Over the past few weeks there has been the traditional mid-season controversy among the F1 community. This time, the drama was centred around the Mercedes team and tyre suppliers Pirelli. Over the course of the season, tyres have played a large role in the outcome of the races. Drivers are reporting that they can't drive their cars to their full potential because the tyres tend to give up very quickly. Several teams are reporting that they simply can't make the tyres work properly over the course of a race. While tyres have always played a role in racing, a lot of fans and officials believe that they are now impacting far too much, and something has to change.
However, as ever in F1, nothing is straightforward. Some of the teams tend to be better of their tyres than others - Lotus, for example, tend to be pretty good - and so are largely opposed to any changes. By contrast, other teams are calling for reviews of the tyres - Red Bull being chief among these, as they feel they simply can't run the car flat out. One team that has been suffering quite heavily in the races because of the tyres is Mercedes. While they tend to be very good in qualifying, during the races they tend to fall away and lose pace.
With the ban on in-season testing, ultimately all of the teams are in the same boat. The tyres will remain the same, and it's up to individual teams to solve the problems however they can. Of course, it would be better if the teams had some way of testing the tyres outside of a race weekend, but the rules clearly stipulate that such testing is banned.
Or so you'd think. It turns out that Mercedes had been approached by Pirelli to conduct a 1,000 kilometre tyre test following the Spanish grand prix. The news of this test, however, only broke before the Monaco grand prix race day. Naturally, many teams were unhappy with the opportunity given to Mercedes, and were even unhappier with the fact that the test was conducted apparently in secret. The leaders of the complaints were the leading teams - Red Bull and Ferrari, who called for an enquiry to find out the details of the test. As the details emerged, it was discovered that Mercedes had not only had 1,000km of running, they did so with the 2013 car and with both current drivers (rather than a test driver).
Mercedes naturally defended the test, and stated that they did not get any data from the running as they did not know which tyres were being used. However, I find this a little suspicious, given the choice to use a current car and current drivers. With the usual F1 waving of fingers came counter-accusations by Mercedes - Ferrari had also ran a Pirelli test, and thus they should also be implicated in the apparently illegal activity.
Following the Monaco race, the case was referred to the stewards. On investigation, it emerged that yes, Ferrari had also taken part in a tyre test. However, the critical difference was that Ferrari had used a 2011 car - a two-year-old car being permissible within the sporting regulations. So, it was only the activities of Mercedes that were called into question, and the case was referred to an international tribunal which sat last Thursday.
During the tribunal, Mercedes defended the test, stating that it was a legal test, as it was undertaken by Pirelli, rather than Mercedes. This seemed to be a weak defence in my view - if a team is running a current car with current drivers, then it's clearly not completely down to Pirelli. Pirelli further argued that as a third-party supplier, they were able to do whatever they liked (in essence), as they were not subject to the FIA regulations. This argument was (thankfully) rejected - surely everyone involved in F1 should be subject to the regulations, or else all teams would be queueing up to help Pirelli test their tyres.
A further point raised by the tribunal was the secrecy of the test. Mercedes claimed to have permission from the FIA to conduct the test. The FIA responded by stating that Mercedes had phoned Charlie Whiting to ask in 'general terms' whether a tyre test with a current car would be legal. Whiting had responded by stating that in theory, yes, it would be possible, but only on the condition that all of the other teams had been informed and offered the same opportunity - hardly a resounding 'yes, go ahead'. Following these phone calls, Mercedes went ahead with the test, without informing the FIA of their intentions.
Perhaps one of the more amusing points of the tribunal surrounded the secrecy of the drivers. Mercedes had given Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton black helmets to disguise their identities. This was apparently for 'security reasons', given the lack of bodyguards at the circuit for the test. However, this begs the question of what the drivers did when they were out of the cars - did they wander around like Top Gear's Stig in full race gear until they could get away from the clearly hostile and dangerous environment of the circuit? I doubt it.
Once all the evidence had been heard, the verdict was announced the following day. Given that Mercedes had used a current car (rather than an old car, as in the case of Ferrari), had not gained explicit permission from the FIA and had kept the test secret from the other teams, the obvious decision was a guilty verdict. As with other scandals of F1 in the past, we were all expecting harsh penalties - points being taken away from the team, fines, possibly race bans. But no. Mercedes simply gained a reprimand, and were prevented from taking part in the young driver's test later in the year. Now, in my opinion, the only people that this 'punishment' will hurt will be the young drivers. Mercedes have at least potentially gained an advantage from the test, and have 1,000km more experience under their belts than the other teams. A clear breach of the rules was seen, and this was unpunished.
I wonder now whether other big teams will get in on tyre testing. It appears as though the only sacrifice will be running in the young drivers test - something that the big teams really do not need to worry about if their big name drivers stay on for 2014. Often in F1 teams tend to try and copy one another following investigations and tribunals - look at the number of investigations of Red Bull's aerodynamics over the previous years. While people complained that sporting regulations had been breached, the subsequent approval of the aerodynamics led to the other teams adopting the same technology. Thus, with the 'punishment' for 1,000 km tyre tests set, will this be a case of 'if you can't beat them, join them'?
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Updates, Upgrades and a Two Year Anniversary
It's been a while since I last wrote, and a lot has happened in the mean time.
Last week was a bit of a bumper week for motorsport - for me at least. On Wednesday the 8th of May in particular a lot of special stuff happened. Firstly, it was my 21st birthday. I'm now officially in the adult world - although having lived away from home (well, sort of!) since I started university three years ago means I can't really tell the difference between being 21 and 18! For the past two years my birthday has also been a bit of a celebration of my blog, as I started it on my 19th birthday. I've had a lot of feedback since I started, from all areas of motorsport - journalists, teams and drivers - and it's been a pleasure writing and reaching out to people I might never have spoken to without the blog. So, happy belated 2nd birthday, Musings of a Motorsport Geek!
Now, your 21st birthday is meant to be a special one, and my did this year live up to that! Originally I'd planned to do, well, nothing to be honest. I figured that as it was the middle of the week I'd just spend the day working, and spend the following weekend catching up on the Spanish grand prix (more on that later, I promise). Well, that wasn't to be, and I'm glad my Dad's plan trumped mine! A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from Dad, saying he needed to 'take me somewhere' on my birthday, and I had to keep the afternoon free. It was all pretty mysterious to be honest, and trust me the surprise was worth it!
On the morning of my birthday I did the usual routine nonsense of work and charging about on the bus (ah, public transport!), and then my Dad came down to uni to take me back home. In the car, he told me that there was a present that had presented (ha, see what I did there?! Oh dear...) a bit of a mystery for everyone. So, when I arrived back home I was greeted with a multitude of presents, one of which was a parcel that had been unopened - bearing the logo of the Red Bull Racing team.
Before anyone asks, no the parcel wasn't sent from a family member posing as the team, it was genuinely sent from the Milton Keynes factory of my favourite team. Those of you who are regular readers might recall that on my 20th birthday the team sent me a fantastic message and photo on Twitter:
Well, this year they trumped that, and posted me a present:
Yep, a signed cap, signed autograph cards and a message from one of the members of the team wishing me a happy birthday! So, thanks to Red Bull Racing - I think you've secured a life-long fan... Same time next year?
So, with the mystery present solved, I moved on to the presents my parents got me. First off, this mystery day out. Dad gave me a letter - I was going to Brands Hatch to drive Caterhams for the afternoon! I've had a few driving experience days, but never one like this, so needless to say I was pretty excited.
Next, my Mum handed me a rather fancy box, inside which was the most amazing dress that my Mum had made with her own fair hands! Yeah, ok, not very motorsport related you might think, but on the fabric was printed some pretty cool classic American cars. I can safely say that nobody else will have anything like it, and I feel it's a pretty good bet that if I go to the Goodwood Revival one day I'll be wandering around in the appropriate attire now all thanks to my Mum! So, with the presents opened, we headed off to Brands for my Caterham experience day.
When we arrived, we went through the usual safety briefings and warnings, before being shown how a professional would drive. The course was a slalom, with lots of opportunities for driving sideways! Once we'd seen how to do it, we got straight in the cars (with no instructor sat beside us, unusually) to practice and have timed runs.
I have to say, I don't think I've ever driven anything as fast as a Caterham. On my 18th birthday, I drove a Subaru rally car, which felt pretty powerful, however the Caterhams were completely different. Once I'd learnt the course, I decided to put my foot down, and I can safely say it was a whole heap of fun! The runs in the cars were short and sweet, but I got to have plenty of goes and the whole day was organised brilliantly. With all of the runs complete at the end of the day, we all gathered for the prize giving. During this part of the day, the instructors there asked anyone who had a 21st birthday to step forward. On being identified as the birthday girl, I was told to grab a crash helmet and get into the Caterham. Yep, I was given a surprise birthday passenger ride around the course with one of the professionals - I've never been in a car doing so many donuts! Overall, the whole day was absolutely fantastic, and I've just about recovered from the dizziness of the passenger ride! So thanks go to the Caterham Drive Experience and, of course, my Dad.
Traditionally, my birthday signals the start of the European F1 season. This year was no different, with F1 returning to Spain. I have to say, having watched the race on Sunday, that I think we had our first boring race of the year. While the start was pretty exciting as usual (Mercedes cars on the front row, followed by Vettel and Alonso - bound to be a thriller), the whole race itself turned into some strange strategy game dictated by the tyre wear.
I last blogged about how technology and tyres had made the races more of a challenge. People had argued that racing was entirely artificial due to DRS, KERS and tyre wear, however I argued that instead it gave drivers more to consider, and now intelligence was rewarded in the races. I still stand by this, but I think the impact of the tyres has now gone too far over the limit - once we start getting boring races because of the 'technical' aspects, it's time to do something. Each radio broadcast we heard was simply 'look after your tyres'. When a driver can't make the most of one of the most technologically developed cars in the world because the tyres are degrading too much, I rather feel that something has to change.
Luckily, today Pirelli announced that they're going to change the tyres for the rest of the season from the Canadian race onwards. This is somewhat of a turnaround for them, as they had previously argued that they would not 'bend to the pressure of Red Bull' (Red Bull being perhaps more vocal than a lot of teams), however I think they'd have been a little mad to not listen to the opinions following Spain. When the teams, drivers, fans and Bernie Ecclestone call for something different, I think you have to do something. So, with any luck we won't have to endure calls to save the tyres much longer. Alright, nothing will change immediately, but given the next race is Monaco, I'm sure F1 will get back to its inspiring ways soon enough
Last week was a bit of a bumper week for motorsport - for me at least. On Wednesday the 8th of May in particular a lot of special stuff happened. Firstly, it was my 21st birthday. I'm now officially in the adult world - although having lived away from home (well, sort of!) since I started university three years ago means I can't really tell the difference between being 21 and 18! For the past two years my birthday has also been a bit of a celebration of my blog, as I started it on my 19th birthday. I've had a lot of feedback since I started, from all areas of motorsport - journalists, teams and drivers - and it's been a pleasure writing and reaching out to people I might never have spoken to without the blog. So, happy belated 2nd birthday, Musings of a Motorsport Geek!
Now, your 21st birthday is meant to be a special one, and my did this year live up to that! Originally I'd planned to do, well, nothing to be honest. I figured that as it was the middle of the week I'd just spend the day working, and spend the following weekend catching up on the Spanish grand prix (more on that later, I promise). Well, that wasn't to be, and I'm glad my Dad's plan trumped mine! A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from Dad, saying he needed to 'take me somewhere' on my birthday, and I had to keep the afternoon free. It was all pretty mysterious to be honest, and trust me the surprise was worth it!
On the morning of my birthday I did the usual routine nonsense of work and charging about on the bus (ah, public transport!), and then my Dad came down to uni to take me back home. In the car, he told me that there was a present that had presented (ha, see what I did there?! Oh dear...) a bit of a mystery for everyone. So, when I arrived back home I was greeted with a multitude of presents, one of which was a parcel that had been unopened - bearing the logo of the Red Bull Racing team.
Before anyone asks, no the parcel wasn't sent from a family member posing as the team, it was genuinely sent from the Milton Keynes factory of my favourite team. Those of you who are regular readers might recall that on my 20th birthday the team sent me a fantastic message and photo on Twitter:
Well, this year they trumped that, and posted me a present:
So, with the mystery present solved, I moved on to the presents my parents got me. First off, this mystery day out. Dad gave me a letter - I was going to Brands Hatch to drive Caterhams for the afternoon! I've had a few driving experience days, but never one like this, so needless to say I was pretty excited.
Next, my Mum handed me a rather fancy box, inside which was the most amazing dress that my Mum had made with her own fair hands! Yeah, ok, not very motorsport related you might think, but on the fabric was printed some pretty cool classic American cars. I can safely say that nobody else will have anything like it, and I feel it's a pretty good bet that if I go to the Goodwood Revival one day I'll be wandering around in the appropriate attire now all thanks to my Mum! So, with the presents opened, we headed off to Brands for my Caterham experience day.
When we arrived, we went through the usual safety briefings and warnings, before being shown how a professional would drive. The course was a slalom, with lots of opportunities for driving sideways! Once we'd seen how to do it, we got straight in the cars (with no instructor sat beside us, unusually) to practice and have timed runs.
I have to say, I don't think I've ever driven anything as fast as a Caterham. On my 18th birthday, I drove a Subaru rally car, which felt pretty powerful, however the Caterhams were completely different. Once I'd learnt the course, I decided to put my foot down, and I can safely say it was a whole heap of fun! The runs in the cars were short and sweet, but I got to have plenty of goes and the whole day was organised brilliantly. With all of the runs complete at the end of the day, we all gathered for the prize giving. During this part of the day, the instructors there asked anyone who had a 21st birthday to step forward. On being identified as the birthday girl, I was told to grab a crash helmet and get into the Caterham. Yep, I was given a surprise birthday passenger ride around the course with one of the professionals - I've never been in a car doing so many donuts! Overall, the whole day was absolutely fantastic, and I've just about recovered from the dizziness of the passenger ride! So thanks go to the Caterham Drive Experience and, of course, my Dad.
Traditionally, my birthday signals the start of the European F1 season. This year was no different, with F1 returning to Spain. I have to say, having watched the race on Sunday, that I think we had our first boring race of the year. While the start was pretty exciting as usual (Mercedes cars on the front row, followed by Vettel and Alonso - bound to be a thriller), the whole race itself turned into some strange strategy game dictated by the tyre wear.
I last blogged about how technology and tyres had made the races more of a challenge. People had argued that racing was entirely artificial due to DRS, KERS and tyre wear, however I argued that instead it gave drivers more to consider, and now intelligence was rewarded in the races. I still stand by this, but I think the impact of the tyres has now gone too far over the limit - once we start getting boring races because of the 'technical' aspects, it's time to do something. Each radio broadcast we heard was simply 'look after your tyres'. When a driver can't make the most of one of the most technologically developed cars in the world because the tyres are degrading too much, I rather feel that something has to change.
Luckily, today Pirelli announced that they're going to change the tyres for the rest of the season from the Canadian race onwards. This is somewhat of a turnaround for them, as they had previously argued that they would not 'bend to the pressure of Red Bull' (Red Bull being perhaps more vocal than a lot of teams), however I think they'd have been a little mad to not listen to the opinions following Spain. When the teams, drivers, fans and Bernie Ecclestone call for something different, I think you have to do something. So, with any luck we won't have to endure calls to save the tyres much longer. Alright, nothing will change immediately, but given the next race is Monaco, I'm sure F1 will get back to its inspiring ways soon enough
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Real Racing
Just recently on Twitter I've noticed a lot of debate over whether F1 is worth watching. A lot of people seem to think that F1 isn't real racing - quite a surprise considering that this is now considered the pinnacle of motorsport. A lot of this view is based on the fact that F1 revolves around technology, with some people arguing that the driving isn't really 'real' any more.
I agree that F1 is dependent on its technology. This is precisely why the cars are so quick, and this is one of the most impressive forms of motorsport out there. However, I'm not sure that I agree with the point that technological advances come at the cost of racing. Sure, there is a lot of distance between teams such as Red Bull and Caterham. There is a definite top class, mid-field and back-marker divide. However, does this now mean that we don't see 'real' racing? I'm not so sure.
The drivers in F1 do have to work out more than just driving alone in modern F1. They have to manage the tyres, figure out when to use DRS and KERS, and feedback to engineers about the car's set-up. All of this at incredibly high speed under the pressure of a race. Yes, sometimes the set-up that you get will influence your result. However, I don't think this detracts from the racing. Rather, it's extended the skills that the drivers need, and rewards the teams much more than some other sports where technology is less crucial. The mark of a good driver now is one who can manage the technology while still winning races. You can have drivers who are great at developing technology, but who lack the skills needed for racing (ref. Luca Badoer). Similarly, you can see moments where great racing drivers struggle with the technology (Jenson Button for example is notorious for struggling unless the car is perfect). The fact that you need to be able to balance the two doesn't mean you don't need a competitive driver.
Adversaries to F1 will argue that it is no longer a 'pure' form of racing. The drivers are unimportant, it's all about the cars. To see 'real' racing, you have to look to touring cars or Moto GP. Sure, I like those forms of motorsport too, and technology has a smaller role than in F1, but I'd never say that F1 isn't racing. I think F1 is racing in another form. You still get the on-track battles, where the drivers are competing against the other drivers, rather than against the other car - the controversial Vettel/Webber overtake in Malaysia was a perfect example of this. Alright, you're never going to have a straight fight between a Lotus and a Marussia this year, but you can see the evolution of the smaller teams bringing them closer to the mid-field.
I've written before how F1 appeals to me due to its record of rewarding intelligence. In so many sports it's just about the one guy in the competition, not about the people behind him developing the techniques. In F1 it's different. If an aerodynamicist comes up with a great design, then their efforts are rewarded when a car wins a race. The team effort of putting the car together before the driver gets near it is vital, yes. However, winning a race isn't dependent on the aerodynamics alone - it's still dependent on the driver's racing ability. You couldn't design the fastest F1 car in the world, stick me in there and get me to win races. I don't have the skill, no matter how good the car is.
Overall, I can't claim to understand why people believe that F1 isn't racing simply because of the technology involved. Sure, racing is now about tyres and aerodynamics and strategy. However, without that spark of racing, you wouldn't have a sport.
I agree that F1 is dependent on its technology. This is precisely why the cars are so quick, and this is one of the most impressive forms of motorsport out there. However, I'm not sure that I agree with the point that technological advances come at the cost of racing. Sure, there is a lot of distance between teams such as Red Bull and Caterham. There is a definite top class, mid-field and back-marker divide. However, does this now mean that we don't see 'real' racing? I'm not so sure.
The drivers in F1 do have to work out more than just driving alone in modern F1. They have to manage the tyres, figure out when to use DRS and KERS, and feedback to engineers about the car's set-up. All of this at incredibly high speed under the pressure of a race. Yes, sometimes the set-up that you get will influence your result. However, I don't think this detracts from the racing. Rather, it's extended the skills that the drivers need, and rewards the teams much more than some other sports where technology is less crucial. The mark of a good driver now is one who can manage the technology while still winning races. You can have drivers who are great at developing technology, but who lack the skills needed for racing (ref. Luca Badoer). Similarly, you can see moments where great racing drivers struggle with the technology (Jenson Button for example is notorious for struggling unless the car is perfect). The fact that you need to be able to balance the two doesn't mean you don't need a competitive driver.
Adversaries to F1 will argue that it is no longer a 'pure' form of racing. The drivers are unimportant, it's all about the cars. To see 'real' racing, you have to look to touring cars or Moto GP. Sure, I like those forms of motorsport too, and technology has a smaller role than in F1, but I'd never say that F1 isn't racing. I think F1 is racing in another form. You still get the on-track battles, where the drivers are competing against the other drivers, rather than against the other car - the controversial Vettel/Webber overtake in Malaysia was a perfect example of this. Alright, you're never going to have a straight fight between a Lotus and a Marussia this year, but you can see the evolution of the smaller teams bringing them closer to the mid-field.
I've written before how F1 appeals to me due to its record of rewarding intelligence. In so many sports it's just about the one guy in the competition, not about the people behind him developing the techniques. In F1 it's different. If an aerodynamicist comes up with a great design, then their efforts are rewarded when a car wins a race. The team effort of putting the car together before the driver gets near it is vital, yes. However, winning a race isn't dependent on the aerodynamics alone - it's still dependent on the driver's racing ability. You couldn't design the fastest F1 car in the world, stick me in there and get me to win races. I don't have the skill, no matter how good the car is.
Overall, I can't claim to understand why people believe that F1 isn't racing simply because of the technology involved. Sure, racing is now about tyres and aerodynamics and strategy. However, without that spark of racing, you wouldn't have a sport.
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