Smoking the Peace Pipe

Peace has returned to the world of Formula One. But at what cost?

Yet again, after everyone makes kissy-faces and make up, the sport is left with a black eye in terms of public perception. Actually, a black eye would be lucky. It feels like the sport got dragged through a ditch backwards and left on the road.

Hasn't anyone learned from the past few years? You would think the experiences over the past few years would make people think 'hey, lets try to keep a lid on this?' Instead, we get a public mud slinging match that overshadowed a good weekend of racing. Now, only half a week after that, everyone is friends again, more or less.

For a group that was so willing to be public about things, they are being closely regarded about the particulars of how peace was made. Now that everyone is back in the same bed again, does that mean the fans once more are shut out with everything decided behind closed doors?

Formula One has a serious image problem that it needs to fix. It will take time to mend the bridges that were blown up during this civil war. Di Montezemolo was right about one thing, the sport does need to be relaunched.

Now, that apparently everyone is back at the same table, is the time to fix issues that are up with this sport. While steps have been made to make the sport more accessible, such as the interviews after each session of qualifying, the sport can do so much more to become more fan friendly. The spectacle itself needs much work. Despite work by the committee for overtaking, we still have cars unable to get close when they get around a second behind another.

Of course, that may just be wishful thinking. Only time will tell.

Stig-meister

Did anyone see that one coming? Really?

I for one was shocked when the Stig removed his helmet, revealing Schumacher. I have to say bravo to the BBC for it. If you want to unveil the Stig, someone they have touted as a driver of immense talent, who better to 'play the role' than one of the greatest motorsport drivers in history.

It also feels like a cheeky slap from the BBC to the media outlets that were reporting on the 'true' identity of the Stig earlier this year.

Obviously, the idea that it was Schumi all along is far fetched. White Stig has been in use since 2003. Not to mention, in the hands of the seven-times F1 champion, a car went seven seconds faster than anything before around the Top Gear test track. While I'm sure the car is fast, we have seen plenty of speedy cars fail to be super quick around there. I wonder just how much that had to do with the driver.

Admittedly, it would have been fun to see him do a proper lap around in the 'reasonably priced car', if just to see where he matched up against the other F1 racers that have been on the show.

A guy can dream.

Formula Fucked

I've spent the last month wondering what to do. As I watch the sport I love implode, I find myself in a situation where I don't really want to write anymore. As both sides bicker as they look to take the biggest slice of the cake for themselves, we fans are left, given the royal screw job as is usually the case.

Tonight, as the FIA and FOTA sat on either side of the poker table, the dealer said to call. FOTA have called the FIA's bluff and finally, many years after the idea was originally thrown around, decided to set up their own series.

Suddenly, the prospect of the British Grand Prix this weekend seems pretty forgotten. Is there much point in watching Formula One for the rest of the year now? Really? With eight out of the ten teams leaving for their own championship. Chances are the World Champion won't be on the grid – heck, will any of them be?

I just keep thinking about the Indycar split. The Indy Racing League took the prestigious race. CART took the drivers and the teams. The latter was the more popular one for many a year. Formula One may have the name, but without the Ferrari's and the McLaren's, the Alonso's and the Hamilton's – is it truly the pinnacle of the sport.

Why Medals Won't Work

With Button’s fifth win out of six races, it just goes to show why Bernie’s deluded winner take all plan would be terrible for the sport.

The Formula One season has eighteen races. Button now has five. If we were running the winner take all system this year, Jenson would only need to win four more times. So in theory, in two months, Button would be crowned champion. Let’s be fair, when you see the stunning form the Brit is on, entirely possible.

Personally, I don’t even think you would need to cross that line. Last year Massa won six races, a season high. Button will no doubt blitz that marker.

Even with the current points system, Button is in a commanding position. At this stage, he could almost afford to finish each race second and he would still do it. This is the problem with the current points. Once you are up and in front, you can take it easy. Alonso had a similar situation in his championship years, where he was stunning in the opening part of the season that he could afford to let off the gas in the second half of the season.

Yet, somehow, some people believe that such a medal system would be good for the sport? You are seriously having a laugh, Bernie.

A Farcial Mess

Been a little time since I’ve made a decent contribution here. Honestly, with all the goings-on in Formula One, I have had a serious lack of motivation to write anything conductive about the sport right now.

With the ‘deadline’ for teams to sign up rapidly approaching, the sport remains mired in a mess. We have two sides that want their own way, struggling to find the middle ground. I think Formula One fans must feel like the only child in a divorce, with both parents vying for who gets the fancy cutlery. I feel like the fans are getting the short-shift here.

The fact we are at this point is pretty pathetic. Both sides are at fault here. It reminds me of why I hate politics. At the end of the day, they don’t really give a fuck about anything but themselves.

First off, Ferrari. Looking for a court injunction solo was just nuts. At the very least, it should have been a FOTA thing. Ferrari come off looking after their own interests. FOTA are supposed to unified, yet if the last few weeks are anything to go by, that doesn’t appear to be true.

The FIA themselves tried to drive a wedge, informing teams of Ferrari’s special veto. This was a case of two shots in the one foot. On one hand, how can the sport be seen as fair to all if Ferrari has a veto over rule decisions? Better yet, why did the FIA give it? Letting us know it is there just reminds us why people view the FIA so poorly.

This reminds me of what a debacle the WRC has become. A few years ago, it had numerous manufacturers involved. Then the FIA decided to start chopping and changing the rules. The result so many of the manufacturers leaving the sport and public interest waning in it. You would think the FIA would learn that if you start messing with the formula consistently, it is going to cause trouble.

We have had rule changes this year. We have a spate of them coming next year. I thought Formula One was supposed to become more ‘fan friendly’. Anyone else see the contradiction there?

The whole situation is a mess. Whatever happens, Formula One yet again finds itself with a black eye because of how they choose to air their dirty laundry in public.

Irish Smiles

This year continues to be a fantastic one for Irish sport in general. The international football team is looking somewhat capable of a decent go for World Cup qualification and in rugby, our Grand Slam triumph in the Six Nations has also being joined by Leinster making the Heineken Cup final, after coming through an all Irish semi-final.

Irish motorsport has also enjoyed what can only be described as its best year ever. Not since the days of Jordan Grand Prix have we had much to celebrate here. (And for those boffins not in the know, while Jordan was based in the UK, it ran under the Irish flag – hence the reason Amhrán na bhFiann was played when the stewards didn’t cock up the ceremony.

The year started with the Irish Rally as the opening round for the World Rally Championship. Granted, it doesn’t feel like the WRC has the same sort of lure as it used to, but it was a fantastic achievement nonetheless in the days where everyone is starting races anywhere except in Europe.

The icing on the cake came this weekend, with Adam Carroll winning the fourth A1GP series for Team Ireland. The victory is the first time an Irish national has taken an international motorsport title. Carroll took it in dominating fashion, with pole position and race victory in both the Sprint and the Feature.

It is a fantastic achievement that will hopefully put more emphasis on motorsport back in this country. Currently, it has handled very poorly and even when Formula One as shown on terrestrial television, the commentary was down there in the basement alongside that of James Allen.

'B' for the Beeb

We now stand four races into a season that has been met with many unknowns.

For most of us who were stuck with the narrow-minded views of the majority of the ITV team last year, we awaited the BBC coverage with bathed breath. Surely, it couldn’t be worse than the abysmally bias coverage we had to endure over the last few years.

I could’ve easily written something up after Australia, but felt it was unfair to judge after just one race. With the first four flyaway races, it is much easier to gauge how the BBC have done, much like F1 teams regroup before heading into Europe.

I have to say, I am very impressed thus far with the BBC coverage that I have watched. Okay, that probably wasn’t going to be too hard given how low an opinion I rated Ryder, Allen and Blundell. But I fully admit I was concerned that it could’ve turned out worse.

The coverage is by no means perfect. After Austraila, I was worried about new race commentator, Jonathan Legard. It felt like he was commentating on the radio. A good deal of his commentary sounded more suited to the Curragh than it did on the Formula One circuit. But to his credit, he has toned it down as the season has gone on.

Together with Martin Brundle, they form a great front team for the BBC. Small mistakes are made, but the nice thing is that they are capable of picking up on them, unlike recent years where they were oblivious to such. Some might see me as a hard ass with my views on the ITV, that I require perfection. It isn’t so. Mistakes will always be made. That is how we learn. But at the very least, one expects to correct those errors. While the odd few slip through the net, it is nice that most are caught now.

The man who has impressed me most is David Coulthard, who has seamlessly transitioned from driver to pundit. In the off chance that you are reading this, Mark Blundell, this is how a former racing pundit is supposed to be. Coulthard is a breath of fresh air and has provided valuable insight for the viewers.

Jake Humphrey, as anchor, is another astute choice by the BBC. I didn’t know much about him myself, with the exception of the odd appearance on a BBC show as I flicked the channels looking for something decent to watch. Like Coulthard, he has taken to it like a duck to water. Given that he is the youngest team member of the team, he is nothing but assured. His recent interview with Lewis Hamilton that was shown before the Bahrain grand prix was brilliant and intelligent, showing off the more human side of Hamilton that was missing during the ITV interviews that felt very staged.

The only part of the team that doesn’t appear to gel just yet is Eddie Jordan. Personally, I expected better. This is Eddie Jordan, the man famous for the quick-fire response and witty banter – a man who could talk his way out of a paper bag and still come out with the better deal.

Yet at times, Eddie seems a little at sea in front of the cameras. Maybe it will take longer for him to adjust to life as a TV personality. But at this stage, he is the only real chink in the BBC team at this time.

I would comment on the extra features bit via the red button, but I haven’t tried them yet. While I don’t mind getting up early for races, I quite like my bed on a Friday and Saturday mornings! With the European season starting up, I hope to sample these and see how the expanded coverage of the BBC does.

All in all, I feel like the BBC has started with a firm footing with the coverage. If I was signing a report card, I would give them a solid B, with room for improvement. It is so nice to not to wake up on Monday morning hoarse from shouting at the television anymore.

Fifty Years Young

In today's day and age, we expect motor racers to retire early. Gone are the days where they race deep in their forties. Heck, even as some turn thirty, we hear of retirement plans. It is all about getting the young, raw talent behind the wheel.

In Nascar, that is no different. Rookie Joey Logano is eighteen and racing at the highest level of stock-car racing. Right now, the sport has a crop of drivers under twenty-five that have the potential to be long-running contenders for wins and champions.

But on Saturday night, Mark Martin dominated in a fashion to remind everyone that despite being the elder statesman of the Sprint Cup, he still has plenty to give. His victory, his first in nintey-seven races, made him only the fourth driver to win a Nascar race over the age of fifty. He is the first to do so since 1993.

But it wasn't just at Phoneix. Martin has looked as sprightly as those drivers thirty years his junior. Already he has notched up three poles. If it wasn't for issues out of his hands (two engines going up in smoke and a tire blow out), he would be comfortably inside the top-12. Going into the fourth race of the year, he was on the cusp of falling out of the top-35 in points.

After those issues, many wondered if that was it. Had the fairy-tale turned into a nightmare? The veteran responded by remaining ever positive and has steadily notched up the points. With victory over the weekend, he now sits a mere nine points from the coveted twelfth position. Will Mark Martin make the Chase? I think the answer is pretty clear.

His victory was a popular one up and down the pitlane. It was great to see so many different people come and congratulate Martin in pitlane. Team-mates current and old, former team owners and long time competitors. Outside of a Dale Earnhardt Junior victory, one for Mark Martin would be the choice of Nascar fans.

The question still remains - can he finally win the championship. Some still question whether he has that killer instinct to take victories which are all important to the Chase. As the season goes on, I really think he is in with a shot. He is consistently up the front and now with the first victory for the team, they can only move on from here.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well, in Mark's case, there is no need for new tricks when the old ones still impress.

Tactical Errors

This piece is way overdue, so you will all have to excuse my lethargic nature that it has taken me a week to write this.

Ferrari. Man, oh man, you wonder where it all went wrong. There was a time when a strategic call to be made, nine times out of ten, Ferrari could come singing. In the past three years, it seems like fat lady has truly sung in regards in the tactical department.

I often wonder, are people paid to flunk? Is it like those overpaid prats in the banks, that these guys gets bonuses and commendations for a bad job? You have to wonder.

The fact that it has taken Ferrari over two years to actually do something about it, is more shocking. But then again, this is the team that continue to employ a Kimi Raikkonen that increasingly looks like he is phoning it in.

This week has seen Luca Baldisserri, Ferrari team manager, moved to a factory based role. I wonder if it has come too late. As I said above, it has taken over two years of bad decisions before this call was made.

It’s not like any of this calls have been particularly difficult. Even the most casual of armchair motorsport fans could probably have called a better strategy on some race days than Ferrari has. At this level of competition, only so many mistakes can be tolerated.

Confessions of a Sinner

Wow, what a difference a day makes. I nearly regret writing yesterday’s post because of how quick information came out on the Hamilton incident.

First off, it was great to actually get the audio files from the FIA. For the fans, this is important that we actually get to see the evidence, rather than just be told what it is. Granted, I would’ve liked to see the telemetry data myself between the pair, and a transcript of the stewards meeting. The latter however isn’t needed since the truth finally came out today.

David Ryan, McLaren’s sporting director and the man who attended the stewards meeting with Hamilton has been suspended after telling Hamilton to ‘mislead’ the stewards.

Okay, this really annoys me about the character of Hamilton. He was told to lie, and he did. Honestly, I thought the guy had more integrity than that. Why not stand up and say ‘this is wrong.’ Heck, you listen to the radio transmissions and you see how much he wanted clarification on the whole thing. He didn’t do any wrong, until he lied to the stewards.

The sporting director takes the rap for this idiotic move. In this day and age of technology where basically everything is recorded, how did they think they could get away with it? It also begs the question as to why McLaren have spent the last couple of days claiming that they didn’t mislead the stewards when they clearly did. This may have been between Hamilton and Ryan at first, but I’d bet the McLaren bosses learned pretty quickly about it once he was disqualified.

The whole thing is a stupid, unnecessary affair because Hamilton was actually in the right in regards to overtaking Trulli. They just shot themselves in the foot big time.

Apparently, he received applause from a number of journalists after the press conference when he came clean about it all. You won’t be seeing one from me. He apologised and that is all well and good – but only after they couldn’t hide from the bare face facts of it all. The fact it took this long to come out takes a lot of the shine away from the apology.