At the start of the F1 Summer break there is much for Australian racing fans to be happy about with Mark Webber in control of the drivers championship but why can’t Formula 1 stay away from controversy?
As an Australian boy I was only exposed to F1 once a year, The Australian Grand Prix. With only a passing fancy, I supported Damon Hill and Williams at the ‘94 GP and saw first hand what the best of the best drivers will do for a victory.
During the ‘94 Australian GP, the final race of the season, Michael Schumacher was in position in front of Hill. With only a one point advantage, Schumacher needed to keep a position in front of Hill to claim his first championship. Making a mistake, Schumacher let Hill into a passing opportunity but rather then concede the place Schumacher drove his car into the side of Hill putting himself out of the race instantly while Hill retired in the pits from damage due to the accident. Waiting for Hill to make another lap, Schumacher learnt of Hill’s retirement from a marshal and the famous Schumacher smirk was seen around the world as he claimed the first of his 7 championships from the corner of Flinders Street. At 14, it was the first time I had ever witnessed what it takes to be a winner and I fell in love with motorsport.
Three years later Schumacher found himself in the same position, this time against Canadian Jacques Villeneuve. Schumacher was leading the Jerez GP in front of Villeneuve when he had trouble keeping pace. Buzzing all around the back of Schumacher’s Ferrari, Villeneuve dove down the inside of a corner to take the lead. Never one to concede a place, Schumacher drove into Villeneuve in the same fashion as he had to win the ‘94 championship but unfortunately for Schumacher his Ferrari only made contact with the side pod of Villeneuve’s car and Villeneuve drove on to become the ‘97 world champion.
Examples just like these are littered throughout Formula 1 history. The glory days of Senna, Mansell and Prost when teams like McLaren and Williams ruled produce endless lists of drivers doing what it takes to win and we remember them. We remember them fondly and wish F1 would be like that today.
Those days were by no means lawless. Drivers were just as heavily punished for rule breaches as they are today. Schumacher was harshly punished for his crash with Villeneuve in ‘97 but we don’t remember that. We don’t remember the grid penalties and fines, we remember the awesome racing. The passing, the crashes and the champions. Drivers threw the dice and accepted the consequences.
These days the drivers race to save money. The dollar (or Euro as it usually is) is more important than the victory. Gone are the passing manoeuvres we remember, replaced by a precession. Don’t go anywhere near another car or fear the reprimand waiting for you in pit lane. Small amounts of greatness are dragged through the media, chastised and spat out.
Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel crashed during the Turkish GP earlier this year which created an endless supply of media attention. All because Vettel wanted to drive like his heros. The race lead was one place in front of him and he wanted it. Vettel moved up the inside of Webber and imitated his hero Schumacher by veering towards Webber in an attempt to scare Webber away from his position. Webber didn’t yield and both drivers crashed, Vettel out of the race and Webber finished a distant third. This is an example of a great racing manoeuvre. Fans should see this several times a race not once followed with 2 weeks of media bashing afterwards! The money loving precession junkies win again.
F1 setteled down till this week when come back kid Schumacher defended his tenth position against former team mate, Barrichello. Defending the middle of the straight, Schumacher drove Barrichello towards the barrier in an attempt to keep his position. The move failed and Barrichello took tenth place. What I thought was true Schumacher brilliance was rewarded with a ten place grid penalty for the next race which will no doubt put him at the back of the field and give him eight or so cars to pass while he makes his way to his rightful position in the middle of the field. The media and team managers threw up their in disgust. How dangerous, how shameful! Shameful is F1 not seeing passing as part of the sport.
F1 no longer has thrilling races when drivers need to apply in triplicate for the right to defend or pass for position. Bring back the glory days and let up on these drivers. Just because we can watch them in slow-motion and measure every piece of precision doesn’t mean we have to regulate them like a hawk.
No comments:
Post a Comment