As the Formula One circus makes a belated return to Montreal, Red Bull needs to refocus itself and prepare for an onslaught from the so-called F-duct brigade, led by McLaren-Mercedes.
In the aftermath of the now infamous collision between team-mates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel in Turkey, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and his advisor Helmut Marko certainly conducted a masterclass on how NOT to handle a racing incident between two title contenders.
This practice of drivers contacting their race engineers to hear whether their team-mates plan (or will be allowed) to overtake them contravenes the spirit of competition that is the cornerstone of motorsport… When there is a race victory or world championship title at stake courtesy and etiquette count for little… Imagine the dialogue between the German and his race engineer: “Um, do you think Mark would mind if I overtook him, if Christian says it’s alright?” “Hang on Seb, I’ll go and find out for you… Oh, okay, Mark suspected that you’d ask so he wants to know whether you are going to have a go at Turn Eight in two laps time… he’s being kind of shirty about it”. Vettel adds: “Hamilton’s really getting close and I’d prefer Lewis to be stuck behind Mark instead… Please ask him to leave me some room when I overtake him, I don’t want to go onto the marbles”.
I know I am being ridiculous here, but I am not the only one. After initially blaming Webber for the incident, the Red Bull team brass kicked into PR mode and coaxed their drivers to play nice for the cameras and say consolatory and commiserating things to, and about, one another in press releases and interviews. Then Webber’s contract got extended to the end of 2011 and Horner heaped a plethora of platitudes on the man whom he had earlier accused of ruining blue-eyed boy Sebastian’s race. It was a contrived and clumsy about-turn that partly illustrated why Red Bull was unable to win either world championship titles despite having the fastest car for the latter half of 2009.
McLaren did a slightly better job of managing Hamilton’s revelation that he’d been told by his race engineer that Button wouldn’t attempt to overtake him, even though the world champion eventually did and almost got through. “It was just an opinion, which proved to be incorrect,” team boss Malcolm Whitmarsh was quoted as saying in explanation of Phil Prew’s radio communication (broadcast in an F1.com race highlights video), but Hamilton’s slightly sulky attitude after the race suggested that he’d interpreted his race engineer’s statement as a fact and was not pleased by Button’s challenge.
Hopefully both teams have learned their lessons from the Turkish Grand Prix, but I do believe that there will be more wheel-bashing and collisions in races to come… there is a world championship at stake, for Pete’s sake. It would, however, serve the “no team orders” FIA well to take a close look at the role that race engineers (as de facto messengers of the management teams) play in determining the outcome of grands prix.
By the way, I certainly didn’t expect that fuel efficiency would be a crucial variable in Formula One in 2010, but at least it has spiced up the season following Ferrari’s curious slump.
Looking forward to this weekend, I know that I am supposed to be struck down by World Cup fever and yes, I am excited for our country’s sake, but I am also particularly excited to watch the Canadian Grand Prix. Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is notorious for safety cars, seas of rubber marbles and the infamous “Wall of Champions”. Most Formula One pundits expect McLaren-Mercedes to be very quick in Montreal, and expect the top speed-enhancing F-ducts to give Hamilton and Button the edge this weekend.
Perhaps the tide is about to turn against Red Bull Racing… And if McLaren-Mercedes is in the ascendancy after Canada, which driver will lead the team’s title charge for the rest of the season? Will the other one have any say in the matter? Watch this space.
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