The Last Of The Specialists

The Last Of The Specialists

  October 19, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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The irony was that the new regulations were meant to protect the independent teams and by extension, the specialist engine manufacturers. Alas with Cosworth now set to depart Formula 1, all that remains are the manufacturers. Once upon a time, it was Cosworth who was perhaps the largest of the engine suppliers. Back in the 70s, they supplied powerplants to nearly every single car on the grid bar of course Ferrari and one or two odd units.

With the WSMC's decision to allow Ferrari to supply more than a couple of teams from next year (the other two being Spyker and Toro Rosso), it is now Ferrari that is the largest of the suppliers. Quite why one would choose Ferrari is beyond me since they would never allow the customers to win.

Interestingly, there is a plaque at the Cosworth factory, given by one Enzo Ferrari. The old man you see, might have been dirty but the man had some honour in him, unlike his successors today. It was a salute from Il Commendatore to the engine manufacturer who had beaten him too many times for (his) comfort. A great man recognizing greatness in Costin and Duckworth.

I suppose Cosworth's last real chance to stay was with Williams but with Grove seemingly unsatisfied with reliability they have chosen Toyota power for next year. Could Cosworth in this modern age still have a reasonable chance to produce championship winning engines? I would like to think so but then one could argue that perhaps if they really did have any chance at all, Williams might have stayed with them. Still, I think Williams were motivated by factors beyond simply competitiveness. With the Toyota brand riding on their cars, there are better chances of gaining much needed sponsors. It is no secret after all, that the split from BMW lost them more than one multinational sponsorship. Sponsors want to be associated with brand names rather than racing teams. To the causal fans, Williams was BMW. And to be associated with BMW was great exposure for other big names.

I suppose if Ford wanted to make a comeback to grand prix racing, they would be knocking on Cosworth's factory gates. But Ford is a company in financial difficulty and companies in dire straits are really run by the Chief Financial Officer, not the marketing guy or even the CEO. Formula 1 is therefore a frivolous pursuit to a company like Ford. In fact the relationship with Ford has always been one sided. Sure, Ford supplied funding and I suppose other technical facilities but the saying was that if the car won, then it was called a Ford engine. If it didn't then it was a Cosworth. Big corporations, huh?

Ideally of course the sport would have a large number of competitors powered by a mix of engine suppliers as it did when the normally aspirated formula began in 1989. Remember, Judd, Hart or even crazy loonies like Yamaha? In fact, even Ilmor could be counted as a specialist once, in the mould of Cosworth. Now of course, Ilmor's Formila 1 operations has been taken over by Mercedes in its entirety. I've always fancied Hart as a good power unit if only someone were to properly fund it. Unfortunately we don't see any other Mansour Ojjehs anywhere. Again, I think this has as much to do with commercial associations as much as technical ability.

Apparently the Koreans are looking to launch a team. Hyundai for one have been mentioned several times by GrandPrix.com as a possibility for entry using Hyundai badged Cosworth engines. Volkswagen is another name that has been mentioned before as well. But frankly these are cases of wishful thinking.

The Cosworth name still lives on in Indycars and long may it continue. But from a historical and sentimental standpoint, it is sad to see it leave Formula 1, for it has contributed much to the sport. Perhaps it is apt that its departure coincides with that of Michael Schumacher, the last person to give Cosworth a world championship. Some might try to correct me and say that it was a Benetton Ford that won the 1994 driver's title. Only in name for it really was a Cosworth. 10 drivers title, 13 constructors championships and god knows how many victories.

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On Team Orders II

On Team Orders II

  October 02, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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In the wake of the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend, there seems to have been some discontent especially among the tifosi. The source of that discontent being Renault's own team orders during the race.

I've never been against team orders. I think thats just part and parcel of racing for the longest time. But I'm very much against unsporting behaviour and therein lies the difference between Ferrari and Renault (and pretty much everyone else). Other teams at least give both their drivers an equal shot at the championship. Team orders come into play only when one of the drivers no longer has any chance of winning the title. At which point, that driver, not unreasonably, will be asked to lend a hand to his teammate.

At Ferrari, all drivers at any time during the championship will be asked to subsume themselves to Michael Schumacher. The most blatant occurrence of that happened at the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, when Rubens Barrichello, despite being quicker than Michael all weekend was asked to move over by the Ferrari management. At that point of the season, Michael had already built up such a lead in the championship that such actions were simply uncalled for.

The F2002 was such a vastly superior car that the rest of the field had simply no chance. Why not then, let the Ferrari drivers sort themselves out? As for the FIA, I think they were very much concerned that Ferrari's action had "brought the sport into disrepute." But in this case, they had a point. It was completely unsporting and the fans in Austria let it be known by jeering the Ferrari team during the podium ceremonies.

Its hard to regulate against team orders because for one, teams will find a way round it. But the criteria to be applied, and this is by no means easy, is whether such team orders consistutes unsporting behaviour. In many cases its very hard to tell. The criteria for judging unsporting behaviour is itself undefined. One cannot simply apply the "disrepute" criteria that the FIA loves so much. Disrepute in whose eyes?

However, its easy to see that in the case of the Scuderia, anyone else except Michael has simply no chance at their own ambitions. I find that aspect very repulsive though I suspect that that is Michael's requirements and not necessarily that of Ferrari.

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BMW and Williams

BMW and Williams

  September 09, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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An excellent qualifying session by Nick Heidfeld for the Italian Grand Prix prompted me to think about the fortunes of both BMW and Williams so far this season. After a messy divorce last year, BMW bought over the Sauber team whilst Williams opted for Cosworth power for this season. Mario Thiessen of course was being very cautious when he stated that Williams would probably have the upper hand in 2006.

The results so far have been very different. At the beginning of the year, indeed Williams as expected by fans and pundits alike were blazing trails with both drivers Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg. In fact, the young Finn / German took the world by storm with a great finish in Bahrain and then a remarkable qualifying session in Sepang. But unfortunately for Grove, things took a turn for the worse.

By contrast the BMW team have gone from strength to strength. Dr M. Thiessen must be grinning from ear to ear especially after reading what both Williams and the British press, most notably Pitpass, had to say about him after all the acrimony from last year. 'I told you so' doesn't quite cover it. Still, it seems that BMW are putting that super sophisticated Sauber wind tunnel and Albert supercomputer to far more effective use than Peter Sauber ever could. Of course, Peter Sauber didn't have the budget that the Munich concern can command. And it seems that BMW's expansion of the Sauber operations by bringing in lots of new staff have proven to be spot on. The results on the track do not lie. The now ousted Jacques Villeneuve still leads both the Williams drivers on points as of the Turkish Grand Prix. Nick Heidfeld looks to be uncatchable the rate he's going.

I fear for Williams. He's the last of that hard core breed of racers from the 70s. Yes I know Ron Dennis is still there but let's face it McLaren are now indistinguishable from the team that won the 1976 driver's world title with James Hunt. Nowadays they are as disgustingly corporate as Mercedes, their biggest shareholder. No, Frank is the last of the lot. And yet now after nearly 10 seasons without a driver's title and ages since their last win, they are beginning to look a lot like Tyrrell and Ligier did in the 80s. Contenders throughout the 70s, absolute has-beens in the early 80s. Williams is in danger of being well stuck in midfield. In fact, Williams' loss of prestige began quite some time ago. For instance in 2001, I remember reading a news report from Reuters termed the team as "wannabes." Oi, have you no respect??!!

Of course hope still survives in the form of Toyota for next year. The deal is expected to last through to 2009 (or was that 2008?) and for me represents the last chance for Frank to pick his team up and become contenders once more. Of course he probably needs a good title sponsor to decorate his side pods in order to do so but with Toyota power behind him, that ought to be easier. Ought being the keyword for it is by no means certain the way the team have been going in recent times and of course due to poor world economic conditions.

In Nico Rosberg they have a promising (and cheap) young talent but is he capable of being a team leader? He seems intelligent enough and this is after all only his first season. Senna was pretty much the same at Toleman in 1984 before rising as virtual commander in chief of the Lotus team in 1985 (to the chagrin of the poor late Elio de Angelis). The other driver for next year Alex Wurz to me represents a poor option. No doubt he will bring some money to the table but there is a reason why McLaren kept him as a test driver all these years. That is, he's simply is bollocks no matter some people may think. At best, he's just a journeyman.

With so many changes at Williams one wonders who really is in charge of the car these days (I'm too lazy to find out right now). But surely, the technical team is not quite what it used to be. Yes, Sam Michael is something of a genius but I'm not sure that a software systems chap should be leading the tech guys in a racing team. Not at this level at any rate. Just as I don't think Vasselon is a good choice for Toyota. Both Williams and Toyota have plenty of work to do. Williams to me have more to lose because of their proud history. I sincerely hope they succeed.

And what of Toyota? What if the Williams Toyota consistently outperforms the works cars next year? I simply wonder how that would go down in the corridors of power in Japan. Eddie Jordan did suggest recently that Frank ought to be selling up to the Japanese. But surely this is untenable. After all the investment made to their Cologne operations, surely the Japanese are not considering making another major purchase in Britain, no matter how much better that would be in fact. There's just too much sunk into Cologne. And surely no one should suggest that Frank sell out to a non-manufacturer and end up being another stupid Midland team.

Finally, I do hope BMW does well too only if to make folks like Pitpass eat their words. They certainly are showing signs of improvement technically. In Sebastien Vettel I believe they have a true superstar in the making. Not since Alonso and Raikkonen debuted in 2001 have I seen a more impressive new driver. No, not even Nico Rosberg. Of course Vettel hasn't raced yet but any guy who can jump into a Formula 3 car and end up on the podium in Macau on his first attempt has got to be quite good. Nico Rosberg was nowhere on his first try. And now jumping into a Formula 1 car and going quickest, albeit in practise, shows that this lad simply understands what's going on. And that is incredibly important in this sport.

Interesting to see what happens next year. Come on Frank. Pull your socks up.

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Please Mr Michelin Man

Please Mr Michelin Man

  April 17, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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"The Precious made me do it" -- Smeagol

Well, this is nice. First Red Bull voted for the 2006 regulation changes reintroducing tyre stops and then obliges Michelin to supply rubber to Toro Rosso, much to the chagrin of the French tyre company. That change voted in November last year threw all Michelin's advantages into the litter thanks to some spurious reasoning by the FIA. No, it cannot be said that it was done for safety since Max threw out that argument as long ago as Nurburgring last year. The real reason was of course to help red liveried friends of Max. Helped in no small part by Red Bull's vote.

Not that I support the one tyre per race, I think that was simply stupid in the first place. But the whole episode lends credence to the GPMA's arguments about the lack of transparency and proper governance of the sport.

However, it looks like Red Bull is trying to get on Michelin's good books once again. According to Frank Tost, "Michelin did an unbelievably good job.... one of the main reasons for Scuderia Toro Rosso's performances is the excellent tyre supply." Yeah, I'll bet it is Frank. On your knees boy!

Michelin should return the favour to Red Bull / Toro Rosso by supplying them Jenson Button's used race tyres from Melbourne in the forthcoming San Marino Grand Prix. Go on Bibendum, teach em a lesson.

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Toyota To Leave?

Toyota To Leave?

  April 07, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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"Go ahead. Make my day" -- Famous San Francisco policeman

Fresh from sacking their technical director, Toyota have warned that a withdrawal from Formula 1 is a distinct possibility in the near future. President John Howett believes that the FIA are not making the manufacturers feel welcome and yet are asked to commit to 2012. Well, first of all, if Toyota leave I doubt if many fans will miss them as they've not contributed much to the sport. Secondly, the fact is many view their participation as more of a marketing or corporate flagship exercise than a sporting one. So, if some faceless corporation wants to leave all the better right?

When Toyota first announced their participation in Formula 1, it was greeted as very much a "good thing." Together with Honda, here were a team with the potential to break the stranglehold of Formula 1's "usual suspects," McLaren, Williams and Ferrari (at that time before the Renault juggernaut). Things did not go so well and I think many people were simply disappointed. Their corporate ethos did not win many fans either. The team being best described as lacking in soul.

Whether you love or loathe them, whats important here is the underlying message of Toyota's warnings. According to them, the manufacturers are not being made to feel welcome. Two things spring to mind.

First, the money. Now Max Mosley has admitted that in his mind the manufacturers should receive nothing at all for their participation. I'm sure thats an annoyance to the manufacturers and the CVC at this stage of the commercial negotiations. However, I think the manufacturers aren't really concerned about money at all but it just shows Max's hosility towards the manufacturers. And CVC would not be very happy chappies about his attitude. Those investors are out to make money. That means growth in viewership. The manufacturers do a lot for the promotion of the sport by publicising their participation (all free to CVC). Word has it that they're even prepared to pour actual and real resources into direcly promoting the sport. Do you really think the independents would do that? Or Bernie for that matter?

Second. The manufacturer's grievances are really about the 2008 rules and how they are made. Transparency has always been a key issue with the manufacturers. (Some say its the only issue). In addition, they want rules that will allow them to differentiate themselves and rivals and be able to showcase their expertise. According to Howett : "We're prepared to commit to F1, but we need certain core values to remain. That means for example that it has to remain the pinnacle of motorsport. If F1 can't remain the pinnacle, the board will have to decide on the company's participation."

Honda's Nick Fry has also expressed similar (but not necessarily identical) concerns from Honda as early as last Friday's press conference in Melbourne. To quote Nick Fry: "We do, as you know, believe in a more liberal approach on development because it is very much an engineering project for Honda. Its developing the engineers and the technology that feeds into the road cars and that is important...." Hmmm.... somehow I do not think the 2008 regulations contribute very much to the development of road cars at all. Lots of technologies you'd find in road cars these days are banned.

There are some in the media who still assert that Max Mosley's plan is ultimately to rid these pesky manufacturers from the sport altogether and if its true I'm sure Max will be pointing his metaphorical .44 Magnum at them. No, you people bloody well cannot supply engines to more than a couple of teams. Don't like it? Tough shite.

Prima facie, the threat of a rival series seems dead. After all, the manufacturers have entered or applied to enter the 2008 championships. And yet, if you look at the first few questions in last Friday's press conference, you will note that none of the manufacturer's representatives, Nick Fry, Norbert Haug and Pat Symonds, actually confirmed the death of a rival series. They blurted out something to the effect that the GPMA has been a positive thing but none of them actually said that a rival series has been given the last rites. As Pat Symonds says: ".....by entering the 2008 championship, as we all have done now, we inherit the right to discuss these regulations...." That's all they done for now. They've neither confirmed nor denied their participation and really nothing's stopping them from leaving.

Take that together with John Howett's statement that the Toyota "board will have to decide on the company's participation." Participation in Formula 1 perhaps. But what about participation in a rival series? After all, do you really believe that Toyota will simply lay waste to nigh a billion dollars worth of high tech investments?

But is Max worried about this? Really worried? After all, Ferrari, the jewel in the crown as far as fan following is concerned, have signed up and confirmed to 2008 and beyond. So has Williams. And don't forget he's got 22 teams applying for entry. Granted if the manufacturers leave the championship would lose some of its lustre. But at least the grids will be full and he can count on the adoring tifosi to fill the stands and watch the telly. With draconian regulations, perhaps some indies might give Maranello a good surprise. Williams certainly would. The manufacturers would have an even tougher time setting up their own series and attracting the audiences. Tough but not impossible. All told the A1GP has managed it quite well.

I don't discount this being an isolated case. Perhaps its only Toyota thats feeling this way. Looking at last Friday, the other manufacturers still seem to be making positive noises about "constructive" meetings and discussions with the FIA taking place. But then, they would, wouldn't they?

I'll leave with one point. The manufacturers aren't standing alone. They have friends. CVC for instance. Birds of a feather....

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Exit Gascoyne

Exit Gascoyne

  April 04, 2006    MamaeyaYT

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GrandPrix.com broke the story last night that Mike Gascoyne may be leaving Toyota and indeed it has been confirmed today that the Englishman is leaving the Cologne based team. The reasons for his departure haven't been confirmed and neither party is making any comment at this time. Whatever the reason, I hope this has nothing to do with the legal case pending former Toyota boss Ove Andersson, designer Gustav Brunner and others who stand accused by the authorities for stealing software and intellectual property belonging to Ferrari. Certainly this silence raises such suspicions.

Yet again, Mike is leaving without having completed his work and winning a world championship. The closest he's been was still in 1999 with Jordan when Heinz Harald Frentzen came in third in the championship after a very good season winning a couple of grand prix. He was also involved with turning around Renault resulting in Alonso's first victory in 2003. Although a senior Renault person I spoke to said downplayed his contributions to Renault's fortunes last year.

Well, all I can say is good luck to Toyota after this for I think they are going to have an even tougher time unless they can find someone of Gascoyne's caliber to replace him. In fact I think its downright stupid at this point. Perhaps Toyota simply wanted a high profile scapegoat to take the blame for essentially going backwards this season. They needed to target for wins this year and at this point that looks a tough proposition.

But as this article on Motorsports Ramblings highlights, Toyota's troubles also stem from trying to run a racing team as if it was simply another corporate division and also an exercise in marketing and branding (which they really do not need). Racing teams are meant to be organized like a crack SAS regiment rather than a regular army division. But thats what you get when "suits" are in charge.

Then again, perhaps Mike Gascoyne's temprement, that earned him the nickname "bulldog" rubbed a few people the wrong way. Unless of course this is a legal matter, Toyota's decision is questionable and comes at a highly critical time for the team when their season is just on its way to being turned around.

With Mike's departure, I think this also signals Jarno Trulli's exit from Cologne. Jarno was Mike's choice and Toyota hired him. I doubt if Toyota will be renewing that contract.

Perhaps now that he's available, McLaren would do well to hire Mike Gascoyne to replace the departed Newey. Then again, McLaren are increasingly becoming more corporate and more process oriented and that may not be what he wants.

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