Word: formulaic
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...clock, there wasn't much to separate the two; little more than a second split Hamilton's and Fisichella's fastest lap times in Brazil. But a second is an eternity in Formula One, and a powerful reflection of perhaps the most important factor separating drivers: money. McLaren, for which Hamilton drives, lavished an estimated $430 million on its campaign, according to industry analysts Formula Money - a sum typical of big teams but two to three times the outlay of independent teams such as Fisichella's Force India. In such a high-tech sport, those with the deepest pockets tend...
...people who govern Formula One have been trying to reduce these financial and competitive gaps for years. Rule changes between seasons often ban new technologies, or at least limit their further development. In the season that just ended drivers were required to do without the hugely expensive computerized traction-control systems that make cornering easier and racing more boring. Such rule changes have boosted competition in the last five years by helping to narrow the gap between the fastest and slowest cars by two to three seconds. Now the global financial crisis has added a new sense of urgency...
...smaller teams to quit in recent years. When U.K.-based Super Aguri pulled out last May, it left just 10 teams on the grid. If more quit, the FIA worries, the sport could cease to be credible. "All teams realize that losing another [team] would do great damage to Formula One overall," says a leading adviser to several teams and manufacturers. Says Christian Horner, team principal at Red Bull Racing, an independent team whose best-placed driver finished 11th in this year's championship: "There's a genuine realization in the whole of the paddock that the costs quite simply...
...single manufacturer. The idea, backed by FIA President Max Mosley, has drawn fierce criticism, with Ferrari arguing that it would undermine the sport's "raison d'être, based principally on competition and technological development." If it happens, Ferrari and other big teams say they would consider abandoning Formula One. Perhaps, as has been suggested in the past, a few big teams might even set up rival races. "Why would Toyota want to use somebody else's engine? Why would Ferrari? Or Honda? Or BMW?," asks Jackie Stewart, a three-time world champion and former team boss. "The whole reason...
...supplier is probably a step too far. Horner of Red Bull, owned by the energy-drinks company, says racing with a standardized engine might be "no bad thing" for a team like his. But he says it's not worth risking the loss of the sport's biggest names: "Formula One needs the balance of independent teams and manufacturers and most certainly [needs] Ferrari involved in the sport...