Rule changes for the sake of "improving racing" tend to be the worst. They usually make cars slower, they usually make drivers slower, they usually make everything slower, and when anything slower it is definitively less fun. So that's why it's always a pleasant surprise when the opposite occurs.
Most changes in Formula One (except for those enacted purely out of a sense of safety) tend to do nothing but piss off fans. There are no more V12s, no more V10s, no more V8s even. No more ground effects. No more turbine power. No more six-wheeled monsters. Many changes are enacted to "control costs," or "enhance competition," neither of which tends to happen as one massive team uses its massive budget to find one tiny little tweak in the new rules, enabling it to blow away the competition.
That's not the case with F1 bringing back slick tires. Say what you will about their built-in failure rates, but putting more of an emphasis on mechanical grip has certainly livened up the track. I've heard laments about the demise of the 3.0-liter V10 cars, as they were blindingly quick, but it's easy to forget that many of the races of that era were complete snoozefests.
I'm not saying that bringing back slick tires was the best rule change ever, but we've got plenty of rule changes coming in the new F1 season, and those changes have the power to re-make everything.
So what do you think was the best racing rule change? It doesn't have to be F1, it can be any series you want. Let us know in the comments below!
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