Vettel pace can bring back thrills
F1 IS WORST IT’S EVER BEEN... I WOULDN’T PAY TO WATCH IT
LeWIS HAMILTON could point to 156 good reasons why Bernie ecclestone was right when he said that Formula One is too predictable.
That was the number of laps the world champion drove in his bomb- proof Mercedes — two-and-a-half times the distance of a grand prix — on the first day of pre-season testing around the Circuit de Catalunya. Nobody else managed more than 88.
Yet for all the miles hamilton notched, there was a ray of light for those who would welcome a competition breaking out, and it was coloured red.
Sebastian Vettel, of Ferrari, the one team who believe they might be able to challenge the Silver Arrows when the season starts in Melbourne on March 20, recorded the fastest time of the day, nearly half a second quicker than hamilton.
however, beyond pointing to the total serenity at Mercedes, indicators as early as this come with a big health warning.
Formula One chief executive ecclestone, who complained in Sportsmail yesterday that the state of the sport was so bad he would not buy a ticket to watch it, added: ‘After two years of Mercedes dominance, I’d like to see Ferrari win the title.
‘It’s not because I support them, but because of what would be good for Formula One.’
Trying to prevent that happening is hamilton, 31, who lost the final three races of last season to his team-mate Nico rosberg. ‘I am not taking a huge amount from those races,’ said the Briton (right), who ranked yesterday as his most trouble-free ever start to testing.
‘My frame of mind switched once the championship Ecclestone’s exclusive interview in yesterday’s Sportsmail was won. I enjoyed the end of the season more than ever, in and out of the car.
‘I feel very strong, and wanting to win is part of my DNA. It’s not as if I have to reinvent myself or pull motivation out of thin air.’
ecclestone’s concerns will be addressed at a meeting of the Formula One Commission in Geneva today. On the agenda are bigger, faster cars that place more emphasis on driver skill, and mixed grids, all for the 2017 season.
Christian horner, the red Bull team principal, said: ‘ It’s a wonderful opportunity for Formula One.
‘The thing that concerns me is that every team has a vested interest. We need to see strong governance and leadership.
‘If we make changes we should make them properly. You want to see driver and machine at the limit.
‘I read Bernie’s comments and they were pretty punchy. I think he is frustrated with where Formula One is, and in the old days it would have been easier to fix it. Now that we have this democracy in the sport it’s very hard to get everyone to agree.’ McLaren’s Jenson Button managed 84 laps, five more than the Woking- based team managed in four days of engine- afflicted testing a year ago. They seem to have found greater reliability, even if their pace appears unlikely to trouble the podium any time soon.