First, the scrapping of the single tire rule reaks of Ferrari whining to FIA. So much for all that great work Michelen did to get a leg up on Bridgestone.
However, I prefer tire changes, not only for safety purposes, but just because it seems retarded to force running on one set of tires... this isn't Star Mazda, it's F1!
Second, while the new qualifying rules seem very convoluted, I think the FIA actually came up with something that will really help the fans. The problem with the single lap qualifying is that it's boring as hell to fans in the stands. In fact I think the only people that enjoy the single lap format is the US TV audience that's used to the format from NASCAR (which I am certainly a member of... I like the single hot-lap format!) Anyway, this new format brings the cars out together, which is much more exciting for those in the stands (and TV for that matter, unless you're like me and enjoy seeing each driver's lap in detail). Plus, the knock-out rules prevent each team from just waiting till the very end of the session to run a lap the way they used to before the single lap format. And by requiring the top 10 cars to qualify on race fuel, it leaves the stratigic element of whether or not to go for pole w/ a light car which may hurt you in the race later... something that I liked, but I think the average F1 fan did not.
What I wonder, is if the new format will end up with teams making race-style pit stops for fuel and tires during qualifying... you know, top off and grab fresh rubber at the last second to make sure you're all set for the race if you're in the top 10 near the end of the final qualifying session.
That might be kinda cool... turns qualifying into a pre-race of sorts.
With regards to the 2008 proposals... the single tire idea will probably be good for competition, but I rather like the tire rivalry... I'd rather see 1 or 2 additional manufacturers instead... where's Goodyear and Hoosier when you need 'em?!
That new wing looks nuts. Seems like the cars will end up having to run quite a bit of angle on 'em to get the necessary rear downforce to match the d/f generated by the front wing... I'm thinking there's going to be quite a large loss of efficiency over the current wing design... it might slow the cars down a bit, which isn't a big deal if they go back to slick tires I guess.
What I really like about the new wing is that it's designed to promote smooth airflow right behind the car. In fact, the idea is that a car in the slipstream should actually have *more* downforce than a car in the clear! We may end up with cars that can easily pass at the end of every long straight! Now, while that may sound good, the problem you run into is with blocking... anyone else remember the BS surrounding the IRL cars, where you're allowed to make one blocking move, then it's "illegal" to move back the other way? Pretty lame, but necessary because the draft made getting a run on someone way too easy. So, if this new F1 wing works too well, I think it's actually going to hurt the sport. IMO, passing is a result of setting someone up, finding their weakness, making them nervous, and exploiting/capitalizing on their mistakes... not just getting an aero pull and sling-shotting off each straight.