Race Eight: Britain

            Well things are certainly heating up for this season. Not only did Red Bull walk away with the British Grand Prix, but Jenson Button finished a disappointing sixth. Sebastian Vettel is creeping ever closer to Button’s lead and managed to take a good chunk out of that on Sunday. So, how did it happen?

            First off, let me just say that the Red Bull designer Adrian Newey is an absolute aerodynamic genius. I know that it has been said before, but it takes a genius to show up to a track two weeks after a great performance with completely new aero work and end up with a one-two finish. And it wasn’t just a typical one-two either because Vettel crushed the competition to a pulp. His own teammate was about 20 seconds behind him on the road at the checkers. And everyone must realize that this year’s Red Bull Renault has to be the fastest car at the moment because after qualifying the fuel figures are posted and Vettel was heavier than everyone close to him. And yet when the red lights went out, he scooted away and was never in any trouble. He built up his lead to the point where he could cruise to victory and count down the laps from 10 on down. In second was Mark Webber who must have felt better after his qualifying lap was ruined by Kimi Raikkonen. And rounding out the podium was Rubens Barrichello. Fourth was Felipe Massa, followed closely by Nico Rosberg and then Jenson Button.

            So how did I do with my predictions? Here’s what I said:

 

…but I have a feeling that things will really shake up tomorrow when Jenson nabs pole from Vettel and Rubens lines up third. As for the podium, I think it will be a Brawn one-two again and that Jenson will do well at a track where he hasn’t for a long time. The third step on the podium will either be Massa or Webber or Vettel, but my money (and many others as well) will be on Vettel.

 

            Well as you can see I had the one-two right, just with the wrong drivers. It was close to being right, but I was still wrong. All the driver’s names were there, meaning no surprises, but that is fairly easy to do this season as only two drivers have even won races. It now stands as Jenson six wins, Sebastian 2 wins.

            Of course the other big news is still the series split…or the lack thereof. Max Mosley and the FIA have decided not to bring litigation against the teams and try to work things out. Smart move Max. He must have finally turned on a radio or a TV or opened a newspaper or even just stepped outside to find out that suing these guys (who have most of all the support behind them) would be the worst move he could make. Maybe the fact that the World Motorsport Council is threatening to hold a vote on Wednesday to see whether or not he should keep his position was also a factor. Either way, it sounds more promising that the two sides will reconcile their differences and there will be only one F1 next season. However, I have been known to be completely wrong so this could still swing back the other way. As it stands, if they split, they are hoping to have a 17 race season and would come to North American two to three times each year, depending on the track availability. Do I want to see a series split? No. Do I want Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone to give up their ghosts? Absolutely. The next race is at the Nurburgring in Germany in three weeks. Until that date arrives, I will be watching Top Gear in all of its renewed glory…stay tuned for my review tomorrow.

Taking The Plunge

The edge of the cliff came, and no one stopped. It is official (for now). The eight FOTA backed teams have said that they will break away from the FIA Formula One World Championship next season. It was announced at Silverstone today that the teams and the FIA couldn’t come to a compromise that satisfied both parties and so they will form their own series and race in their own Championship. When you look at it from the outside, there are a lot of questions that still need answering. For example, where will they race, how will they fair when Ecclestone and Mosley sue them and will they invite some of the other teams the FIA snubbed into their series? And the biggest question should be, is it all a big song and dance? No one is clear yet whether this thing is for real or whether the FOTA alliance has only upped the stakes for the FIA to back down for good. Neither side really wants a breakaway series – I don’t think so anyway – because it would mean a ton of lost revenue, lost fans and way too much political goings on to attract new fans. The money side of this thing alone is staggering. It is suggested that if the other series did take place, it could cost the FIA and F1 around $2.2 billion in lost revenues to the breakaway series. Not only that, but the new series would take with it history, fans, venues and maybe even all the sponsor cash. Who is going to sponsor a team or a series that gets zero viewership? Most likely no one. And who would you rather have your name attached to, Campos F1 or McLaren F1? The choice is pretty simple, even if the Campos team would be a lot cheaper. You can find the official statement from FOTA right here.

I will say that I have always supported a breakaway series as it seemed to me that sticking it to Bernie and Max would be the best thing ever. But I have to say that I am a little concerned about the future of the sport. Don’t get me wrong I love it when anyone can take Bernie and/or Max down a peg or two, and I hope that this really does it, but this has to be drawing parallels to the IRL, CART split. Now I don’t have any real details on that split (seeing as how I never watched, or cared about it), but everyone who does know about it says that it irreparably harmed both series when the split occurred because everything got so fuddled up. And I can see that happening here as well. Not only will there be track issues and television and sponsor issues, but the fans won’t know what to watch. I know that a lot of people are pulling for the teams and for the breakaway series, but I’m not sure if any of us really understand the ramifications that it could have. I guess we will find that out in the coming days, especially as the FIA is going to fight this thing in the courts and are also going to be issuing a new entry list tomorrow.

In other news, practice took place today for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and heading up a one-two were the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Positions three and four went to the Brawns of new home favorite Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello. Alonso was fifth with the new Ferrari of Felipe Massa in sixth. Of course the practice sessions don’t really mean too much – as we have become used to Nico Rosberg putting in a quick time, only to be slower in actual race pace – but for this race I don’t know. The cars at the top of the time sheets are obviously the fastest on the grid, but I have a feeling that things will really shake up tomorrow when Jenson nabs pole from Vettel and Rubens lines up third. As for the podium, I think it will be a Brawn one-two again and that Jenson will do well at a track where he hasn’t for a long time. The third step on the podium will either be Massa or Webber or Vettel, but my money (and many others as well) will be on Vettel. Let the race and the politics roll on!

And Here We Go…Again

Well, here we go again. There is officially one day left for the teams to either go for a breakaway series or come to a compromise with the FIA. The latest news is that there is no news. The teams are there, the FIA is there, and no one is talking…yet. The FOTA teams were last seen heading in the direction of Renault F1’s Enstone headquarters to talk things over. I think this is a very, very tense moment for Formula One. Tomorrow is the day that could decide the future of the sport for many years to come. Most are predicting a compromise because they feel that the teams and the manufacturers couldn’t support a breakaway series. I’m not sure how to feel. And I don’t know if anyone really realizes the implications that a breakaway or even a compromise could have. The most peaceful solution is to compromise and see if they can work things out. If not, a longer war of words and unhappy feelings is going to continue to linger, and that would certainly not help the sport. Whatever happens though, everyone needs to be ready for whatever eventuality comes to light.

Other than that, there is still a race going on. Silverstone is the “Home of British Motor Racing” or at least it is for one more race, and the place is sold out (of course). Why leave? There is a whole history of not having the best accommodations and not being able to get in and out very easily, but this place always sells out – even if the spectators have a less than favorable time at the race. So why cancel it? Money. Those symbols that pop into Bernie Ecclestone’s eyes every time he even looks at a map of the Middle East. He is money hungry and the good track that is Silverstone didn’t want to put up the funds that Bernie wanted them to. The solution? Move the race to Donnington Park. Will it work? That is for next year (if there is one) to figure out. As for this race, I will have predictions – and hopefully some big news – tomorrow.