GIVE US A BREAK
Exhausted drivers and fans turned off
Lewis HAMiLTON is very much looking forward to the summer break which follows the German Grand Prix. He isn’t the only one.
The last race before four weeks off and the first here for two years, there should be a carnival atmosphere at Hockenheim. instead, many of the grandstands are empty, some covered over by advertising, with the locals turned off by a lack of variety on track and too much off it.
The two-horse race between Hamilton and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg might be considered dull by many, but their scrap is tantalisingly poised midway through this 21-race season.
Five wins in six have seen Hamilton overcome a stuttering start to the season and a 43-point deficit, to now sit six points clear of Rosberg.
‘Nico has been driving just as well as he has all year,’ said Hamilton, underlining his supremacy. ‘it’s just that i haven’t had problems with the car over the last six races. Going into the break the goal is to be in the position i am in now. i’m really happy the break is here, it’s been a really long season already.’
Fatigue must not play a part for Hamilton this weekend though, as, with an engine penalty looming over him, he needs to make hay.
The penalty means he will start a race from the back of the grid — most likely at spa or Monza — and needs to build an advantage now.
Rosberg won the last race here in 2014 and has ‘a very good feeling’ about tomorrow’s race. He started the weekend strongly, topping the first two practice sessions.
it was a relief when the cars finally turned a wheel yesterday, such have issues off-track dominated the build-up. First came the rejection of the ‘Halo’ safety device. The majority of drivers —‘95 per cent,’ according to sebastian Vettel — were in favour.
But, in a Geneva meeting on Thursday, the sport’s powerbrokers said it required further testing before implementation in 2018.
Not quite a U-turn but what followed certainly was. To prevent driver coaching over team radio, a rule limiting communications was introduced at the start of the season. A driver must drive the car ‘alone and unaided’, it stipulated.
Rosberg was controversially handed a 10-second penalty at the British Grand Prix, relegating him to third, after being told how to manage a gearbox problem. Last week in Budapest, Jenson Button fell foul in similar circumstances.
‘stopping an incident should be praised, not penalised,’ said McLaren driver Button. ‘The sport’s got a long way to go before it’s good again.’
with that ringing in the ears, the sport’s strategy group — comprising commercial boss Bernie ecclestone, FiA chief Jean Todt and six teams — reverted to ‘a more liberal approach’.
‘There will be no limitations on messages teams send to their drivers,’ read an FiA statement. ‘This is aimed at providing improved content for fans and spectators.’
it is a good move, though Rosberg will feel aggrieved to say the least were he to lose the title by the three points he was stripped of at silverstone.
And a further rule change came yesterday in light of Rosberg’s controversial pole position in Hungary. He set his best time under double-waved yellow flags when a driver should be prepared to stop.
The lap was allowed to stand with the stewards satisfied he had reduced his speed, but, to avoid a similar incident, qualifying will now be stopped if it happens again — two yellow flags equalling a red.
Four Germans, one a four-time world champion, another at the heart of this season’s title race, will line up on tomorrow’s grid. Despite that, barely a third of the 140,000 who packed silverstone three weeks ago are expected to attend.
All very different to the days of Michael schumacher, whose 17year-old son, Mick, was wandering around the paddock yesterday. what they wouldn’t give to see him win here in the years to come.
‘He made Formula One popular in Germany,’ said Vettel of schumacher. ‘He caused hype and the grandstands to be full. Formula One has lost a little bit of its excitement now.’