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F1 2017 fan survey passes 100,000 responses

More than 100,000 Formula 1 fans have had their say on the championship in the Motorsport Network's Global Fan Survey, which is entering its final week.

Launched by the owner of Autosport, F1 Racing and Motorsport.com during F1's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the survey will remain open until after this weekend's Chinese GP.

The far-reaching survey covers all aspects of F1, with the number of respondents passing the 100,000 mark on Tuesday.

Its results will be shared with fans, teams, drivers and F1's new owner Liberty Media in May.

Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz believes the results of the survey it carried out in 2015 helped drivers push for a more pure and authentic sporting challenge, without reverting to solutions such as reverse grids or success ballast.

"It is a debate now which goes over two-and-a-half years," Wurz said about pushing to improve F1 through more traditional means.

"Some comments about the cars being too easy to drive were misunderstood as some guys wanting a manual gearstick and no power steering, or we go to the stone age of car engineering.

"This is the point where the drivers came and said: 'Gentleman, it is never easy to win against the best in the world, not even in a wheelbarrow. But these cars are not physically demanding and from the sensation they are not exciting for us. That is what we meant.'

"If a newcomer on his third lap ever in an F1 car is told to go slower because he exceeds tyre energy limits, that wasn't what was authentic and cool.

"And [F1's chiefs] have understood and they have worked together, and so the direction is completely fine and good.

"But we are not there yet to what the sport can be."

As the survey passed 100,000 respondents, Fernando Alonso led Lewis Hamilton as the most popular driver by just 29 votes - giving them 18.1% each of the total responses.

Zdroj: autosport.com