What F1’s boss Carey needs is a challenger to Hamilton
CHASE CAREY, the mustachioed American in daily control of Formula One, has walked the Melbourne paddock, listening and talking, every conversation adding to his must-do list.
But, ahead of the opening Australian Grand Prix taking place early this morning, he glimpsed the cure he most desperately needs for the sport’s perceived ills: Ferrari pushing their noses on to the front row.
Lewis Hamilton took pole for Mercedes — his sixth in Melbourne and 62nd in all — as expected. But 0.268sec behind him was Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Valtteri Bottas, in the other Mercedes, was third fastest and Kimi Raikkonen, in the second Ferrari, fourth.
Vettel thought he might have got closer but admitted to mistakes in turns one and nine. All good so far.
However, the cars themselves did not fully live up to the anticipated improvement in speed. Hamilton’s pole lap was 1min 22.188sec — the fastest ever set around Albert Park, but still only 1.7sec quicker than last year, despite predictions of four or five seconds extra.
Qualifying was not without incident further back. Daniel Ricciardo spun his Red Bull into the gravel and was transported back to the paddock by a motorbike as the session was red-flagged, with eight minutes left to run.
It has been a tumultuous few days for Williams rookie Lance Stroll, the 18-year-old Canadian rushed into Formula One with the help of his father Lawrence, a fashion billionaire, who even paid for private tests for his boy. Stroll crashed in practice and was hit with a five-point penalty for a gearbox change that condemned him to start at the back of the grid.
More surprising is that his journey to Melbourne involved his first ever commercial flight. All the rest of his air travel has been on a private jet.
McLaren’s ‘first world’ problems are of a different order. They are talking to Mercedes about using their engines instead of the substandard Honda fare that has kept breaking down.
However, that seems a rash change of direction, putting short-term gain ahead of strategic planning. They are surely better being their own masters, in a relationship they can nurture with Honda, than always an unfavoured accessory.
As for Carey, he does not want for advice, having taken over from Bernie Ecclestone when Liberty Media completed their £6billion buyout in January.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: ‘There’s too much emphasis on technology. We don’t explain what is going on in the car very well, so the average fan understands very little about it. It’s also enormously expensive.
‘Liberty really have to decide what they want the sport to be. If the route is fan attraction and creating a really exciting product, it is vital they come up with an outline of that vision.’
There is little in the way of specifics forthcoming at the moment while they consult, ponder, investigate. Much of the crunch work is being led by former team owner Ross Brawn, who is here in his new Formula One management-issue white shirt and black trousers.
‘It is really encouraging that Ross is building a team behind him who are going to do proper research into the proposals under consideration,’ said Paddy Lowe, Williams’ technical director, welcoming a more thoughtful approach than the one seen in some of the knee-jerk changes of recent years.
The biggest noise, for now, is being made about expanding into social media, which may be helpful in reaching a younger generation, but does not a revolution make.