Just a few races to go and both championships are wide open. No longer is
Michael striding like a Colossus over the F1 stage. We have had more winners
this year than in any year I can remember and Silverstone has put on the most
exciting race in years.
Bernie and Max must be congratulating themselves on a job well done. The
brave new rule changes have worked a treat. Bullshit!
Using the old scoring system the top positions would be unchanged from the
current ranking and the relativity between them is even pretty close. Points
are easier for also ran teams to come up with but the teams at the top hardly
notice. Qualifying is as exciting as watching paint dry and the fans are
voting with their feet, attendances at most venues have been poor and Bernie’s
net worth is dropping faster than Michael’s is growing as TV audiences find
Lawn Bowls or reruns of ‘Lassie Saves The World, Again’ more exciting than
F1. Which is a pity because the (Sunday) racing has been generally better than
the last few years.
So, if it isn’t Max and Bernie’s brainwave, why is the championship so
close? Most of the answer is Bridgestone – the Japanese tyre giant has
single-handedly nobbled the fastest horses in the race. Williams BMW deserve
some credit too, not just for getting it right mid-season but also for taking
their time about doing so. Had they succeeded in making the car as competitive
as it now is back in March we would have had a repeat of last year with only
the colour of the cars changed. The timing of the mid-summer testing ban has
had a disproportionate impact on McLaren and Ferrari (who desperately need a
fix from Bridgestone) versus Williams (who finally got the car right before
the ban took effect). Kimi and Fernando also warrant a honourable mention.
Both have managed remarkable results with cars that shouldn’t have put them
on the podium quite as often as they have (seven times in Kimi’s case). The
odd brainfade from Fernando, Ralf, Juan Pablo et al plus McLaren’s new car
no show has contributed to the skewed results. Add in a mad, kilted cleric to
the mix to explain Silverstone plus some variable weather and you have a close
competition despite, not because of, the damn fool rule changes.
Bernie is really coming apart at the seams. He has done a remarkable job
over the years, lifting the profile of F1 to undreamed of heights (and only
making a few billion Pounds for himself along the way) but his decisions of
late are somewhat less astute. First it was the deck chair shuffling with the
new rules then it was drawing starting grids from a hat. Now he’s suggesting
driver payments based on points scored. There are 4 or 5 drivers who must love
that idea, and 14 or 15 who would be slightly less happy. Paul Stoddard’s
drivers would be about as keen on it as Eddie Jordan’s or Peter Sauber’s
would. Michael really wouldn’t care much either way given the relatively
small impact his paltry couple of million per race salary has on his total
earnings.
The debacle of Canada, 2004 is also down to Bernie. They change the timing
of the US race to allow back to back races with Canada, then we hear from
Montreal that it’s off because of cigarette advertising bans, then Bernie
says that’s not true because he hasn’t even decided on next years
calendar, then he remembers that it is indeed axed and the Indy race will have
to go back to back with itself again, just in a new, warmer, timeslot. As at
now Montreal is indeed off the calendar for next year but there’s still
plenty of time for a few more reversals before the seasons done.
Putting a race in Bahrain in 2004 is a brave move in the current political
climate. I look forward to it and plan to be there myself but I’m not sure
2004 was good timing given the other potential venues available. China on the
other hand is a sure winner, Shanghai has both the money and the
infrastructure to support a race and the potential advertising revenue from an
F1 aware Chinese TV audience is immense. All they need then is an Asian mutant
with a driving gene to give a local hero for them to follow.
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Reader's
comments:
Re: Bernie's loose screw[s]! You are correct in every way; I said at the
beginning of the year that in my mind Ford, Mercedes, BMW, Renault &
Ferrari had paid Bernie off to so totally screw up the FIA that when they
start up their own series, something like Real Formula One Racing, they'll be
deluged with applications. When they do so, I hope they go back to the old
rules and point system, so that the intervening years in the books can be
marked with a superscript "e" which will stand for Ecclestone or
Error, whichever seems appropriate.
The Bahrain race does sound problematic to me.
Finally, regarding the need for an "Asian" driver to whet Chinese
interest and support for F1. Bullshit. The only reason to support F1 racing is
because it is the best racing in the world. Period. I have loved F1 since I
was a teen-ager and have been a citizen of the U.S. all my life. Who have been
my heroes?
Fangio. Moss. Clark. Hawthorne. Senna. Gilles Villeneuve. Pironi.
That is: an Argentine, a Scot, 2 Englishmen, a Brazilian, a Canadian and a
Frenchman.
Andretti was a phenom, but even though he "conquered" F1, it never
suited him. He was like Montoya, not like Da Matta: he won with brute force,
not finesse.
Who are my current heroes? Michael, of course, and Kimi, Fernando and, maybe,
Webber.
I think one follows F1 because one senses that, on some level, the right
driver can take a car past its limits, and I mean PAST its limits! -- and
recover enough to win.
All my past heroes have done that: won with lesser machines than their
competition. I don't see any other reason to tune in. Of course there will be
"dull" races where the best cars run in line to the end. But on any
given day, the stars can line up right for a Senna or a Fangio and all the
rest can do is stare and shake their heads. That's what F1 is about. Not local
heroes. If you want local heroes, go back to football.
Jim,
Thanks for the response.
While I doubt that Bernie has been paid off I do believe that between
his actions and Max's the manufacturers have to be getting more serious with
every new decision.
With regards to the Asian driver - We all like to root for the homeboy but
the real issue (as with everything else in the 'sport') is money. We have
seen a procession of Japanese racers who couldn't cut it and of course Alex
Yoong has carved his place in history. Sponsors want relevance, and that
means a hero who their target market can relate to. Sure a Michael
Schumacher has international appeal but the Malaysian money men only
released their purse strings when Alex came along to pose for photo's and
watch the races after failing to qualify. Mark Webber's entry to F1 was
delayed not because of a lack of talent but because he simply couldn't find
the cash to support a drive. The Chinese seem serious about developing a
team and they will need local money (and a lot of it) if they are to
succeed. Make no mistake, we will see a Chinese driver as soon as one can
qualify for a super licence and buy a drive. Given all the pay-for-drive
hero's we have seen in the past and the current financial position of the
privateers that won't be too many years away.
I agree totally with your reasons for supporting F1 - It is (but fast
becoming was) the pinnacle of motorsport and the best of it's drivers are
indeed super hero's - The Quali-Flyer
Thank u for the new point system. It seems working and it look more competitive
than before and not only that, I think other cars makers have also been
working very hard to fulfil drivers needs as to make the race much more
interesting.
Again I like to that this opportunity to thank the organizer, drivers and all
the people involved - Mazland - Singapore
Your right Mazland, without the new scoring system we would have had
Michael just in front of Juan Pablo with Kimi a close third. Wouldn't the
racing have been boring then! - The Quali-Flyer
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