Red Ferrari is back

WE ARE only three races into the Formula One season and yet, as we approach the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday, there is no doubt about it: the wow factor is back.

And the reason for that can probably be summed up in one sentence: the return of the red Ferrari.

Off the track, last year was a turbulent year for Formula One, which culminated with Liberty Media completing a £6.4 billion (R110bn) takeover of the sport in January. Long-standing and controversial F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was removed as chairman, and the sport introduced changes to the wings and tyres of the cars to make them faster and add excitement.

On the track, 2016 was a mental and physical battle between Mercedes aces Lewis Hamilton and eventual champion Nico Rosberg. Red Bull were the only other team who won races last year. Unless you were a fan decked out in Mercedes kit from head to toe, the season was not a particularly interesting one. This year, though, Ferrari has roared back into the limelight, with their No 1 driver Sebastian Vettel winning the Australian Grand Prix and the Bahrain Grand Prix and Hamilton taking the chequered flag in China.

There has of course, always been a deeply romantic attachment to the Ferraris, ever since Enzo Ferrari created his team. Most Formula One fans down the years would agree that if they closed their eyes, one of the dominant images in their minds would be that of those red machines whizzing around the tracks of the world. And some of the greatest and most adventurous drivers in the history of the sport have been behind the wheel of a Ferrari – Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Nikki Lauda, John Surtees, Gilles Villeneuve… and not forgetting South Africa’s Jody Scheckter.

In the end, competition is the heartbeat of sport. So a year-long battle between, say, Vettel and Hamilton, would be perfect.

If one team dominates too much or for too long, interest dwindles. So welcome back Ferrari, and good racing to all the teams!