DEREK BELL
The Legend
Iam really intrigued by how this year’s Formula 1 campaign is unspooling. Ross Brawn used to say that a change of regulations should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a chore. It offers teams and designers the chance to outsmart their rivals in a way that is generally not possible, given that most cars are near-identical in terms of packaging. The regulations ensure as much. You will never see a modernist version of, say, the Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler or a Brabham ‘Fan Car’. A change of rules ensures a fresh start even if the parameters are tight. The ‘perfect’ design has yet to be arrived at.
All of which would explain why so much head-scratching is going on up and down the pitlane; why some teams don’t understand why their cars are so fast, and others why theirs are so conspicuously devoid of pace.
Then there’s the small matter of ‘porpoising’, by which some cars appear to be hobbled even though others really aren’t bothered by it at all. And while I am in no way happy that this is the case, it is interesting that Sir Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes is mired in the mid-pack. Who would have expected that? I am guessing not Stevenage’s greatest export. It is fascinating to see how he is struggling relative to his team-mate George Russell.
As a Scuderia Ferrari old boy, I am delighted that The Reds are finally in the ascendant, following umpteen false dawns. Charles Leclerc is the real deal, of that I am sure. He doesn’t appear to be the least bit fazed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, even if he is clearly capable of making the occasional mistake. I am also pleased that relative minnows such as Alfa Romeo and Haas – which was nowhere last year, let’s not forget – are mixing it with mega-budget squads. I don’t expect it to last, but it’s fun to see the established order turned on its head for a while.
Which leads me by way of an awkward segue to the latest racing news: that Audi and Porsche will be entering Formula 1 in 2026, their arrival coinciding with the next round of design regulation changes. There has been endless speculation over the years regarding whether or not they would make the leap, especially surrounding Porsche’s involvement, so the confirmation has come almost as an anti-climax. I will be interested to see how they enter the fray, or rather in what capacity.
I am guessing it will be as engine suppliers to already well-established teams.
Porsche has history in Formula 1, Dan Gurney having won the 1962 French Grand Prix. It also bagged titles in association with McLaren during the 1980s. Nevertheless, I still think of it as a sports car marque. I guess I am a traditionalist. Regardless, Formula 1 seems to be sucking the life out of sports-prototypes at the moment, and not for the first time. The same is true of other disciplines in motorsport, not least IndyCar. Manufacturer involvement in F1 is on the rise again. The problem is, they don’t always stick around for long.
I understand the lure, though, not least because interest in Formula 1 is on the rise, especially in China and the USA. I can remember when that definitely wasn’t the case. I used to commentate for a North American channel that I’d better not mention here. The particularly odious man who oversaw coverage of all things sporting made a point of slagging off F1 to my face. There was a time when fishing shows garnered far greater audience figures. The effect of the Netflix series has been seismic, while the arrival of the Miami Grand Prix on the 2022 calendar is a huge deal.
I do, however, fear that plans to further increase the number of rounds will have a negative effect, not least on the guys in the pitlane who spend a lot of time away from their families as it is. I also worry for some of the historic venues; the great tracks on which Formula 1 lore was established. All sorts of rumours are flying around that the Monaco Grand Prix is heading for the chop.
That would be sacrilegious given its history: it’s up there with the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans as a headline act. I would rather there be a race in the Principality than any number of other places where drivers reel off laps in front of empty grandstands, in an event run under the aegis of some shady regime or other.
I CANNOT LET this column pass without saying how sorry I was to hear of Tony Brooks’ passing at the beginning of May. He was a super-stylish driver, and one who was capable of mixing it with the very best during the late 1950s. Tony was that rarest thing: a Grand Prix winner for whom nobody had a bad word. That speaks volumes of the man, and the driver.
‘RUMOURS ABOUND THAT THE MONACO GRAND PRIX IS HEADING FOR THE CHOP. THAT WOULD BE SACRILEGIOUS’