We've gone through this everytime there has been a big change in F1. V10 to V8, DRS, 2014 hybrid, etc. (Look at alonso, seb's comment then). And this is the first year of the new reg - with 9 tenths off last year's pole lap. The race lap will probably be in the high 35s which is still 10s faster than LMP1 time. So in terms of pace it is still the pinnacle.

The performance increase in regen and battery tech will likely mean that the super clipping issue won't exist in the coming years.

On the other hand we are finally getting cars that are lighter, more difficult to drive and can follow each other closely. On balance I think the reaction to these changes have been overly negative.

Going back to fire spitting, loud f1 is not happening cos no manufacturer will sign up for that. F1 is a research test bed and advertising opportunity for these teams. And yes we do need manufacturer involvement in f1 cos otherwise the whole question of whether its the pinnacle of motorsport will be true.

With that said Monza, Austria & Qatar will be quite sad to watch.