Breaking It Down

Breaking It Down

  May 26, 2008    MamaeyaYT

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Finally a really juicy item that perhaps should have long been revealed appears in this article on Pitpass. If anyone ever doubted the dictatorial style of the FIA geared towards financial and commercial gain, they should get their heads out of their asses and read the article.

The article recounts the events of the 1994 season when Benetton were facing disciplinary action from the World Council over alleged fixing of a fuel rig that lead to a huge fire in the pits during Jos Verstappen's fuel stop.

To simplify and summarise here's what the article alleges:

1. That the night before the World Council, Bernie Ecclestone invites Max Mosley (chairman of the Council which he supposedly undertook "in a completely neutral capacity") to meet a certain Mr George Carmen QC representing the Benetton team.

2. That Max Mosley helpfully advised Mr Carmen that the Benetton team should not point the finger at any member of the FIA in this affair (despite the fact that the FIA had approved of the rig modification and Benetton had proof of this).

3. That Max Mosley further advised the Benetton team to simply admit guilt and he would ensure that the charges would be mysteriously dropped. This way Benetton (and Schmumacher) can keep racing and the FIA don't look like idiots for allowing the rig modification that led to the fire.

4. That more than being a simple peacemaker, Bernie Ecclestone (also a member of the World Council) was there to safeguard his investments by ensuring that a certain German won that year because "it is possible to observe a correlation between the popularity of the Championship in the Federal Republic of Germany in recent years and Michael Schumacher's success in the Championship."

5. That in doing all of this, effectively buggered the championship of one Damon Hill because of course Damon Hill will not get a single cent out of the huge German market.

I am taken back to the words of Nigel Mansell who was brought in to race at Adelaide, the final championship deciding race in the 1994 season, where he, despite being quicker than the two protagonists (or so he claims), was told by "the powers" to stay out of their fight or else....

Manipulation in the name of commercial requirements is something that many have always suspected was very much at play at the FIA particularly where it involves Max and Bernie. I remember that back in 1989 many allege that Jean Marie Balestre stacked the cards in favour of his countryman Prost when brought on the ludicrous charge of dangerous driving on Ayrton Senna. Well, wrong as that was, at least he did it for his country. In the case of Max and Bernie, its all for almighty dollar.

Now, looking down the line and purely speculating, which team in Formula 1 has the biggest fanbase, the likes of which Formula One as a commercial entity can ill afford to lose? And how many times have we suspected that favour will always follow this team? Hmmm....

I am sure teams are not happy with the situation and surely would have known of the hanky panky over the years. But many team bosses (now unfortunately replaced by manufacturers) know of this but not being skilled at political machinations as Max, nor as commercially astute as Bernie, on whom they all relied upon for financial assistance, simply could not do anything about it.

Frank Williams and Patrick Head knows the deal but their existence depends on Formula 1 and they are wont to do anything about this. Ron Dennis and McLaren had other activities to keep them afloat. This makes him bolder in facing Max and Bernie, to the utmost chagrin of Max. Witch hunt? Vendetta? Words too small to describe Max attitude and objectives towards Ron.

Did anyone really believe that McLaren's "confession" was a genuine one? Of course not. It sounded like a cop out by McLaren to ensure that they could keep on racing.

It is reasons such as these that Max Mosley must go and the FIA restructured completely if they are to retain the credibility and relevance and not some stupid sex romp episode. But as I have said before, if the stupid sex romp gets rid of this bastard, then so be it.

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Poor Baby Hamilton

Poor Baby Hamilton

  September 22, 2007    MamaeyaYT

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Lewis Hamilton took some time out last weekend to protest the actions of his teammate during the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. We all know the incident. Coming into the remodeled La Source hairpin, Fernando took the inside line into the turn locking up his brakes. Hamilton took the outside line. Exiting La Source, Fernando, to me at least simply took a normal exit out and in the process chopped across Hamilton, in a move that reminds me of tintop racing.

According to Fernando, the cars did not touch. But as well saw Hamilton was "forced off" across the run off grass and into the run off tarmac. Oh poor little Lewis decided to cry about it to the press. Funny though for it seemed to me that taking the "Nigel Mansell line" out of La Source, taking an extremely wide exit in excess of the white line leads to a faster exit and truth be told Hamilton was slightly ahead as the two McLarens went side by side into Eau Rouge.

Its very rich for that brat Hamilton to complain about some rough play. After all, here is the guy who is not shy to shut the door on everyone else. Indianapolis anybody? Or the often mentioned chopping across at the start line reminiscent of Michael Schumacher. Heck, at the Malaysian Grand Prix this year Hamilton was spotted weaving on the straights in his attempts to keep Massa behind.

Be that as it may, there is such a thing as lifting off and there is a device called the brake. Hamilton if he had wanted to could have deployed either as Fernando went across him. Hamilton in his press statement said that Fernando knew he was there. Yes I would suspect so but that doesn't mean he has to give way to you, Hammy boy. But I suppose after being spoon fed by Ron Dennis all through his career he expects other people to breast feed him as well.

I have heard that Fernando refuses to share his setup data with Hamilton. Well, good for Fernando I say. Lets see how the gang-starr does without it. I have been harsh in my comments about Fernando recently. But having said that I firmly believe that McLaren would not be in such a competitive position today without the double world champion. The impression you get sometimes is that having helped enormously with the development of the car, the team rallies behind their baby boy. Fernando some might say, just doesn't feel the love. But I suppose he has a right to feel like the team owes him something. I don't condone what Fernando has done in the recent case (that's not the way to get back at the team) but I can understand how he must feel.

Well lets see what happens in '08. I'm sure Fernando is leaving and I do hope he'll be off to Ferrari. Now what a pairing that would make, Fernando and Kimi. As for McLaren, lets see how far they manage without the Spaniard. But who to replace him? Well, from the way he's been driving lately and with the experiences of Williams from last year, I would imagine Nico Rosberg would be an excellent choice.

I leave with this closing thought. If anyone wants an example of hooliganism on the track, then I would point the finger at Filipe Massa. Fernando was on the inside of the left hander in Barcelona and Massa simply steers the wheel to take his normal line. There's a big difference, Fernando at that point was side by side. Massa, the git, tried it again at the Nurburgring but failed. Fernando had every right to protest at the argy bargy. However, I suppose because Hamilton wasn't involved in both cases, nobody, least of all the British press, see fit to complain.

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Alonso's Ultimatum?

Alonso's Ultimatum?

  September 15, 2007    MamaeyaYT

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Now bear in mind how much the British press loves their prodigal son, Hamilton and it would seem to me in turn loves to paint Fernando Alonso in a bad light. Be that as it may, some serious allegations have been reported by both the Guardian and The Times, that none other than Fernando Alonso, threatened to leak information prejudicial to McLaren, to the FIA. Ron Dennis, who doesn't take shite from no one, called his bluff apparently and phoned Max Mosley directly. If true, I think its such a shameful act from an otherwise talented driver.

I take you back to 1986 when Ayrton Senna was in his second season with the Lotus team. Derek Warwick was slated to join him at Lotus but Ayrton apparently vetoed that decision, to which the team deferred to and put Johnny Dumfries in the second seat. Now, the British press likes to harp on that. However, the difference between that situation and the one facing Alonso today is that the Lotus team simply could not and did not have the resources to give both drivers equal opportunity at the championship. Ayrton knew this and quickly nipped it in the bud. Alas, despite this Lotus or should I say Renault still could not give him a car / engine to win the title. By contrast, at McLaren and later Williams, Aryton really couldn't be bothered who his teammate was for he knew he'd blow anyone out of the water.

Fast forward to 2007. McLaren is a team that can provide equal treatment for both its drivers. Frankly speaking I still rate Alonso's driving ahead of Hamilton but Alonso's attitude thus far has not put him in good stead. It seems to me that he's pressuring himself for nothing and on top of that demands special treatment. Despite Michael Schumacher's achievements, I've always looked upon his favourable treatment by Ferrari as a blemish. Why does Alonso want to do the same? How could he have allowed his confidence to be so dented that he resorts to throwing the toys out of the pram?

If these allegations are true then, I have certainly lost respect for the man. I mean, whatever happens, you do not threaten your team in that manner. It reeks of disloyalty. In fact it shows an utter lack of class.

Ron Dennis must have been in a really tight pickle. Perhaps being proud, he simply called the bluff. The consequence of which now is a ban on the constructor's championship and a USD100m fine. Some say thats offset by the USD30m or so McLaren would receive from FOM. But still thats a USD100m total that will be missing from the coffers. And that folks is not hay. Its a serious dent on McLaren's finances. One that threatens not only the competitiveness of its cars but I would imagine with all that debt carried from the building of its new Technology Centre, a serious blow to its status as a going concern.

I think that the punishment is way in excess of the crime. If you can really call it a crime in the first place. Whatever it may be its a helluva way to play poker, Ron. I know Ron Dennis is a man of integrity but at what cost?

I sincerely hope all these allegations aren't true. I really do. I think I shall not be the only Alonso fan who would be terribly disappointed by such behaviour. Hard charger on the track is fine. Tough racer on the track, brilliant. But threats of this nature and the demands for leading status, I cannot agree with.

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Reasons For Vehemence

Reasons For Vehemence

  September 13, 2007    MamaeyaYT

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In his latest article for Pitpass, Mike Lawrence wonders why the FIA (and Ferrari) are seemingly dead set on bringing down the McLaren team or rather Ron Dennis. And indeed, in light of recent comments by Todt and Montezemolo, this isn't an unreasonable observation.

On the face of things, one might simply suggest that the FIA are merely following standard operating procedures and clamping down on unsporting and dishonest behaviour. But as Pitpass' Lawrence quite rightly points out, the charges against Toyota were much greater in weight. The evidence all to plain to see in the shape of the TF103 which seemed to be a clone of the Ferrari F2002. And yet in that case, the FIA didn't seem too eager to throw out the automotive giant. By contrast this year's McLaren seems an evolution of past racing cars and it is plain to see that the design is conceptually far different.

So why the seemingly disproportionate actions against Woking? The answer I believe lies in events earlier on in the year. Events that the management at Ferrari are seemingly sort about. Last year it was the flexi wings. This year they made entire bottoms that wobbled with the wind. This is specifically banned in the regulations. It was a key technology and it was whisked away from Maranello and I suspect to the chagrin of Messrs Todt and Monty. Someone ratted on them to McLaren and in turn to the FIA and they want blood.

But the fact remains that Ferrari were using illegal devices. And whether or not the information obtained to blow the whistle on them was acquired legally or not, the fact is they were using illegal devices. And now they're mad because they can't use their illegal devices. Illegal mind you. As opposed to countless innovations introduced by other teams that were legal and were banned by the FIA at ferrari's insistence.

As for information about the use of Bridgestone tyres, remember that it was the FIA that insisted on a single tyre manufacturer. The Michelin teams clearly would have liked to keep on using the French rubber. And so, if teams are forced to abandon their tyre of choice shouldn't they all share the same information on these tyres. Why should an FIA decision and rule (which by the way, should be apply equally to all participants) benefit a select few? Or should I say, just benefit Ferrari?

One might argue that getting the flexi floors banned and obtaining information of the best use of Japanese rubber tipped the scales Woking's way. Hold on a moment I say. The scales were tipped. But it was tipped to balance both sides. McLaren's advantage was simply because they built a better car and arguably have better drivers.

However, from Todt and Montezemolo's viewpoint, balanced rules and regulations are simply unsporting. For them you see, the scales should always tip in Ferrari's direction.

Ron Dennis and McLaren have angered the Ferrari International Assistance (FIA) and he must pay. Max Mosley himself has personal grudges against Ron. And now that he has allies in Maranello, allies that bring with them a tangible case, here is an opportunity to finally bring the great man down.

Fight them all the way, Ron. Both Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan I am sure will be forever barred from motorsport participation. I somehow don't think he will for fear of further damaging his reputation and employement prospects elsewhere but I think Nigel Stepney should simply come out and reveal where all the dead bodies are buried at Maranello. I assure you, there are plenty of them.

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Team Strategy vs Team Orders

Team Strategy vs Team Orders

  May 30, 2007    MamaeyaYT

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The British media calls it team orders, Ron Dennis insists that its strategy. The FIA has just said that no further action is to be taken but prior to that Bernie was calling for blood.

In the first place, if it is team orders, I would be incredibly surprised these early on in the season from a team that has in the past let both drivers loose on the racetrack. Anyone remember when Prost and Senna were both at McLaren? McLaren has mostly been fair to its drivers unlike some other teams. But there have been incidents. Exceptions rather than the rule. Jerez 1997 for instance.

Be that as it may, the British media and Lewis Hamilton himself has expressed displeasure at Hamilton being told to take it easy and hold station behind his teammate in last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

But seriously, what the hell could Hamilton have done if indeed he were given a free hand? In 1992, Senna held off a charging Nigel Mansell who was 5 seconds quicker than himself towards the end of the race. Monaco is not a place where you can overtake. And before anyone brings it up, Rubens Barrichello was a fool and did not defend his line when he let Michael through in the 2005 Monaco Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso however has proven himself adept at defending his position in far more difficult circumstances. Turkey last year and at San Marino in 2005 for instance. At Monaco, overtaking is nigh impossible against one such as Fernando.

So what the hell does Hamilton think he could have done? Play bumper cars with Fernando perhaps? Far better to have saved his car and engine for Montreal than do something really stupid as he did in free practise for last weekend's race. If the little prick wanted to win then he should have kept his car on the island during free practise and put a perfectly good car on pole on Saturday and driven a faster starting and middle stint than his teammate on Sunday. He did none of these things and the blame for not winning lies squarely on him. If the British media had any sense, they would have picked this up instead of harping on about holding station.

The British media are well known for this sort of action and in fact have been harassing poor Fernando over the last few months. Whatever may be the case, Fernando simply cannot win with these idiots. You would expect this sort of thing from The Sun or The Daily Mail but even broadsheets like The Times have joined in the melee, acting very much like the yobs who buy their rubbish newspapers.

You see this sort of behaviour from the British media after football matches. And now here it is again (a repeat of Mansell mania) in racing. The only thing for Fernando to do is simply to beat this young brat Hamilton to shut him up and shut the damned yobs up for good.

Ron Dennis claims that it is the best strategy for Monaco. And perhaps he is right. But once upon a time, he asked Ayrton Senna to slow down, also at Monaco. Ayrton lost concentration and hit the wall. Funny how McLaren always seem to run into trouble when asking their drivers to slow down.

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Deceived?

Deceived?

  December 18, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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Granted, I have not read the F1-Racing article on which this article is based on, but nevertheless, I detect a little irony here. Yes, may Ron Dennis has a point and perhaps Mr Robertson did misrepresent his client's disposition.

But I say Mr Dennis, I'm sure all these years you also promised young Kimi a championship winning car. And yet again, for the umpteenth time, you and your German friends have failed to deliver. Last year, not only did Kimi not had a championship winning car, he didn't even get a car capable of taking a single race.

With that in mind, can you blame your former charge of wanting to switch to a different team? Even if you do build a car to take the rest of the field to the cleaners, I cannot blame Mr Raikkonen of being just a little bit sick of things at Woking and seek a breath of fresh air.

Stop grumbling Mr Dennis. At least you will be gaining a world champion behind the wheel of your car once more. And that young eager beaver Hamilton looks to be shaping up nicely so far and the fans seem to be pleased. Now if you could only build a proper car for the two of them that would be splendid. Because as far as a lot of people are concerned, you aren't doing your job very well, sir. And I'm sure Kimi would feel a little deceived himself after all these years.

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Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton

  November 28, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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Over the last week much has been said about the bright eyed young McLaren protege, Lewis Hamilton. I've only ever seen him race twice on the telly. Once at Macau, which I must admit I've totally forgotten about. The other time was during the Turkish round of GP2 this year where he demonstrated some breathtaking pace and some superb racecraft. But then again, its easy to demonstrate such things when your lap times are at least a second faster than anyone else. Some, like old David Coulthard thinks he's been thrown into the deep end too early. Ron Dennis justifies the selection by saying that there was no one else better currently.

Its hard to say. Kimi Raikkonen for instance, competed in just 23 car races before landing a Sauber drive in Formula 1. A year after and McLaren was his destination. Could he have handled a McLaren on his debut year? Sure, he did well in the Sauber. But the pressure must have been a lot less for him than if he had driven for Woking in 2001. Fernando Alonso spent a year at Minardi and a year of testing before landing a Renault drive. Ayrton Senna could have had a drive with Williams, McLaren and Brabham for 1984 but chose up and coming Toleman instead. Michael Schumacher too had his debut in a Jordan, albeit for just a single race before being snapped up by Benetton. But having said that, Benetton was not yet at the time, the force it would be 3 years later and the force that it is now in the guise of Renault F1 but boy did that Schuey learn quick. He didn't so much learn. More like slipping into a pair of custom made John Lobbs. All so natural. Alain Prost made his debut in a McLaren in 1980 but in those were the days before the mighty MP4.

The point is, I think Hamilton could have been placed elsewhere to learn his craft. If he is truly the business then his speed and talent would immediately be apparent. Much like Alonso's was when he drove for Minardi. Who could miss the fact that the Spaniard could mix it with Arrows and Jordans in the lorry like Minardi? If Hamilton's talent is made of such stuff then he too would be driving the car beyond its natural limits. But that is secondary to the main point of the exercise, which is to get him used to the whole grand prix environment without so much pressure. Pressure that could otherwise break him.

Hamilton will be compared and often so to a double world champion whose pace and intelligence is beyond question. A teammate destroyer in the mould of Schumacher and Senna. If this weren't enough then of course there's the expectation of the media. The English media in particular. The ruthlessness of the British press is something I have witnessed first hand having spent many years over there. Jenson Button I bet just luurrves the attention.

Yet another challenge to Hamilton is the McLaren team itself. After a dismal 2006, I think it will be hard for McLaren to be challenging for world titles next year. I just don't see it what with the loss of so many key technical personnel. Hamilton is used to winning. He's used to dominating. I doubt if McLaren can give him a car to do this. Lets hope this will not become a source of frustration for him.

If Hamilton does succeed despite the many challenges then it will be to his credit. There will be very little doubt about his championship credentials. And we'll all know it immediately. Perhaps thats what Ron Dennis had in mind. Quickly give the lad a shot at it so that there will be no guessng by the end of next year. See, after all these years of supporting him, whether he sinks or swims at the deep end.

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Latest News From The Frontlines

Latest News From The Frontlines

  November 15, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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In the battle for the future of grand prix racing, peace seems such an overused word. Seen it too many times in the past so naturally, I'll take the latest peace declaration with a large grain of salt. Having come to terms with commercial arrangements, the GPMA have finally (or so it seems) kissed and made up with the FIA and Max Mosley. In a meeting in Munich which up until now had been kept under wraps, some significant details emerged.

Social relevance, green technologies, road car relevance were all hailed as the major objectives for the future. All very nice but significantly, the governance of the sport and decisions over the rules will be made by the FIA and the manufacturers, which indeed bypasses the teams. Of course, many teams now are owned by the manufacturers but this really puts folks like Frank Williams in a spot.

Of course they FIA and the manufacturers say they will make decisions in consultation with the teams. But then Max Mosley has rammed down things people's throats in the past in direct contradiction to clauses in the Concorde, so I doubt if teams like Williams will take it too kindly. And really, for a person who supposedly was championing the cause of the independent teams, this latest development seems like a big discrepancy. From this article in ITV-F1 :

"In future individual teams’ management will relinquish their involvement and instead be represented by the manufacturers themselves, who will discuss prospective rules with the FIA at main board level."

Though the teams may hate this but they brought it upon themselves by not uniting strongly against Bernie, Max and indeed, even the manufacturers. Though indeed many team bosses have already cashed out and made lots of money in the process. And it seems increasingly likely that Ron Dennis will be making even more money than all of them when he and Ojjeh finally sells out to Mercedes.

But there are some good points about this latest development. One of Max Mosley's plans was to see a return to the old fuel consumption formula of the eighties but with a significant twist. Consumption of fuel would be defined in terms of energy content rather than volume of a specific fuel type. Instead of limiting fuel to say 150 litres of pump petrol for the duration of a race, it would be defined as limited to say xxx Kilojoules of energy for the race. This is significant for it means that alternative fuels could be used.

Also, the engine type and configuration would be free. And this means the possibility of vastly different types of engines and of course technical innovation and most of all, variety. There would no longer be just V8s or V10s in the field. There could be a methane powered turbocharged V16 and it wouldn't matter. But of course, in focusing on energy consumption, it is the manufacturers who have the advantage. They have been researching these technologies for decades now. At the beginning, I foresee many technologies introduced will not be new ones but simply redeveloped and redeployed for racing purposes. And in the broader scheme of things, as marketing tools.

There are many factors involved with Cosworth's departure from grand prix racing but I wonder if this new future is not one of them. Though they have built alternative fuel powerplants in the shape of methanol Indy race engines, I wonder how their comparatively meager budget could cope with the full weight of different technologies from manufacturer labs, already in advanced state of development. The effort required by the likes of Cosworth to catch up would I think be too much for them.

Change can create new opportunities. There are literally dozens of small, highly innovative companies out there whose main purpose is to develop alternative powerplants. Perhaps from these companies will emerge the new Cosworths and Ilmors of the future. Personally I feel that they should simply specify a simple hydrogen internal combustion (IC) engine formula. It is far easier to adapt your road car to burn hydrogen than it is to say, methanol. In fact, BMW themselves have made significant research into this and if I'm not mistaken, some buses in Los Angeles already use hydrogen IC. Fuel cell technology is expensive so why not use a cheaper, proven technology instead? Hydrogen combustion is clean and the technology is already in use everyday by you and me. This would have been better for it meant that companies like Cosworth could still be relevant to grand prix racing.

So much for Cosworth but what of Ferrari? I mean, they are a manufacturer of road cars as well to be sure. But theirs are high performance road cars. I mean, I love Ferrari road cars (in stark contrast to the racing team) but try defining the social relevance of a Ferrari 599 GTB. Ferrari are in many ways are in the same boat as Cosworth. Though their business be highly profitable and thus affords them a larger R & D budget but how will they steal an edge over the manufacturers who, as I said, already have alternative technologies long in development. That will be interesting. And as far as governance in the sport is concerned, it will be interesting to see how they plan to get their way what with the GPMA scoring such a significant victory by being at the "board level" in future decision making.

It seems slightly sinister then that the sport will effectively become a manufacturer testing facility. What started as a championship to find the world's best driver and racing team have now been infused with new objectives of road, social and industry relevance. In the past, I have condemned this as an unnecessary corruption of what is racing's pinnacle. But I am in the minority I know. Predicting the future one way or another is often foolish, so I'll just hope that at least the (new) Establishment will form detailed regulations that bring about more spectator excitement, such as measures to improve overtaking.

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