Earlier this week we saw that Michael Schumacher’s decision to help the Scudaria Ferrari team by taking the place of the now hospitalized Felipe Massa. In an effort to get Michael up to speed on the newer F60, Ferrari have asked all the teams permission to allow Michael to try out the new car. Currently, under the rules there is no outside testing allowed durring the racing season. However, with the approval of all the teams, some cases have been approved.
I just don’t get it. Some teams are just not understanding of the situation. In the case of Red Bull, they “chose” to let Sebastian B. go when they didn’t have to. Whereas, Felipe Massa got into an accident and was hospitalized. Now Ferrari do NOT have a choice and need a second driver to complete the team. Is this not a “safety” issue? How can you expect anyone to get into a vehicle and race it in anger and not push the limits of the car? This is Formula One… arguably the highest form of motorsport! There should be some sort of ruling to allow for teams to test in situations like this. Even if there has to be an FIA official to make sure that they are not modifying the car or have new pices on the car. I just don’t get it.
Well, baring Michael Schumacher having a bad physical, we will be looking at Felipe Massa’s replacement in the Ferrari garage. This brings up some very interesting questions though. For example; why aren’t one of the two Ferrari F1 test drivers being considered for the role next to Kimi Raikkonen? What kind of shape will Michael be in after his motorcycle fall earlier in the year? What is Ferrari trying to accomplish by getting Schumie back into the driver seat?
First, I think that Michael will be competitive, however I do not think he will win. As much as a lot of us would like to see him win, I’m not sure if he can because of how the car is today along with him not being in an F1 car in over a year.
Michael Schumacher Back In The Saddle Again
So what is it that Ferrari is trying to do here? I think part of it has to do with the development of the car. Michael is well known for his abilities in creating and developing a car to become as fast as it can. We all know that this is not Kimi’s strong point (because he just drives any car well whether it’s good or not) and Massa is still learning from Michael on the optimum setup of a car (who probably is still better than Kimi). This development of the car will be ideal for Ferrari and potentially make the car even better, stronger and more reliable than the Red Bull and Brawn teams. Even though they are out of the hunt for the manufacturer’s title, they can still make some huge ground on the competition ahead.
Publicity may help with moral and hopefully bring a new spark to the team. I think that the devoted Ferrari Tifosi will see and feed of that spark which will translate in bringing new life and new hope to the team. With Brawn and Red Bull taking the headlines for a majority of the year, this could be the big boost that Italian team have been looking for. Oh the passion.
As we all hope that Felipe Massa’s quick recovery, I can’t help but wonder how the 40 year old German will do in Massa’s place. A large part of me hopes that he continues where he left off… but maybe not ahead of Kimi. The other part of me says that that era is gone and it’s time to let the new bread carry on with the torch. Either way, Ferrari F1 will be exciting to watch and with new twist, hopefully a new reign.
The Hungarian Grand Prix saw a mixture of emotions at the old order of Ferrari and McLaren worked their way back to the front and Brawn GP started to show some weakness and chinks in their armor.
Aside from the podium finish however, were several sides story that surrounded the weekend. Jaime Alguersuari is now the new Scudaria Toro Roso (Red Bull’s second string team) with the ousting of Sebastian Bourdais. The concord agreement is in the final stages of being signed. But the biggest news of the weekend was Filipe Massa’s accident. The Ferrari driver hit Rubens Barrichello’s spring that ejected from his car’s suspension, at high impact. Knocking the Brazilian unconscious he had a head-on collision with the tire wall. Emergency personnel moved to the Brazilian quickly and efficiently. He was airlifted to a hospital and had an emergency surgery done to relieve pressure on the brain and deal with his fractured skull. Althouh his health is improving, Ferrari seem optimistic on his return to Formula One however the doctors have yet to decide. We here at GripAndHammer.com wish Massa a fast recovery and a quick return to Ferrari.
Massa's Accident at the Hungaroring
The start of the Kimi was attempting to make up some grid position but got squeezed into other cars which brought an investigation and a decision to be determined at the end of the race by the stewards. They called it a racing accident and assest no penalty to Raikkonen or any of the cars involved.
Mark Webber was under investigation for aggressive driving while leaving the pit lane. We have yet to hear an official word on that action.
During the race, Fernando Alonso had a tire leave the car. The crew were unable to lock the wheel in place and two-thirds on the out-lap the Spaniard lost his front right wheel. Now the FIA have suspended them from the Valencia race but Renault have appealed the suspension.
So with Massa’s injury and time out, who will take his place? Also will this put on hold the Raikkonen rumors of his retirement and now it could be a Raikkonen and Alonso teaming up at Ferrari? Will there be any test drivers that will come forth to take the Brazilian’s place next to Kimi? There are four weeks till the next race so there’s time before Ferrari has to make a decision.
Raikkonen had a blistering pace the weekend and took second place to Louis Hamilton’s maden podium and win for 2009. It seems like the stars are finally start t align back up and everything is returning back to order. Now if Kimi can only get back on to the top of the podium… then it would be back to “perfect”.
Recent rumors are around that Kimi Raikkonen is planning a more full season in WRC and possibly moving away from Formula 1. This once again sparks and would solidify the other rumors about Fernando Alonso possibly moving to Ferrari next season. Kimi has sparked a recent interest in rallying by participating in a snow and tarmac rally earlier this year. Could Ferrari/Fiat be using Kimi as a test driver or test bed to get into the WRC? I “believe” that Kimi has a contract through 2010 but as we all know, contracts can be bought out (right McLaren Mercedes?).
Kimi Raikkonen Rallying
A post just put out by www.autoblog.com stating that the FIA have already dropped the charges against FOTA in hopes that it will help bring the two organizations back to the negotiation table. Although the post was interesting, I actually found that the responses were more interesting. Most people were still hoping that FOTA come up with their new race series and rules. They want to see the “cutting edge technology” return to open wheeled racing with little regulation.
This is both good and bad. As I’ve stated in earlier posts, that the FIA are heading in the right direction but they’re doing it in the wrong fashion. We have to remember that anytime there is a rule change, that it will end up costing the teams millions upon millions of dollars or pounds. There has to be a progression and a plan in place and not drastic jumps in rule changes (unless it will save money in the long run). Also remember the Formula One is supposed to be the example in which the auto industry will follow. F1 should be able to make more “green” cars and they should be able to use technologies that are not in cars. It’s not just about racing but about how that technology brings racing to the next level. Padel shifting is a great example of this, along with many others and it’s these types of technologies that work their way into our everyday cars (well… almost everyday, exotic sports cars).
I’m also surprised by the FIA backing down a little bit. I actually thought this was going to end in a stalemate with both actually creating their own sport. However we’ve seen that with the possiblity of the teams and the FIA working together. This may pan out for the fans and the teams. I’m not holding my breath though, we all know how Mr. Mosley can screw it up. The question is “How?”
For the many of you that have watched Formula One over the years and how the rules have changed back and forth over the years, I’m interested to hear your thoughts on FOTA versus the FIA. It’s well known that Ferrari, Red Bull (both teams) and others have voiced that they do not care for the multi-tier cars in one series as well as the sudden budget drop due to happen in 2010. Rumors are already around about Ferrari and other manufacturers joining another racing series or creating one themselves. Please feel free to voice your thoughts and support your answers.
Personally, I would like to see Ferrari and the other teams to stay in Formula One. However, the FIA need to change their thinking and make it attractive for fans, teams and marketing. The problem that I see now is that the FIA have the right intentions with bringing the cost of the teams down. However, too drastic of a drop can make it nearly impossible for a team that has already spent the millions to get their teams at the top. A great example of this is Red Bull. For years they were at the bottom of the grid. They worked hard and now they are starting to see the rewards of their efforts. Now with the budget caps new teams can come in (Brawn GP) and with little money and support can be at the top.
Having a multi-tier car system doesn’t work for a single championship. Not even Le Mans does that. They still separate the racing categories and give championship points separately even though they are run at the same time. This doesn’t work.
The other part the FIA are missing marketing the new 2010 series. They are looking to the past results of what Formula One has brought to the world of Motorsport. However, with these new rules how will this be beneficial to marketing teams as well as fan support? There is a spending cap for 2010 now, so having sponsorship dollars going to the car will be very limited.
Should FOTA run Formula One? Part of me says yes and the other part says no. You need to have an outsider’s input to the series to help keep the sport fair. However, I think that a large part of the decision making should be done with the inclusion of FOTA. These are the teams that put their money, safety and reputations on the line and they should have a say on what should and shouldn’t be allowed. I think that both FOTA and FIA have to work together to get the most out of the sport.
The last thing that I want to say is that I think that the FIA are losing the vision of the epitomy of what Formula One should be. This is the best of the best. EVERYONE wants to be in Formula One. This is where technology should thrive and cars should sore. This is where automotive discoveries need to be found. I agree that Formula One should also start to look at more inovative ways that keep with current trends and lifestyles. An excellent example of this would be the developments in the KERS (Kintetic Energy Recovery System) and bio-fuels. These are the steps that are in the right direction and these are the reasons why Formula One is and should be the highest form of motorsport.
Correction to the post below:
The Turkish GP is June 6th and the Le Mans is June 13th. Sorry for the confusion. Therefore last weekend would still stand as the best weekend in motorsports.
Original Article:
Many people will say that the Monacod Grand Prix along with the Indianopolis 500 has to be the greatest weekend in motorsports of the year. However, I personally would like to put that as the “second” greatest weekend in motorsports. Only because I personally rank Le Mans higher than that of the Indy Racing League (IRL). I would like to say that “this” weekend is the greatest weekend in motorsport because we have the 24-Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1 (Turkish Grand Prix). You are correct that the Indy 500 has great history behind it and the glamour of Monaco is not rivaled by any motorsport but the Indy 500, in my mind, boring and Monaco is too tight for it to be exciting with very little overtaking. The Circuit De la Sarth and the Turkish circuits are both exciting and they include some of my favorite forms of motorsport. Please check your local listing for television times.
Kimi Raikkonen at the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix
2008 Circuit De la Sarth
Following the Monaco Grand Prix, Ferrari have picked up the pace catching, but not passing the Brawn GP team. This is a significant boost to the Ferrari team to know that they are within reach of winning races again. Raikkonen finished 3rd and Massa finished 4th. It was good to see the Ferrari’s in front again. I was a little disappointed in Red Bull Racing with Vettle crashing out of the race. However, Webber did an outstanding job finishing in 5th place.
Now FOTA (Formula One Team Association) have filed provisional contracts for the 2010 season. This is mostly due to the multi teir system that the FIA are wanting to implement for the next season. Almost all the current teams (with the exception of Williams Toyota) have not signed for the 2010 season. However, new teams for next year have submitted for the 2010 season. Some of which are the USGP team, Lola and most recently, Prodrive. Ferrari will always be my number one pick… Kimi Raikkonen will always be my number one pick. However, I will be cheering for the USGP team and Prodrive. Prodrive is a favorite of mine only because of their success with the Subaru World Rally Team (being that I own a Subaru Impreza myself). David Richards did well with the BAR Honda team a couple of years back now and I hope to see him succeed in F1 once again.
Team Ferrari Tifosi; Scott Santiani, Daniel Lamb and Bernie Russnogle, won the Victory Racing Camp go-karting enduro this last Saturday. Reigning champs from the last race saw a new format to the endurance event, when only seven teams showed up for the fifteen team layout. So the organizers allowed for each team to run with two cars if they wanted. So our three person team devised a rotating plan to run twenty minutes in kart A, then transfer for another twenty minutes stint in kart B, then have a twenty minute rest before starting all over again.
We elected to start off with Dan in the 19 kart and Bernie in the 9 kart. Both karts seemed to be well tuned for the event. We were given three warm-up laps in which we had the chance to warm up the tires and get an idea of how the course was going to be. Once we lined up on the grid, kart 19 had a transmitter problem and was forced to take one more lap to ensure its functionality. This put Dan in last place and Bernie in first place on the grid. Upon the start of the race, Bernie maintained the lead into the first corner and Dan made a brilliant start jumping up several places before turn one. By the end of the first lap Bernie had already set several second lead and Dan had already made up ground for second place. For the first five laps or so Dan and Bernie traded positions and each turning fast laps. However some time before the tenth lap, Dan and Bernie were coming up on lap traffic, where Bernie took the inside line and Dan took the outside line; splitting the lapped person. Due to some miscalculations on the lapped kart, Dan was forced to take a wider line and then a mechanical failure of the drive belt caused him to lose control and end up in the grass in turn one. This was a disaster for the Tifosi (Kart B) team. However, keeping the charge going to ensure the placement wasn’t lost team Ferrari kept pushing. Ten minutes had gone by but with nothing sure about the Tifosi rejoining the race. Then Tifosi started back up and in a car that had a bad clutch. This equated to lower speeds and slower throttle response but grip was better than the Team Ferrari kart.
After twenty minutes had gone by we did our first exchange. Where Bernie came in first to send out Scott Santiani and then a couple laps later, Dan came in to exchange with Bernie for his second twenty minute stint. This is where we could tell the difference in the karts and how much different they really were. Scott Santiani, a SyKart indoor league champion, was blindingly quick in the Team Ferrari kart easily passing Bernie in the clutch-crippled kart. Twenty minutes later another exchange between the drivers took place.
Per the rules, each team had to stop at least four times with one of those stops being a mandatory four minute fuel stop. Finding a good time to come in for that stop was challenging and we decided on both cars to wait for the last exchange. With this in mind we changed up the strategy and sent in Team Tifosi into the fuel first. This would allow for more time to try and overtake cars that still had to do their fuel stop. Unfortunately this was a strategy that originally was a mistake by Bernie who called in Scott Santiani first. However, this mistake may have been a blessing in disguise. Being down a lap going into the fuel exchange, we were lucky to have better track position with less congestion after the fuel stop. Once both karts did their final exchange (Bernie in the number 9 kart and Scott in the 23 kart) we continued to push each other to overtake the team in third position. Our final result paid off and we ended up first and third. Team Ferrari won with 107 laps completed for the two hour event, five laps ahead of second place.
Once again Victory Racing Camp (www.victoryracingcamp.org) did a great job putting a flawless event together with an excellent BBQ to top it off. The next event will be August 22nd and we hope to see more team out there. Until then, Scott, Dan and Bernie will continue to practice to defend their title.
As of late, I’ve found myself not siding with the decisions of the FIA and Max Mosely. I’m finding it hard to believe that when a number of teams and supporters threaten to pull from the very heritage of the sport and the governing body won’t listen… then there’s a problem. Something has happened to the integrity of the sport and I’m afraid that it’s not just the teams that will suffer but the fans as well. I’m a Formula One fan but I’m slowly starting to pull my interests away from F1, if Ferrari and other manufacturers pull from the F1 Championship. It defeats the whole purpose of manufacturers participating in motorsports. I find it sad that an old, grumpy man cries like a little baby when he doesn’t get his way (a figure of speech Mr. Mosley, don’t get your panties all up in bunch. Although from last year’s tabloids it appears that he likes to be punished…) I understand that the FIA needs to put together rules and regulations and administer penalties when they are due. However, rule changes are usually changed, added, deleted or modified when there is a calling for it “and” for when teams request it; NOT when the governing body “feels” like it. I support Ferrari in their legal action against the FIA for implementing rules that did not go through the proper processes, regardless of the FIA “thinks”. The FIA is really starting to become a JOKE and I’m losing my interest in all of the FIA sanctioned events (i.e.: World Rally Championship and the lack of manufacturers in the now deemed, the Ford and Citroen show). I hope that the FIA will get their act together and start working “with” the teams and not “against” them. There should be happy mediums and better project planning. Think of it this way guys and girls… for every rule change it ends up costing the teams millions. Thanks for that!
