Come on, F1: Just let rip
FIVE talking points ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix today. Rossi’s honesty could teach F1 a thing or two
Max Mosley was a big fan of Article 151c. “Bringing the sport into disrepute” became a handy catch-all for, well, everything.
You can guarantee Valentino Rossi would be bang to rights on that particular charge following his comments after the MotoGP finale last weekend.
He accused Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo of colluding to deny him the title, describing Marquez as a “liar” who had “embarrassed” the sport.
Put that into contrast with Formula One, where so often it’s obvious what the drivers think, but they are unwilling to say it.
After the last race in Mexico, Lewis Hamilton was clearly unhappy with the team’s strategy, but had to skirt around the edges rather than being frank and open.
Nico Rosberg cannot stand Hamilton at the moment yet always returns to his refrain that things are kept “internal”.
Come on guys, just let rip. It’s more entertaining — and believable
PETROLHEADS: Team Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg, left, and Lewis Hamilton could learn a thing or two about honesty from MotoGP giant Valentino Rossi, right — for everyone involved (apart from maybe the team bosses). An unhappy camp at Mercedes
Mercedes do not seem to like particularly jolly winners. Their drivers do not get on these days — why anyone expects them to while fighting for the world championship title is baffling — and there are even signs of friction between the senior management.
Toto Wolff, the team boss, seemed decidedly miffed that Niki Lauda, the team chairman, was speaking to journalists after the last race in Mexico. Wolff refused to conduct his usual press conference.
The explanation? That Wolff is the team’s sole spokesman and journalists should not ask Lauda for his views. A good start would be getting Lauda off German channel RTL during race weekends.
If the team is not a happy bunch right now, how are they going to be if Ferrari are snapping at their heels next season? Red Bull going round in circles
If you have followed Red Bull’s engine crisis over the last few months, it has unfolded something like this: Renault - Mercedes - Renault - Ferrari - Renault - Honda - Renault unbranded - Ferrari partnership Renault?
It is the job of specialist websites to detail all these shenanigans — and my apologies to them if that ordering was slightly inaccurate — but it has become a complete joke.
The simple story is that Red Bull (arrogantly you might say) criticised Renault to an intolerable degree while believing they’d done the deal with Mercedes for an engine next year.
Whoever is to blame, the plan fell through and now they are in an almighty pickle. Time is running out and it is pointless trying to postulate what might happen, because it all depends on the whim of billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz. Surely he must make his mind up soon. The glory days are seemingly over for Jenson Button
Here’s an apocalyptic thought: what if Jenson Button ends up being the last person to win a race for McLaren in Formula One? I concede, it is a fairly far-fetched idea.
But in the midst of the longest winless streak in their history, people think dark thoughts.
There is an assumption made often in the paddock that Honda will get it right. Past glories and financial muscle necessitate it.
But there hasn’t been enough evidence in the last 20 years — really in any form of motorsport — that they can take on the European giants and win.
You could forgive Button, therefore, for looking backwards rather than forwards, specifically to three years ago, when he won at Interlagos, São Paulo in Brazil, in the wet.
It is a track which has a habit of throwing up a crazy race. When it rains it floods, and with some new hospitality buildings for the teams, the staff should at least stay dry. But no circuit is bonkers enough at the moment to throw up a McLaren-Honda victory.
NB: Button’s inclusion in the “Race of Champions” at the Olympic Stadium later this month must be particularly painful. It is the best chance of winning something he’s had in years. Where next on the calendar?
Ask Bernie Ecclestone if he would like a race in any named country, and he’ll pretty much say yes. There was a hilarious moment in Austin last month when an American journalist asked if he would like more races in the US. “Absolutely, 100%,” he said. How many? “Um . . . two, maybe?” Oh right, and where? “Um . . . California.” Anywhere in particular? “Probably . . . Southern California.”
Now, in one vague sense, this is a genius at work. There are potential Formula One projects all over the world and Ecclestone is merely giving them a bit of encouragement.
But let’s not get carried away and assume everywhere is about to have a race. Because in that case, we need to add Argentina and the Netherlands to the burgeoning list. — © The
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