Formula One is widely recognized as the pinnacle of automobile racing. Including the newest technology and developments in the automobile industry, the racing world starts and ends with F1. Though Formula One has always been a popular international sport, it has only been growing in size and recognition. The growth of interest in F1 is largely in part due to Netflix's docuseries, Drive to Survive, which chronicles the F1 season including behind-the-scenes drama pre and post-race. With an already solid fan base and increasing global interest, it begs the question of why Formula One is not a part of the Olympic Games. Simply, there is a multitude of reasons why F1 is not featured at this year's Tokyo Olympic Games. But let's examine how it would be if it were.

Possible Structure Of F1 In The Olympics

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Via: Electreck

If Formula One was included in this year's Tokyo Olympic Games, the structure would most likely mirror that of the most recent 2021 Formula One season. With the recent introduction of the F1 Sprint (or Sprint Qualifying) at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix, it's more than likely that this would be the anticipated style of qualifying to determine grid positioning for an Olympic Formula One event. The F1 Sprint structure features a Practice 1, followed by Qualifying in the accustomed Q1, Q2, Q3 format to set the grid for Sprint Qualifying. Practice 2 would happen the following day, followed closely by Sprint Qualifying to ultimately set the grid for the gold medal event.

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The inclusion of Formula One in the Olympic Games, would mean the inclusion of a different type of athlete, and in turn, the inclusion of different nations that may not otherwise be represented in Tokyo this summer. Some of the names we would most likely see in a Formula One Olympic event would be names that you no doubt recognize from the 2021 rendition of the F1 season. These names would likely include Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz Jr., Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastien Vettel, Yuki Tsunoda, Lance Stroll, Kimi Räikkönen, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Nikita Mazepin. If said Formula One drivers did compete in an Olympic event, the nations of England, Netherlands, Finland, Mexico, Spain, Poland, France, Australia, Germany, Japan, Canada, Italy, and Russia would be represented.

What Are The Issues?

Formula 1 Olympics

The next obstacle that would need to be addressed, would be the cars that these Formula One drivers would be using to compete. Would an Olympic Formula One event mean we would see Lewis Hamilton drive an Aston Martin while Sebastien Vettel returned to his roots with BMW? The sensible answer to this would likely be no, as there are multi-million dollar contracts in play with these drivers having committed their racing futures to these automotive brands. Though it does beg the question, would it really be a win for the British if Lewis Hamilton raced a German manufactured car to claim the gold?

To sidestep these doubts, the Olympic Committee would likely enforce a standardized vehicle that all Formula One drivers would have to use if they were willing and able to compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Similar to what we've seen in the Formula One season this year: specifications of the car's size, horsepower, gear ratios, and engine type would be uniform across the board. It is also likely, that the Olympic Committee would select a specific car manufacturer to provide vehicles for all Formula One drivers competing in Olympic qualifying or Olympic events. Though based in Italy, the Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda team's AlphaTauri AT02 would be the car most likely to get the nod if the Olympic Committee wanted every driver to use the same car to compete in Tokyo.

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The AlphaTauri AT02 features a Honda RA621H 1.6-liter direct-injection V6 turbocharged engine featuring a Red Bull Technology sequential gearbox with eight forward gears, all longitudinally mounted on with a hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation and a limited-slip differential. The use of one single Formula One car could mean a more even playing field, with the difference in driver ability only magnified through the removal of different advanced race technology. With the use of a single standardized vehicle across the board, the Olympic Committee would hope this allows the best Formula One driver to win gold, rather than the best car manufacturer.

The FIA, or Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, is the governing body of motorsport and is best known for its involvement with Formula One. Undoubtedly, if Formula One was added to the roster of Olympic events staged in Tokyo this summer, the FIA would play a major role in the oversight and governance over the qualifying and gold medal race. For over 100 years, the FIA has represented the fast-changing worlds of motorsport and F1 including acting as the standard-bearer for these races. With the FIA involved, Formula One will likely never receive a place in the Tokyo Olympic Games or any Olympic Games to come. This is due to the stringent, ever-changing, and sometimes even nonsensical rules that are enforced over the Formula One community.

Another challenge for an Olympic gold medal event to ever be held for Formula One is simply the infrastructure surrounding track conditions and track maintenance. According to a 2017 Forbes article, the cost to create an F1 track and then host an event would reach or exceed a billion dollars. Even though the Olympic Games are a cash cow, the sustainability of hosting a Formula One event in the Olympics every four years makes this unlikely. Even though the use of existing tracks, such as the Suzuka Circuit or the Fuji Speedway (neither of which are in Tokyo), costs could exceed hundreds of millions of dollars.