- The ability to cancel a forthcoming contract that has already been signed LONG BEFORE it has started. ie, if I have a driver signed for S11 (it is now S9) but I realise I want to promote one of my youths as a main driver; I should be able to release this 'pre-contract' back to the market.
This is good for other teams who can then sign that person instead of letting him stay unused.
Because it is different to firing halfway into a contract; a driver isn't then left in limbo mid season.
The cancellation fee for doing so should either be waived entirely if more than one full season away; or proportional to how many weeks until that deal begins (the closer you terminate it prior to the contract start the higher the fee should be).
What about having a mid season 'variable focus decider' where you pick either this year or next year as a focus before the test week?
Then, for the second half of the year, your team gets either a 35% development bonus speed on current season parts; or a 20% speed rate bonus on next years research.
Or choose neither and have the same rates. Maybe slower rates for the opposite choice I'm not sure.
This would allow teams to go for season glory or return next year more prepared.
A bit like the team choices you choose every two seasons now.
I like the idea but what limit it to half the season since I know at the start of week 1 or week 2 if I am fully focused on the following season. Really even before that as I have set development path and goals defined for my team. This current season was suppose to be fully focused on next season since I am the only team in my division so I knew I was moving up.
Now since I haven't been around since week 4; I am on the back foot trying to even get a car ready for next season. Thus I also know I am focused on season 11 for my development as I try to simple survive in division 2 if I still get moved up.
I would like to see a return in focus settings via percentages since this was one aspect of the old Pitwall I liked.
I could focus on commercials to gain a boost in sponsorship income and speed when needed or increase development when needed for a season long push and mechanic increase if it was close on the track to gain that few tenths of a second in a pit stop needed to beat faster teams.
I have seen this done in another game where they allow you focuses on different aspect per day of the week in a calendar that is set during the first two weeks of testing during the season. So you have to plan your whole season out in the first two weeks as to if you want commercial benefits on certain days, development benefits and mechanical benefits. We could even add driver bonus / Staff bonus days to increase synergy, morale or reduced wages in contracts.
- Research for the the following season should not drop until the season begins. ie, currently in S10 and pursuing both current and next year research levels. The S10 should naturally drop if left alone; but the future S11 should only drop when S11 season begins.
It's already very hard for small teams and low staff levels to sufficiently maintain the required amount of development; having to fight against a tide of dropping levels before the season begins just makes that battle even harder.
