Could reverse grids at selected F1 tracks spice up the action?

[John S]

The F1 commission meeting in london has not reached concensus on controversial mandatory 2 stops per race for 26, and fans are also divided over the idea too.

Perhaps an alternative is to have a small number of reverse grid races at tracks that offer plenty of overtaking chances for those with superior cars or different strategies to shine. Could be tremendous fun for us fans too. 

This idea is not mine, see Gary Anderson quote below, but I think has some merit. What does anyone else think?

"And now to upset the purist. If you happened to watch the Brazilian Grand Prix and saw Max Verstappen finishing third from a pitlane start and also suffering a puncture on the way, which put him right at the back again after only six laps, perhaps selecting a few reversed-championship-order grids at circuits where overtaking is possible might not sound quite so stupid."

Above quote courtesy Gary Anderson writing on The-Race.com about 2 stops wont fix overtaking, today.

[Dare]

I don't like it. Like in sports with a handicap it penalizes you for being too good

[Andy B]

I'm not a Sprint Race fan and reverse grids will only make it worse!

[Jericoke]

Professional sports are entertainment first and foremost.  F1 needs to make sure they've got a product that people want to watch.  It's a delicate balance, making sure you keep the dedicated fans who got the sport to the point it is, but also bring in new fans who will stick around for more than some curiosity.

I don't know that many race fans are tuning in to see a dominant car win races unopposed.  It's something special when it happens once in a while, but it's dull when it happens regularly. 

In the past I've suggested changing F1 from being an excercise in driving around in the least amount of time to keeping score of passes.  Each car you pass is one point, most passes wins.  Then reverse grids give the best cars the advantage of most cars to pass.  It also means cars are designed for passing.  No blue flags.  Each corner is a battle for each and every car.

[cosworth151]

The first thing that would happen would be historically slow quali times. There would need to be some way to prevent everyone from going in the tank. I'm reminded of the old joke that the cars were so slow that they timed them with a calendar instead of a stopwatch.

[Andy B]

The first thing that would happen would be historically slow quali times. There would need to be some way to prevent everyone from going in the tank. I'm reminded of the old joke that the cars were so slow that they timed them with a calendar instead of a stopwatch.

Its not racing so I quite agree with you.