One World of Racing: I Have a Dream

We keep seeing speculation about Danica Patrick moving to F1, some of it written by me.

What if she, and other IRL (Indy Racing League) drivers, didn't even need to think about it, what if they could stay where they are and still compete in F1?

And what if we could have an F1 race every week for a long season?

How good would it be to have a whole bunch of F1 races in North America again?

My dream is the unification of open-wheel racing into one world series, with all the top drivers and teams competing. It is hardly a revolutionary idea, for in other professional sports such as golf, tennis, etc., all players can compete in the same events.

Of course, there would be obstacles.

Bernie Ecclestone springs immediately to mind, as does his American counterpart Tony George. F1 is Ecclestone's baby, or so he thinks.

But he is an old man now, a coffin-dodger. Having the sport run for the sole purpose of maximising income for Ecclestone's Formula One Group never did make sense, and when the grim reaper has done his fine work, it will surely be recognized as unsustainable.

George is much younger than Ecclestone, and looks distressingly healthy. But as the proprietor of IRL, he knows only too well that NASCAR is trouncing him for audience share; being part of a global series could be the lifeline he obviously needs.

Let us suppose that the commercial issues could be overcome, what then would be a problem?

No problem with the drivers, many oval racers have leaped across the Atlantic to compete successfully in F1, and there has been a steady reverse flow.

No problem with the circuits, IRL already includes a number of "road" circuits, those having both left and right turns, and any F1 team could soon set up their cars for ovals.

No problem with the cars, F1 has been progressively dumbed down to be more like a spec series, and IRL engineers could soon adapt to a slightly more open formula. Nobody should think IRL engineering is somehow inferior to F1.

No problem with the schedule, teams only need be obligated to compete in 15 out of a world series of 35 - 40 races, picking the ones they can do best in.

Of course, it would mean that someone could become world champion without ever driving past the casino in Monaco, or hurtling through Eau Rouge.

But have we not seen that no circuit is sacrosanct?

Life is about coping with change. This change would make F1 much bigger and much better.

What do you think?