British Grand Prix Report
What a British Grand Prix event! Well, so much for my theory that the Brawn GP team have been purposely “sandbagging”! Seems as though the Red Bull team truly now have a great car for competing with the Brawn chassis for the remainder of the season.
Master designer Adrian Newey has produced a 2009 chassis design that has been as close to the Brawn as possible (without the now-approved “double deck diffuser” that several teams started out the season with). The Red Bull RB5 chassis is in fact now sporting a “triple deck diffuser” and based on the traction it achieved at Silverstone, the RB5 and Sebastian Vettel ran away from the competition including the previously dominate Brawn cars of championship leader Jensen Button and teammate Rubens Barrichello.
Button’s plight proves once and for all just how important a great car is to showing off a driver’s ability. Last year Lewis Hamilton had the arguably the best car, and he and the McLaren team capitalized on that by winning the Drivers World Championship. Ferrari also had a great car and almost beat McLaren last year with the expert driving of Felipe Massa. Both major teams are suffering this season although Ferrari is slowly drawing closer to the front running group. I have always thought that some drivers are unfairly criticized by being settled with a slow car while others are praised beyond believe because they happen to sit in the jewel of the grid. Both British drivers Hamilton and Button are great drivers, but their cars are also part of their fame whether they know it or not! The measure of a great driver is what Fernando Alonso was able to achieve late last season with what started out as a terrible car and slowly through development and skill was able to prevail in the final races. Aryton Senna also was able to shine in cars that were lesser to their competition at the time, including his legendary drive in the rain at Monaco in the Toleman chassis. Had that race gone one more lap, Senna would have embarrassed the entire field in their superior equipment. A great driver and a great car and this is what we all witnessed at the British GP as Sebastian Vettel was untouchable like Jensen Button had been in earlier races!
British Grand Prix
Was this Silverstone’s last race? Could be depending upon what happens with the newly announced FOTA “Breakaway” series! It would be too bad since this venue is such a great driver’s circuit and the spiritual home of GP racing in the UK! Are the Canada and USA GP’s back races back? Stay tuned and we shall see, but one thing is for sure…Monaco has announced that if there is NO Ferrari, then there is NO Monaco GP! Hurray for standing up for what is right. The newly approved for next year’s inclusion “USF1” team is caught in the middle of this ugly political battle and probably wants to race with the established teams next year. This entry was announced long before all of this controversy about a “two-tier rules” and “budget cap” business was raised by the FIA. Lola stands down after the FIA mysteriously passed over them in favor of other entrants! This one both puzzles me and highly disappoints me as I am a fan of Lola and them coming to the grid next year was an exciting prospect along with the USA team.
All the while, Max Mosley continues his insults calling the FOTA leaders “loony”! Gee Max, didn’t anyone ever teach you how to make friends (that aren’t Nazi hookers)? Also, Bernie Eccelstone is now (‘bout time) determined to “save” F1! Duh, I suppose the prospect of losing your cash cow has finally sunk into your sometimes thick arrogant skull. Maybe you should think about reining in Max Mosley or just shoot him in the head!
Speaking of dead, “Is KERS is dead”? An expensive idea that the FIA mandated upon the teams to try to copy the “passing button” that the Champ Car Series was able to utilize so well (without the tremendous expense involved). Spend, spend, and spend on this worthless technology addition, then only to try to force the teams to now work on next years’ cars at a fraction of the cost (lunch money for Max and Bernie)! Thank God no driver has yet been electrocuted by this and wouldn’t that be publicity that they should not want. I can see the headlines now… “Driver killed by own car at GP”!!!
Somebody tell Max and Bernie (or is it Burt and Bernie?) that rules changes should take time and have the proper consideration of the actual teams at heart when forcing your will upon them! Max claims that the sport needs new blood, but NOT at the cost of losing the establish teams! Till next time!!!