Formula 1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn has slammed the inability for midfield teams to compete for podiums as “unacceptable”.
There has been growing concern over the dominance of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull at the front with the top six positions at each race normally inaccesible without the factor of rain or a retirement.
It is proven by a number of stats, such as the 297-point gap between Red Bull and Renault in the Constructors’ Championship but the number of podium finishes for the seven midfield teams since the start of 2017 is equally shocking.
“Two podiums from a total of 123 [across the two seasons] is unacceptable, especially when it comes with an ever increasing technical and financial divide,” said Brawn speaking after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“It’s a problem we are tackling together with the FIA and the teams, because the future of Formula 1 depends on it.
“There are various solutions on the table and we must all accept that we can’t go on like this for too much longer.”
To highlight the situation even more those two podiums have both come at one race, with Lance Stroll in 2017 and Sergio Perez in 2018 both finishing third on the streets of Baku.
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Haas owner Gene Haas suggested the midfield was akin to ‘F1.5’ with the battle for ‘best of the rest’ now a genuine category followed at each race.
“Their battle was certainly thrilling, however, it’s hard for the fans to truly get excited about a battle for fourth place,” said Brawn.
“Having said that, congratulations to Renault for finishing fourth, confirming the progress it is making and to Haas, as finishing fifth in only your third year in the sport is a great achievement.”
The former Ferrari engineer and Mercedes team boss also highlighted two other stories from the midfield this season.
“Sauber fought back after struggling for the previous two years, partly thanks to the talents of [Charles] Leclerc,” he added.
“But a special word goes out to the men and women of Force India who worked hard all season without letting themselves get distracted by the serious problems that affected the company and threatened its very existence.
I think that managing to keep Force India on the grid and assuring it a stable future is one of the most important things that happened in 2018.”
