Let's Assume

[Osella]

That would be great, then we could get the chance to see new guys like Hulkenberg and Carroll and passed-over drivers like Enge against some of the best F1 drivers of the day

[Cozzie]

1. Raikkonen (as much as it pains me to admit)
2. Hamilton (give it two more years and he will be the pick of them)
3. Alonso (fast and talented, but too much to whinge about)
4. Massa (underrated and my tip for 2008 WDC)
5. Heidfeld (mr consistency would shine here)
6. Rosberg (another guy who could prove he is as good as almost anyone)
7. Kubica (not quite as good as Heidfeld but he wouldn't have that pressure here)
8. Kovalainen (already proving he is very very quick)

That is pretty much my ranking of the drivers at the moment and I believe that in a single make season they would be top eight and perhaps with the addition of Button would be the only drivers capable of podiums at the moment. If you ask me next year perhaps I would add Bourdais to that list .

As for the idea of a single make series, it is tantalizing but would never happen unless in ten years time customer cars had taken over and we were left with just Ferrari and McLaren. Formula One is about the combination of driver and machine and that is why it is the pinnacle of world motorsport. However, something like this would be an interesting series (I wouldn't combine it with A1 though) in the off season, even if just ten drivers competed. A format like this COULD work:

5 or 6 races: (Tasman style) in either countries that have not hosted GPs but may in the future (Russia, India etc) or world class circuits that there is no longer room for in F1. I would avoid it being a European series though and focus more on it being a breeding ground for the future of the sport.

10-15 drivers: You could have the F1 drivers that would take up the challenge (Kimi and Alonso are too arrogant but Lewis, Jenson and Heidfeld probably would) and combine those with up and coming drivers (GP2 champs and the like and some from ChampCar in the USA) who are desperately trying to get a contract.

Car: As with many single make series a company such as Dallara or Panoz could jump on board and I'm sure they would if they were given the oppurtunity of having an F1 champ pilot one of their cars.

Sponsorship: As the series would be no more than half a dozen races and contractual issues would make things complicated for some of the top drivers the cars could simply run sponsors of the series rather than individual sponsors (say for instance ITV telecast it, Bridgestone supply the tyres, Honda the engines, Panoz the chassis the cars could contain ITV, Bridgestone, Honda and Panoz livery perhaps with each car being a different colour).

But of course even this would be difficult getting around contracts, sponsors TV rights and Mr Bernard Ecclestone. Grand Prix racing is much more complex than it was in 1965 but we can dream...

[woody2goody]

It would be great, and there could be the possibility of some of those drivers filling remaining F1 seats. It could almost be a shootout for the remaining drives.

[markabilly]

nobody wrong and everybody right thread

[wmcot]

Sounds good. Makes sense. So no way it will ever happen in F1!!!

[samuratt]

Not so far ago, Coulthard said that if you really wanted to know which driver is the best you the Fia should do this:

1. 10 teams, 20 drivers, and 10 races.
2. Eahc driver rides a different team car in each race.
3. The driver with most points at the end of the seasson wins
4. The team with most points at the end of the seasson wins.

In essence is the same od a spec racing series, but with the possibility of rewarding the team that builts the best car.

Probably this would end in Ferrari being the best team everyyear, but at least we would have some very interesting races and different WDC every year.

I wouldn't have expected Coulthard to come up with something like this!!

[harvick#1]

what about Sato

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaepWeMXq44

[trumperZ06]

first & second, Kimi & Lewis... pick em. These two are well ahead of the pack.

Third place is a toss up, Alonso fighting with Masa... FA wouldn't do well competing with equal cars, and NO team orders.

Long shot... Bourdais, look at his record in Champ Car.

[airshifter]

what about Sato

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaepWeMXq44

I had that in my sig the day of the race. Alonso got seriously owned on that move.

[edv]

So, fousto, does your experiment include Traction Control or not?
I think that if TC is taken away from this equation and drivers had to 'drift' around corners, then some of the older drivers would seemingly prove better than the young guns...