Relax, traction control will not change a thing!

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Over recent weeks, speculation and opinions as to the effects of traction control have been widespread. From those claiming it would merely reduce the gaps between teams to those who say it would kill racing all together. I for one, not being as technically sound as others was horrified when I heard suggestions that unique skills in some aspects of racing such as wet weather races and starts would be rendered useless under this software invasion. However, having just finished reading a brilliant article from Atlas F1, I no longer fear the introduction of traction control or for that matter any other technical gadgets.
The writer parallels the introduction of traction control to the introduction of the graphite racquet in tennis. Many thought that bigger racquets meant bigger sweet spots and thus a reduction in skill. However, players like McEnroe and Becker were still able to emerge from above the average player and prove that while the game had slightly changed, the skill level certainly had not. In terms of F1, we have already experienced traction control in 93. But did it rob Ayrton Senna of his legendary wet-weather advantage? Was Alain Prost's ultra-smooth style compromised? In both cases, the answer is a resounding 'no'. Those two dominated the sport, just as they had done before traction control.

So for all those concerned F1 fans rest assured that natural skill will never be eliminated, but rather funneled, in sync with technological advancement, into different areas. Michael Schumacher will still be the 'rainmaster', Hakkinen will still be quicker than Coulthard, and Villeneuve will continue to outbrake himself.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
-Anonymous

The sport doesn't need a narrow technological envelope in which the best Newey-clone design triumphs. It needs to open up the technological boundaries and embrace the sort of free-for-all innovation which marked the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. Reversing the ban on traction control is a good way to start.
-Richard Barnes