Martin Brundle believes F1 is now in its healthiest position for many years because some “common sense has broken out” to protect the future of the sport.

Former F1 driver, who started 158 Gran prixes admits he was “deeply concerned” about the way things had been heading before a number of sensible decisions were taken to steer the ship back on course.

More specifically, huge investments for technical development were threatening the existence of several smaller teams and the viability for manufacturers to commit and compete.

Yet, he believes the new budget cap and the introduction of radical changes in regulations for 2022, aimed at levelling the playing field have not only safeguarded the future of F1 but made it way more attractive.

“Common sense has broken out really,” Brundle told Motorsport.com. “That’s how I see it because you just can’t keep spending hundreds of millions of pounds a year to run two racing cars. It needed sorting out.

“I think the pandemic focused a few important people’s attention as well in that respect and they have got the job done. I think it’s any number of things and I think it’s now more attractive to sponsors and manufacturers with a credible cost base.

"I'm not sure they [Liberty] understood F1 at all [when they started] I think they were quite shocked. I think they thought they could change a lot of things very quickly.

"But we've had the cost cap [coming in], the Concorde Agreement, levelling the playing field, signing off the new car for next year, and any number of fundamental structural things that make the racing more exciting, so you can have an AlphaTauri and Racing Point win a race again as they did last year."

Formula One’s efforts to reinvent and revamp itself to stay relevant for loyal fans and to attract new ones mitigated Brundle's concerns for the future. Additionally, after Bahrain’s season opener GP he thinks F1 is on the right trajectory.

"I'm as confident about F1 and its future as I have been for five or six years now," he added.

"I was really concerned if Renault pulled out for example or Red Bull pulled out because Honda were going, and you had Williams on the rocks. But they have got new funding and are turning around.

Brundle is convinced teams are now focused on long-term commitments rather than worrying they might disappear due to unbearable financial investments.

"Force India was on the rocks and that has now morphed into Aston Martin, and you have a lot of bright people coming in, new sponsors and a lot of really exciting young drivers.

"I think it [F1] is in a really good shape going forward. As I said five years ago I was deeply concerned about any number of those things. I think Bahrain underlined that confidence very well."

Brundle's optimistic view about F1 is echoed by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, who believes F1 is currently in its best position for 10 years.

"I think Formula 1 is in a very good place for good entertainment on track, and political fighting off the track, which has always been part of the narrative in F1," Wolff told Motorsport.com.

"It has a product that works, great teams and brands that are in Formula 1 and Netflix added its part on helping us to grow our audiences out of the traditional fans.

"So overall, the sport is in a very good place and growing. And from my time in the last 10 years, it's probably the best it's been."