Clearly singing from the same hymn sheet as F1 boss Chase Carey, who had earlier said that the sport should be telling the world about its technical genius, FIA president Jean Todt has urged the sport to accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives.

Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, Todt said that there is too much negativity in F1, not merely from the media, but those involved in the sport who rubbish proposals - such as the new aero regulations - before giving them a chance.

"I hear everything, that it was a waste of money, that it's a fantastic improvement on overtaking. So I'm excited to see what it will finally do," he said of the new aero regulations for 2018 aimed at improving the chances of overtaking.

"But Formula 1 is a world of controversy," he continued. "Rather than having people positive, building the best motor racing product we have, they always try to find something which does not work. Which is a bit unfortunate."

Indeed, following pre-season testing, while some drivers are enthusing over the impact the new regulations will have, in terms of drivers being able to follow one another more closely, others have said they doubt anything will change and that overtaking will remain as difficult as before.

Similarly the engineers have mixed opinions, many surprised by the fact that testing showed the cars to be faster than last year while it was widely expected that they would be as much as 1.5s slower.

"Watching the results in Barcelona, I was thinking it's kind of a Formula 2 championship," said Todt, referring to what many expect will be a hard fought midfield, his description unfortunately echoing Gene Haas' claim that the midfield is so far adrift of the three leading teams that it should be referred to as Formula 1.5.

"It's a revolution," insisted Todt. "I'm very much looking forward to that."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by GarH, 06/03/2019 20:21

"Latest controversy - a bonus point for fastest lap. Who came up with that nonsense - FOM/LM that's who. What's Todt got to say about that one?

"

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2. Posted by GarH, 06/03/2019 19:03

"Of course F1 is full of controversy, it's been that way for 40 years or more. Where has Todt been?

"

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3. Posted by Oldbuzzard, 06/03/2019 16:10

"Why have DRS zones at all? Leading car gets no DRS, all cars behind get full time DRS. Want overtaking? Get some. Result? Same car(s) will almost always win. A Haas will never pass a healthy Mercedes, DRS or not. DRS is why midfield racing is so exciting. The cars are relatively equal there and get to use DRS a lot, hence lots of overtaking. They are still not as fast as the three richest teams. Only people like Newey can make up for lack of money."

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4. Posted by imejl99, 06/03/2019 15:15

"My 2 cents in a form of 2 proposals for "better show" - make DRS distance 1.5s. Other is cut radio. Communicate via pitwall boards. Let driver decide something, not just execute pre-simulated plan A, B, C...
Cost free changes."

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5. Posted by Canuck, 06/03/2019 12:56

"If you are tack side or watching on TV, what fan can notice a 1.5 second slower lap time? Fans want to see good racing, not clock watching. Will this years technical changes allow closer racing, lets hope so. And if they also allow easier passing, then maybe we can do away with the blue flags. "

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6. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 06/03/2019 11:32

"Also above technology is the price to actually attend a grand prix."

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7. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 06/03/2019 9:49

"When will these people realise that for the fans its all about the racing and spectacle, the technology is way down the list."

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Todt: F1 is a world of controversy

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