What if F1 employed the drivers and mixed up the grid?

[John S]

Carlos Sainz speculates on an alternate F1 where the drivers have a go in all cars throughout season to create a true WDC.

It'll never happen  ........... or could it be the very thing to revitalise F1 format?   
Who knows, it's fun to imagine a change of format nonetheless. 

Speaking about his wild, but intriguing idea for the first time, Sainz paints a picture of Formula 1 where drivers spend 2 races with each team, thus levelling the Drivers’ Championship playing field, they would be employed by Formula 1 instead of teams? Carlos Sainz explains.

In an interview with respected Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Sainz dropped the tease:-

Sainz, when asked for his ideal Formula 1, proposed a radical format where drivers would rotate between all teams, spending two races with each, so two with Williams, Mercedes, Ferrari and so on, as Sainz explained.

“I’ve always imagined a Formula 1 where the manufacturers and the drivers are separate,” Sainz continued.

“But I’ve always thought of a series where you have 20 races and each driver races two races in each car. So the driver is part of F1, not part of a team; they’re an F1 client hired by Formula 1 to drive the cars.

“So I’d have the chance to drive two races for Williams, two for Mercedes, two for Ferrari… all the drivers would have exactly the same chance of winning the World Championship. That would be the Drivers’ World Championship, and the points you score for that team would count towards the Constructors’ Championship.

“That way, you’d completely separate the teams from the drivers. And so you’d have a proper Drivers’ Championship and a proper Constructors’ Championship.”

[Andy B]

Funnily enough I have heard this said before but not with the detail that CS puts in it but there are so many flaws in it I'm pleased to say it'll never happen.
It would be more like celebrity races and very little car development as drivers would want to send teams in the wrong direction to reduce there competitiveness for future drivers.
Then there's the fan base who would they support team or driver and merchandise linking a driver to a team.
As I said I'm pleased to say it'll never happen.

[Dare]

You wouldn't really be driving the same car as everyone if
improvements are made on the car you just drove or the car
became worse for the next driver

[Jericoke]

I agree that it would make both the drivers and constructor's championships more representative.  You wouldn't win either just by having the best machine (WDC) or the dominant pilot (WCC).

Of course as the season evolves, you would get a car that has developed, or take on a driver with an injury, but over all, I think that would come out in the wash.

The driver's market would be weird, currently there's a 'free' market where teams hire drivers they feel deserve to race in F1 (either because of skill or sponsorship pockets).  You'd need a new way to decide who  the drivers are, and also a way to force drivers out who aren't up to snuff, and promote drivers who have earned a shot.  If done fairly, this might eliminate pay drivers from the sport.  Of course, without pay drivers, quite a lot of investment in the sport might evaporate.

I love the idea, but honestly, the current system, where drivers are part of the team is how the sport should be.  We've seen Hamilton adjust to Ferrari, and vice versa.  If they're just hired guns sitting in the cockpit over a weekend, we don't get that evolution.

I suppose most drivers aren't a fan of being corporate shills, and if you're not attached to a team, there would be far fewer sponsor events to endure.  Maybe that's what Sainz REALLY wants.