5 problematic F1 issues that no one appears to be paying attention to

The 2024 F1 season is turning out to be one for the ages. It's not often that a season begins with one team dominating the first few races before it gets caught and overhauled. Well, that's precisely what has happened this season. These are just some of the statistics that would make people recoil.

Seven different drivers have won races this season. The last time something similar happened was in 2012, an all-time classic season. While Max Verstappen still leads the championship by 62 points from Lando Norris, the Red Bull's downward trajectory has been shocking.

The battle for the constructors and the driver's championship will go deep into the season, and for F1 fans reeling from two years of a massively dominant period for Red Bull, this is a great thing.

However, some issues have been lingering this year that would be highlighted if the season had not been this good. While it's great that fans have something to look forward to, some areas need to be discussed. Let's take a look.

#1. It's become much harder to 'race' with these cars

Remember the 2022 F1 season when racing was much better? The race in Jeddah saw Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc battle it out for the win. What was also very impressive to watch was the fact that the lead changed hands multiple times.

The current racing is a far cry from what we had then, and one of the biggest reasons has been the increased development of the car that has reintroduced the turbulent air phenomenon. We've heard Oscar Piastri's quote at Spa where he said, "Free air is king" and that has held true.

While there is a constant battle this season for the win and there is variability in terms of results, difficulty to follow these cars has become increasingly apparent and the overtakes, even with the longer DRS zones, are just not on the table. When these rules were first introduced, the aim was to aid close racing, which is still a distant dream at the moment, and unfortunately, it doesn't get highlighted as much.

#2. The grid is divided between the top 4 and the rest

One thing about the 2023 season, which is not a possibility this time, was the fact that as many as six different teams got on the podium. Even though there was a big gap between Red Bull and the chasing pack, teams were so condensed in terms of performance gaps that freak results became a reality.

Alpine, who finished 6th in the championship, had two podiums. Now that's something we're not going to see this season because the top 4 teams have been able to extract performance and leave the bottom 6 in a different group. Through all the talk about condensed grids, there's still a sizeable gap between the frontrunners and the rest.

#3 FIA still seems incompetent to manage a title battle despite 2021 backlash

One of the major takeaways of the 2021 F1 season was that the FIA was incompetent in handling intense situations with a title at stake. Questions were raised about the organization's operations when Red Bull was flagged for having a wing that flexed too much. The less fans talk about the inconsistency in stewarding, the better because there's a clear case of things not being up to the mark.

Fast forward to 2024 and the situation is still the same. Another flexiwing controversy with McLaren and Mercedes' front wings, who are just passing the threshold. While the FIA has given its clarification and let things continue, instead of that being the final part of the discussion, it has led to many more questions than answers.

Similarly, the governing body has not painted itself in glory when it comes to consistency in giving out penalties either.

#4 Andretti continues to be sidelined while teams like Alpine continue to be on the grid

To even a casual observer, it's clear as day that Alpine/Renault is in the process of wrapping things up in F1. The team will be strapped for cash soon but what's worse is that the team has just been through the wringer because of a lack of commitment to the sport.

On the other hand, F1, a sport that wants to establish itself in the United States, has blatantly blocked Andretti's entry, and still no definitive update on that. One has to wonder how much power the 10 teams on the current grid hold that even an established name could not make it as an 11th team.

#5 Flavio Briatore's return to F1

There was some shock and some blowback to Flavio Briatore coming back in an advisory role at Alpine. The bigger question, however, has to be how the Italian can get back on the grid without zero resistance or friction from the F1 paddock.

For context, Flavio Briatore was found guilty of involvement in the crashgate in 2009 and was banned from the paddock. The fact that he's back and the fact that he socialises a lot with the FOM head Stefano Domenicali is just not a good look for a sport that's trying to become more global in nature.