F1 points. I predict a bright future for this British youngster.

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This weekend, both F1 and IndyCar have byes, but the NASCAR circus rolls on at Bristol. This year, the Bristol spring race will be back on concrete after three years on dirt. There are only six previous Bristol (concrete) winners in the field, but they have tallied 18 wins among them. Kyle Busch is by far the most prolific, with eight victories at the .533-mile high-banked bull ring. Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski have three wins apiece, Joey Logano two, and Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson one each. The opening odds have Larson the favorite at 4-1 with Hamlin and Phoenix winner Bell both at 5-1. Buescher, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron share 11-1 odds and Keselowski is 12-1. Tyler Reddick and Ty Gibbs are tied at 13-1. Busch is 16-1, Logano and Ross Chastain 18-1. And at 20-1 are Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr.

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Based on the Phoenix results with NASCAR’s new short-track package, I’m not sure any Chevy would be a good bet. They seemed to struggle with the package while Fords and Toyotas dominated the top 10 finishing positions at Phoenix. We’ll find out if the Chevy teams have figured it out Sunday at 12:30 as Fox airs the Food City 500. FS1 will broadcast all of Saturday’s action, which includes Craftsman Truck practice and qualifying at noon, Cup practice and qualifying at 2 p.m., and the Weather Guard Truck Race at 5 p.m.