On the Prospects of Formula E…

If the uncertainty surrounding the 2014 Formula One regulations isn’t enough to make the sport realize that its current trajectory is unsustainable, then the hype surrounding Formula E should.

Electricity, in all its simplicity, could very well be the key to the future of motor racing, and Formula E is the pioneer of the movement. Hybrid power and electricity are the Soviet Union and United States, respectively, in the motor racing “space race”, and we all know who has had the most success. in the WEC Audi, Toyota and Porsche are paving the way for hybrid power, and they should be commended for it, but ultimately, their endeavors are not infinitely sustainable.

Alejandro Agag, the man behind Formula E, is on a mission to completely revolutionize the way racing is approached, from the propulsion to the race format. Whether this will translate to dedicated fans is what this blog will try and gauge.

The propulsion

Clearly this will be the defining characteristic of the series. With Formula One switching to V6 engines for the 2014 season, fans all around the world prepared themselves, and continue to do so, for a letdown in the auditory department. Will the high pitched whir of the electric motor in a Formula E car awake our inner child and make us want to watch, or even listen? Judging by fans’ views on V6 engines, this could be where the spectacle falls short.

Or maybe not. We must remember that Formula E is not a Formula One competitor, nor is it even a feeder series. It is a standalone entity trying to forge its own path in motorsport. Perhaps this fresh perspective could alleviate fans’ reluctance concerning the sound of the sport.

The racing

The most important part of any racing series is the excitement of the event. Knowing who is going to win a race before it even begins is not how a racing series should be viewed, and this is something Formula One has tried to fix in the past few years with varying degrees of success. Certainly, the spec nature of Formula E will work in the series’ favor. A la Indycar, Formula E teams will be given identical chassis and power units, and it is up to the teams to find the most speed with different set ups, and, obviously, the skill of the driver.

This is Formula E’s biggest asset. While uncertainty will surround the championship in the first year just because it is so new, excitement can be attained through practical implementation of spec parts.

Now, making the whole series completely spec would be counterproductive. Afterall, this series is supposed to be the breeding ground for innovation in electrical propulsion. Freezing the regulations to make the racing close would go against the philosophy of the series. So, the biggest asset to the sport could end up being its biggest obstacle. How do you balance close racing with technical innovation? That is something Formula One has grappled with for decades, and is something Formula E will eventually have to face. Let’s hope they’re more successful.

The location

Formula E is slated to race in 10 “global cities”, as the championship likes to call them. Should the series become popular amongst the millions of mellenials that inhabit them, then job well done. Should it become a flop, at least amongst that demographic, then, while all is not lost, a rethink will need to be done.

Young people are one of the keys to Formula E’s success. With teens and young adults, on the whole, becoming less and less interested in cars, especially the notion of racing them around in circles over and over again, Formula E needs to find a way to encourage its viewers to A) want to come to the races and B) invest in the products that come out of it.

What is to come?

There are some big names throwing money into this project: Andretti, DAMS, Audi, Mahindra, Super Aguri, just to name a few. They need an investment return, and fast, because Formula E, for all its future implications, can be scrapped just as fast as any other racing series that has come and gone in recent years. The future of motor racing depends on that not happening.

Should Drivers Feel Obligated to Contribute Financially to their Teams?

Caterham team principal, Cyril Abetiboul, came out yesterday saying that Formula One drivers are wrong to be against actively bringing sponsorship to their teams, going as far to say that to not do so is “irresponsible”. I’ve struggled to accept what he has had to say ever since I read the story on AUTOSPORT, so I feel his statements need some breaking down.

To call a driver irresponsible by not wanting to actively contribute sponsorship to their team is an incredibly rude thing to say. For one, it undermines the work they do in the car which, frankly, only a small handful of people on the planet are capable of doing, and it undermines the preparation, personal sacrifice and physical and mental strain each driver puts themselves through to do their job. If they slacked in either of these aspects (and many other unnamed ones), then they would be completely outdone by their competitors, such is the similarity of the drivers’ worth ethics. So, to call their unwillingness to go out of their way to find money to bring to the team irresponsible, when they are hired to drive the car,  is outrageous.

You can see where he comes from, though. Times are tough, and Cyril know better than most anyone on the grid just how difficult it is to run a Formula One team the size of Caterham with their relatively puny budget. The financial strains will only be exacerbated by the new regulations and from losing out on 10th place in the 2013 constructors’ championship. Those vital millions are now gone. For Cyril to think that the drivers should feel obligated to help the team out as much as they can is a natural sentiment, especially when that is most likely one of the most important things on his own mind.

But this very description of these so-called “irresponsible” drivers is completely baseless. Surely he of all people knows why drivers are hired: to drive. Whatever money they bring is, frankly, a bonus.

“Almost all the drivers have a feeling that there must be some form of contribution that they make beyond their sporting duties.”

This was another statement that confused me. While I agree with the literal meaning of these words, our interpretations are different. He believes that this form of contribution is bringing in sponsorship. Directly.

I believe that drivers indirectly bring in sponsorship, regardless of what direct sponsorship comes from them. This goes back to the actual job of Formula One drivers. These athletes are contractually obligated to drive cars. That is their job. I would be surprised to learn that every driver’s contract states somewhere that they must meet a direct sponsorship quota. If that was the case, and a driver didn’t have any direct sponsorship to begin with, they would just pack their bags and look for other employment. No driver wants to subject themselves to the long and arduous sponsorship hunt. I say “subject themselves” for a reason, here.

It isn’t a surprise that most drivers object to the idea of paying a team directly for a drive. That, again, only serves to undermine that actual talent the driver possesses. It makes talent secondary. A fact especially apparent when you consider the declining quality of the Formula One field today.

So what do drivers contribute to a team beyond their sporting duties? Well, there is the sponsorship interest that comes as a result of the driving. That in itself is what kept the Brawn operation going in 2009. The car was naked early on in the season, but as results kept on coming, brands and companies wanted to be associated with the team. That was a major contributor to the team’s title success that year.

Then we must consider the numerous sponsorship events the drivers attend every year. Those are a heavy burden on the drivers who, most of the time, just want to go home and relax between Grands Prix. The sponsorship generated from events like those seems to have slipped Cyril’s mind. I would not be surprised if that was the type of contribution “most” drivers are thinking of.

It is also a fact that most drivers do not want to actively seek out direct sponsorship to help their quest for a Formula One seat. Take Felipe Massa, for instance. His drive with Williams in 2014 does not come without its financial perks for the team, obviously. They wouldn’t be able to survive without some sort of direct flow of money after losing PDVSA and Maldonado. But it is highly unlikely Felipe Massa went around asking for money from various companies in Brazil. I obviously don’t know for sure whether he did or not, but judging from his comments throughout last year as his seat at Ferrari came under increasing threat, Felipe wasn’t keen on looking for sponsors himself.

His sponsors came with him because he is who he is. He has a name in the sport, and a wonderful reputation as a hard worker and a multiple Grand Prix winner. That type of credibility can, and has, generated considerable financial interest in his own success. Companies want to be associated with a name like that. Do you think Fernando Alonso asked Santander to sponsor him, or do you think they took the hint that he was a brilliantly fantastic driver and thought, “Hey, maybe this guy could be successful! Let’s get in on that.”? This proves that the physical act of driving is its very own sponsorship generator. The need for direct monetary contribution cannot be underestimated, but it is not the be all end all of getting money in the sport.

This is why teams who perhaps are struggling financially need to take risks when hiring drivers. When Caterham first joined the sport in 2010, it had two paid drivers in Kovalainen and Trulli. It was understandable that they eventually couldn’t support them financially, and they had to be dropped, but the dreary list of successors has done the team no good to move it up the grid. Petrov, van der Garde and Pic are not potential champions, and their influx of cash clearly hasn’t been enough to overcome that fact.

Thus, Cyril’s comments have been rendered somewhat pointless. Driving talent will never, ever be topped. It is what pushes the sport forward, both qualitatively and financially. The likes of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso will never have to actively seek out sponsorship because their talent is more than enough to draw companies in. And sponsorship commitments? While not ideal, they are far from the most hated things among drivers. They can be fun sometimes. They are certainly more loved than the current influx of “pay drivers” we think are tainting our precious sport. Like I said in my last post, no driver currently in the sport doesn’t deserve to be their. It is all a matter of who deserves to be in the sport more, and their are certainly some drivers not in the sport right now, and even not in the frame to EVER be in the sport, who deserve a shot more than some who are in right now.

Cyril, we know where you’re coming from. We know times are tough right now. But before you go calling Formula One’s most important employees irresponsible, take a closer look at what they contribute on a regular basis. It might not be immediately tangible, but its results certainly are.

Pastor’s Perception and Pay Drivers: Bad or Misunderstood?

No driver currently in Formula One does not deserve to be there. What Formula One fans around the world fail to comprehend is that the drivers we all know deserve to be in Formula One but aren’t, are just more deserving than the ones we perceive to be undeserving, that are. The line is grey, not black and white. There aren’t a certain number of podiums, wins and pole positions in a certain number of junior categories that suddenly qualify you to race in Formula One. That isn’t how it works. If it was, then Daniil Kvyat wouldn’t have been signed by Toro Rosso to race for them in 2014 and nor would Kimi Raikkonen have been signed by Sauber.

But like I said, the line is grey, not black and white. There is a huge margin of error, you could say, that both Formula One fans and Formula One teams like to exploit in different ways. While the former will write off any driver who brings money that overshadows his junior CV, the latter will use the money to enhance a junior CV, making an unimpressive junior career seem more impressive than it really is by sneakily using the money he brings to sign him, while employing some conveniently vague wording to justify their decision. Just look at the press releases Sauber may make should they sign Sergey Sirotkin for 2014 and you’ll catch my drift.

But why do we hate pay drivers so much? There is a certain air of entitlement in Formula One these days. Should you have a rich father and are more than half-decent at racing then one season in Formula One suddenly isn’t as far-fetched as it may have seemed as a child. That is a fact of the sport.

But nothing is ever entirely given to a “pay driver” either. If it was, then half of the grids in GP2/3 and Formula Renault 3.5 would be gone. You still have to go racing. If there is money involved, then some mistakes or frankly bad driving is inevitably forgotten, at least by the investors behind the driver. A few crashes? Just pump in a couple million more dollars.

While it is not quite that simple, a lot of goes on in junior racing is compensation. Take Rodolfo Gonzalez. He is far from the best driver in the world, and his GP2 record is frankly embarrassing, but he isn’t the worst driver either, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten where he is. No team, regardless of how financially desperate, would take an outright terrible driver. Why then, has Rodolfo had so many pointless practice outings with Marussia then? The team is gaining nothing from them, as he is often two seconds off either Max Chilton or Jules Bianchi, and Rodolfo is gaining nothing other than an exciting afternoon because he isn’t realistically in the running for a race seat anytime soon. They guy is almost 30 years old for goodness sake. He makes these outings because PDVSA pays for them. They compensate the team for a wasted morning in return for a Formula One outing for one of it’s lesser F1 hopefuls. That is what really gets fans angry.

When a young driver is rumored to be in the running for an F1 seat, we immediately investigate how much money he has with him. If there isn’t any, then you can almost immediately write him off. If there isn’t money, but he is connected to a young driver scheme with another team, then you should still count him in the running. But, if there are millions upon millions behind him in the form of oil or banking or technology, and he has a decent or better junior career, then the seat is almost certainly his. Those are the facts of modern Formula One.

We are never going to get rid of pay drivers. While they may not be good for the sport, they are vital to its longevity. If there were no Maldonados, Perezes or van der Gardes, then the sport would not be here. They are what drives F1 forward in a time where manufacturers consistently avoid getting into the sport or threaten to leave. In a way, pay drivers are just another example of the privatization of Formula One. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, like any perceived negative in life, it must be used in moderation. Should the number of pay driver proliferate, then there would be a problem, but there aren’t that many right now. The sport is not doomed because of Max Chilton and Pastor Maldonado. Far from it. But we as fans have such an idealistic view of what the sport should be that we forget that the sport has to be.

With Pastor Maldonado’s Lotus signing today, the issue of pay drivers was once again shoved into the faces of every Formula One fan. Yes, Nico Hulkenberg deserves to be in that seat. His performances in the second half of 2013 are more than justification for Lotus to sign him. But Maldonado is not undeserving of the seat either. He is just far less deserving than Nico is. That is the grey margin we find ourselves in today. We would all love for there to be a black and white distinction between who deserves to be in a top seat and who doesn’t. But we will never get that. In fact, the sport depends on there being some ambiguity between the deserving and the undeserving. Otherwise, their vital millions would never get into the sport.

There is a question I want everyone who reads this to think about long and hard: Would you rather watch Formula One with many great drivers and a few average, or no Formula One at all?

 

Dawn of a New Era

It’s always darkest before the dawn, they all say, and while the Brazilian Grand Prix plays host to two the final outings of two [relatively] historical partnerships between Felipe Massa and Ferrari, and Mark Webber and Red Bull, there is much to look forward to come 2014.

Doom-mongers set aside, the attitude heading into next season is largely positive. New technology always spawns some issues, yes, but the task of facing new environmental challenges head-on with improved technology is something the sport will have to get used to, for the times demand that adaptability is placed above stubborn longevity of the norm. The status quo is no longer an option, and that makes me even more excited to see what is to come.

Whether the sport can sustain itself financially is another matter, for while facing new challenges is noble and admirable, there is no use trying if you have no means of even starting. Where will Caterham, Marussia and other cash-strapped teams be in five, ten, fifteen years’ time? Heck, where will Red Bull even be in that time frame? No one really knows. But we do know that 2014 will be a year of growth for the sport. It is testing its limits with the new regulations, but if 2014 is successful perhaps a path for economic sustainability can be forged. Time will tell.

Technologically, next season will be a wake-up call. New V6 turbo power units replace the rather antiquated naturally aspirated V8s, while energy recovery technology reach new heights and breadths. The scope of electricity is certainly being tested next year, and that is putting the fear of God into those wary of the auditory experience of Formula One.

Certainly, the sound of these new engines will be different. Change scares people, and even for a progressive sport like Formula One, the changes for next season will come as a shock. The sound of the new V6s will still impress, no doubt. The quality of the sound, however, may not for some people. Trying to make every Formula One fan happy is an impossible task. Just ask Pirelli how easy their job has been over the past three years and you’ll get a sense of the monumental task the sport faces in retaining some fans.

These regulations are polarizing in nature. They demand a completely new approach to watching racing from fans, for not only are the engines, energy recovery systems and tires playing a vastly greater role in the sport next season, the fuel itself will create a new racing environment. Fuel conservation will be stressed in 2014, and many are concerned it will dilute the quality of the racing on track.

But the worry, when you really think about it, needn’t overpower everything.

It was not so long ago that re-fuelling was a part of Formula One, and many will rejoice in the expanded role fuel levels will take on next season. If you think about it, the fixed amount of fuel allowed for each car in a race (100 kg) is not too dissimilar to racing with re-fuelling. The overwhelming similarity between the two is that they both require some amount of fuel saving. That was not such a huge concern just a few years ago, and just like tire conservation, some cars will be better at it than others. But the philosophy of driving to a delta, just like with the Pirelli tires of today, remains unchanged. It seems to me that F1 fans should be used to cars driving to a delta by now. It’s been a part of the sport since its inception. Some deltas allow for the driver to push their limits, others not. But the notion of driving within a car’s limit, for the simple fact of finishing the race, at least, is nothing new.

Formula One fans will have a lot to get used to next year, that much is for sure. But that is no cause for concern. It is much better to embrace the changes than moan about them, because the old ways are gone for good. They are not going to, and cannot, come back. So, this is a request to all who remain wary of the changes coming in 2014. Stay positive, because while the differences may seem overwhelming, there is much that will be familiar, and much to learn to enjoy.

 

Could Perez be Lotus’s Savior?

Now that Sergio Perez has officially announced he is leaving Mclaren, its time to officially add him to the mix of drivers currently looking for employment in 2014. Speculation has no place here. This is real uncertainty for Sergio.

It’s hard to deny that Perez was given a pretty tough set of circumstances to deal with in 2013: a bad car, a teammate at the top of his game (at the end of 2012, at least), tricky tires, more media/sponsorship commitments than ever before, national pride always pressuring him, oh, and a bad car. All of these factors conspired against Sergio and eventually clouded what really hasn’t been a bad season for the Mexican. Sure, it has been far from what he expected, and some mistakes on his part have prevented him from scoring more points than he has now (Monaco comes straight to mind), but considering all of the setbacks mentioned before, Sergio has been a solid performer this season.

Perez’s departure, then, would seem as something of a surprise to the casual onlooker; surely since it was not Sergio’s fault that the car was uncompetitive, the only fair thing to do would be to give him another chance in a much more competitive car to see what he can really do. Mclaren, in all likelihood, would have taken this path, had their priorities not gotten in the way.

I can completely understand the Perez sympathizers in this situation. I agree that he deserves another chance in the car when it is more competitive and representative of his talent, of which there is plenty. But I do understand the commitments Mclaren have to their own, that is, to Kevin Magnussen. It is rare to get the chance to put a rookie in a top team these days. It’s been six years since Lewis Hamilton made his splash into the F1 scene. Mclaren would be silly to turn down an opportunity like this, and looking for any way to do so is understandable.

We must also not forget that Perez is not a Mclaren man. He was a Ferrari protégé just days before the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix, destined for greatness alongside Fernando Alonso in 2013 and as the team leader once the Spaniard left. But then Lewis Hamilton left Mclaren. That meant the team had some frantic searching to do to find a suitable, or at least suitable enough, replacement for their 2008 champion. At that time Perez was the man to watch, having just scored his third podium of the season at the previous race in Italy after, ironically, almost chasing down Hamilton for the win. Importantly, he was out of contract for 2013 with Sauber. That gave Mclaren some pretty serious leverage when it came time for contract negotiations.

Many rightly criticized Mclaren’s decision to sign Perez. I still believe he was not meant for the seat. Nico Hulkenberg was the man to sign, and that became even more clear at the Brazilian Grand Prix. But his lack of “standout” performances at that point in the season (though his fourth and fifth place finishes in Belgium and Valencia, respectively, were extremely impressive) meant he was at a disadvantage when it came to making his case to Mclaren as to why they should sign him for 2013.

One year-and-a-bit later, and now Perez is gone. Almost like he wasn’t even there at all. One can almost here the name “Kovalainen” ringing in one’s head as the words of Perez’s classy, respectful, but rather sad, letter are read aloud.

The driver market is now busier than it has ever been, with Perez, Pastor Maldonado and Nico Hulkenberg the three key players in this rather confusing tale of the silly season. This is how it all plays out, though: Should Lotus’s deal with Quantum fall through (remember, it isn’t officially done, just agreed to on both sides of the deal i.e. Quantum and Lotus), then money from a driver is of vital importance.

Pastor Maldonado has been the favorite candidate for that seat should the situation play out in the manner described above. But Maldonado’s millions are not as secure as we may have once thought.

AUTOWEEK reported in its most recent issue that all “disbursements of hard currency to automobile and motorcycle racers (from Venezuela) who compete abroad” have been “frozen” as the Venezuelan government investigates a corruption scandal. That means Maldonado shouldn’t sit pretty just yet. That $48 million a year in precious oil money could all but disappear just when it would come in its most handy.

Enter Sergio Perez.

His Telmex money, once a major sponsor for Sauber when the Mexican was a driver there in 2011 and 2012, could be put to use in securing him a drive at the Enstone-based squad for 2014. Perhaps not quite as sizable as Maldonado’s sponsorship, Perez’s backing from Telmex would still ensure whichever team was the recipient was far from scared for its financial future. This is where the Mexican’s more highly regarded talent would come in handy. The fact that he isn’t labeled a crash-happy nutcase puts him a step ahead of Pastor. While the mistakes have been cut down vastly in 2013, it takes more than just obscurity on the grid to erase a name like that. Just ask Romain Grosjean.

Sergio Perez may have ended the day a sad fellow, but all is not lost. He could just have set himself up for a future at a team that now has the capability to beat Mclaren on a regular basis. That is something to smile about.

The Curious Case of Kimi Raikkonen

Now that the dust has settled over Lotus’s deal with Quantum Motorsports, I’ve been reflecting on Kimi Raikkonen’s season. There is a very close connection between the monosyllabic Finn and the millions of Euros secured through the Enstone squad’s commercial partnership, being that much of the drama surrounding Kimi’s departure from the team at the end of this season was hinged on Lotus’s inability to secure the deal in a timely manner.

A sudden development the deal with Quantum wasn’t. The process was utterly painful in its duration, and perhaps hints at a weakness in the Enstone team’s ability to manage success (sounds crazy, right?). They are no stranger to success, nor are they to demanding drivers, but you could say they are out of practice. Before Lotus’s fantastic double podium in Bahrain last season, no driver of Enstone “heritage” had appeared on any of the top-3 steps since Nick Heidfeld just over a year before in Malaysia. And before 2012, they hadn’t had to deal with a “big name” driver since 2009, when Fernando Alonso was in his second year at the team, then known as Renault, after an…interesting…year at Mclaren. And before THAT, the team hadn’t won a championship since 2006. Indeed, the stretch of time between championship successes since 2006 is long–indeterminable, in fact, as this season’s title was wrapped up early, and not in either Kimi or Romain’s name.

So, it has been a while since Enstone has been on a constant diet of success. But that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to handle it. They are a clever bunch, especially since Eric Boullier took over as team principal in 2010. He has arguably been the guiding light of the team in their quest for glory once again.

When Lotus took on Kimi Raikkonen for 2012, they knew what they were getting into. Kimi is a no-nonsense, straightforward guy who, if things go his way, or at least don’t get out of control, is a perfectly amicable, often funny man. Up and down the paddock ring similar sentiments. He is a nice guy that means business when the time calls for it.

2013 was that time.

He proved the year before that he was in fact a motivated driver. He proved it time and time again when he drove perhaps just beyond the limits of the car to stay in championship contention until the third-to-last race. There were no questions about his motivation. At least until recently.

The success of 2012 allowed for the business Kimi to come out. No longer was Formula One just about driving the car fast and then going home on Sunday night. Formula One was now a part of his life he was fully committed to, and he underlined that commitment by winning the season opener in Australia. That will undoubtedly go down as one of the favorite wins of the season, despite it being a rather chaotic race in terms of tires. That drama took a backseat to the Kimi win.

Kimi turned out to be quite the credible championship contender in 2013. That fire has gone out in the wake of Sebastian Vettel’s seven consecutive wins, clearly, but every weekend, you can never count out Kimi to make a surprise. That undoubtedly added to the disappointment that was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. We all desperately wanted to see what Kimi could do from the back of the grid.

But just as Kimi’s championship challenge gained traction in the opening races of the season, it dwindled by the summer break, when the team’s struggles to get their “Device” working properly shed light on the team’s underlying financial woes. That was the first tangible, if you like, example of Lotus’s weakness. The reports, however, spoke for themselves: “Lotus reports huge losses from 2012” was not an uncommon headline from the summer break. The alarms were ringing loud and clear, and Kimi was the first to hear.

This is where the title of this post comes into play, though. When money troubles reared its ugly head, why did Kimi decide to jump ship? Undoubtedly, Kimi sought assurance that the team’s competitiveness would stay over the coming years. No driver wants uncertainty in that department. But the move came across, to this writer at least, as slightly hypocritical. Kimi came back to Formula One to drive and fight for wins. He didn’t want the drama that came from Ferrari between 2007-2009, and Lotus offered the best balance of competitiveness and drama. Until he moved teams, ironically.

It was soon after Kimi’s confirmation at Ferrari that Lotus began to worry about its finances. Rumors that the Finn was yet to be paid and that numerous employees had their paychecks delayed only fueled the fire of the team’s supposed demise. Indeed, it did look like Lotus’s time in F1 was limited.

All this uncertainty surrounding the deal with Quantum, who the team would hire to replace Raikkonen and when Raikkonen would be paid culminated at (really just before) the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Kimi threatened to not race the last three events if he wasn’t paid.

I was disappointed at his approach to the situation. You can’t blame the guy for wanting the money due to him. Being a Formula One driver is not an easy job, and when you struggle to get the top results you want as your teammate makes a surge in competitiveness, all you really want is to be paid, at least. Kimi was perfectly right in saying there was a line that Lotus was about to cross. What I struggle to wrap my head around is why Kimi made such a big deal about not being paid.

I know this sounds very simplistic, but three races would not have killed the guy. It would have been much better for Kimi, the team and their future commercial partners if he had just waited out the rest of the season to work out his finances. His threat to not race the final three events put his team, which has remained faithful, loyal and understanding when many would have lost their patience, in an incredibly vulnerable and negative light. It was a disservice to Lotus and the fantastic opportunity they gave to Kimi at the beginning of 2012. That is why this post is about the curious case of Kimi Raikkonen. For all the drama he seeks to avoid, why did he go and create some of his own?

I wish that camera had not shown Kimi leaving the Yas Marina circuit in his car after he was knocked out of the race on the first lap. I really wish it hadn’t. It only served to perpetuate the unfortunate situation Lotus and Kimi have found themselves in. We can only hope now that the influx of cash from Quantum Motorsports will help prevent a similar situation to this from ever happening again. No team should have to endure it.

Second In Championship Promises Lotus More Than Just Bragging Rights

Lotus could buy themselves some time by securing second in the constructors’ championship this season. How? Well, the millions in prize money offered to the top-10 in that championship is often the difference between success and failure in next year’s campaign. That stuff is obvious, though. Lotus, however, could solve their driver problem (yes you can call it a problem at this point), by securing the “best-of-the-rest” spot in the standings.

Should the team finish where they are now (4th), Lotus would be in exactly the same financial position they find themselves in at the moment. And it isn’t all too comfortable a position. The Enstone-based team’s financial woes have been the most publicized aspect of the 2013 championship besides the silly season and “Testgate” from early this summer. That says a lot about the importance about financial security in Formula One. Of the top teams, Lotus is the only one without a car manufacturer or global mega-company funding the team’s budget. In fact, Lotus is very small in terms of what it has to spend compared to its direct rivals. Just look at how they have done compared to Mclaren this year and you see just how well Lotus has spent and divvied up its funds this season. The late introduction of its long-wheelbase chassis also attests to their financial savvy.

But Lotus is far from financially secure. Their financial needs have been covered every which-way by the media this season, particularly the struggle to secure a deal with Quantum Motorsports (formerly Infinity Racing). The deal is said to provide funding for a major step up in competitiveness for Lotus, a five-year plan the team has been preparing to implement for years now.

It hasn’t been a smooth ride, though. Time after time, we have heard Eric Boullier promise the deal is days from completion, followed by a frustratingly vague statement about how the “details” still need to be sorted out once those promised days have passed. A never-ending cycle, it seems.

It would certainly seem that way for Nico Hulkenberg who has, inarguably, shined the brightest in the second half of the season. Behind Vettel, you wouldn’t be blamed for saying he has been the most impressive driver from the whole field since the summer break. His connections to the vacant seat at Lotus were almost made subconsciously by the public once news broke that Kimi Raikkonen would be leaving for Ferrari. It seemed obvious he would be the best candidate for the seat.

The trouble Lotus have been having with Quantum means that second in the championship could make or break Nico’s future with the team; a future everyone says could (and very well should) begin in 2014.

Should the deal not come through by the time the season comes to a close, or even by the time the month is out, then second in the championship could be the difference between Lotus taking on Hulkenberg, or settling with Pastor Maldonado and his millions of oil dollars. No disrespect to the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix winner, but consensus in the paddock, on the internet, and basically everywhere Formula One is discussed, is that Nico is the best young driver out there for quite some time. Perhaps since a certain other German came along in 2007…

Bragging rights are meaningless unless you have the goods to back it up the following season. Obtaining second in the championship is just what Lotus needs (I mean REALLY needs) to cover the immense costs of 2014, and it would allow for the team to take on Hulkenberg should their deal with Quantum take longer than expected. With the clock ticking, that is looking like a real possibility.

For the sake of Lotus and Nico Hulkenberg, let’s hope Romain can keep that podium streak going.

Pirelli with the Upper Hand…For Once

There is something seriously wrong with a sporting entity when one of, if not THE, most important of its partners threatens to quit; full-stop, no regrets, quit. Pirelli has been subjected to some of the worst working conditions in the history of the sport, so their threats are completely understandable.

These are not empty threats. Pirelli would be fully justified in their decision to quit supplying tires to Formula One. A lucrative business Formula One is, it is not whiteout its headaches. As the sole supplier, Pirelli has all the pressure resting upon its on-track performance. In a way, Pirelli’s reputation is similar to that of a competing team: results matter. While there isn’t a tire manufacturer championship (wouldn’t that be fun, though?), results in terms of quality, durability and usability are the lifeblood of Pirelli in Formula One; they ensure the company’s place in the championship just as podiums and wins and points ensure Ferrari or Mclaren doesn’t pack up and leave.

It would come as no surprise, then, to hear that Pirelli would not hesitate to quit should its desires–nay–needs not be met just as the teams’ are. The recent strategy meeting this past Monday included Pirelli, but none of its desired points of discussion were mentioned. With only four races to go in the season, preparations for 2014 should be, and are, well underway back in Pirelli’s manufacturing plant in Turkey. But in order to ensure the Formula One teams are getting the best product possible from Pirelli in 2014, significant preparations must be made. The most important of which is testing.

Pirelli were recently denied permission to test their prototype tires at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX with a two year-old Mclaren because of fears Mclaren would benefit from the knowledge of the still-new track. The stupidity and unnecessary nature of this denial only serves to accentuate the issues with Formula One already laid bare for all to see.

Let’s get over the fact that Pirelli were denied permission to test. That isn’t what this is about. Pirelli’s threats now put them in a great position of leverage when it comes to their future desires.

Pirelli could easily pull out of the sport. It would save them a great deal of money, and it would help their already shaky reputation. Should Pirelli leave, Formula would be comprehensively stuck for 2014. It would be impossible to find a tire supplier in time for them to construct reliable tires for the huge demands of the new technical regulations. Formula One absolutely CANNOT let Pirelli go. It would put the whole championship in jeopardy, to the point that it might have to be skipped entirely for 2014. But F1 won’t let that happen. They can’t.

Pirelli will be able to test, because they are the only thing keeping the sport together, in a way. If there are no tires, there is no championship. Simple as that. Pirelli wants to test in Brazil immediately following the season finale with teams willing to stay on. That seems a simple request. All the teams would be there anyways, and there isn’t another race to head off to. Yes, the new cars need to be built, but preparations are already so far underway at this point that a one or two day test wouldn’t make a difference.

This makes complete and total sense. Too bad Formula One doesn’t have a great track record with the whole logic thing. I understand completely. Sometimes I get confused when plain and simple facts are spelled out for me in an easy to understand way. You never know, they could be trying to trick you.

But, as I said, Formula One cannot afford to not give in to Pirelli’s demands. The reputation of the sport relies on their compliance. This is why Pirelli holds all the cards in this situation. And I mean ALL the cards. The FIA has no credible argument for denying Pirelli this necessity.

Let’s hope logic dictates the outcome of this unfortunate situation.

What is Wrong With Formula One’s Decision-Making Process?

A lot, would be the simple answer.

Formula One’s new strategy group met yesterday to discuss all manner of sporting related topics such as tires, cost control and future rule changes. This all sounds wonderful, especially considering the difficulty that often accompanies any changes to the sporting regulations. What is not wonderful, however, are the entities missing from the discussion.

Whereas Marussia and Caterham would have had as much input into the decision-making process in the old Strategy Group, FOTA (Formula One Teams Association), they were nowhere to be seen in yesterday’s meeting. In fact, only half of the current Formula One teams have any input at all in the group. A so-called “Heritage” group of teams consisting of Red Bull, Ferrari, Mclaren, Mercedes, Lotus and Williams, along with representatives from the FIA, FOM and Pirelli are the sole movers and shakers driving sporting innovation forward. This is where the problem emerges.

It isn’t hard to see the logic in the makeup of the group. You could argue that these six teams are the most “important” of all, so their needs are placed slightly above the rest. But that is a very subjective stance to take on a matter that really should be approached with as much objective pragmatism as possible.

The problem we now face is that the sport’s elite are making major decisions. “Elite” isn’t a fun word to use, but Formula One brought this criticism upon itself when it decided that placing the opinions of one team over another was a good idea when regarding the longevity of the sport. Formula One has decided that Marussia and Caterham, Toro Rosso, Force India and Sauber, the sport’s fourth oldest team I might add (now there’s heritage for you), are not important enough to the sport to warrant an opinion from them. They weren’t present at the meeting yesterday, and neither were their concerns.

Eliminating the minority is a dangerous thing to do in any political situation. It renders the needs and concerns of an integral part of a population unimportant and not worth the time of the rest of the group or, in this case, the future of the sport.

Arguably the most important issue in Formula One today is cost control. Every bone of contention in the sport, be it the role of tires in racing, the lack of testing, the 2014 regulations and their impact on smaller teams (this concern won’t be as intensely voiced for reasons now apparent) or the need for pay drivers, stems from the elephant that is cost control.

It is a big elephant indeed, and it’s presence is a testament to how long the head honchos of the sport have taken, and are still taking, to resolve it. Cost control is a polarizing issue. In a simple world, there are two ways to solve polarization: talk it out in a respectful manner, making sure all sides of the argument are voiced in a bid to come to a decent compromise, or to eliminate one side of the argument from the discussion completely.

It seems the new strategy group has taken the latter route. Sure, one could argue that Williams (and perhaps Lotus) will be the staunch voices of reason in the midst of the cash-happy world Red Bull and the other teams live in. This could be the case. But considering it takes a 70 percent majority to make decisions in this strategy group, it would take a miracle for any left-field suggestions to gain any traction.

Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley was quoted by Autosport saying of the strategy group, “I think the process we’ve had of Sporting/Technical Working Groups has served Formula One well. Yes, it’s got downsides, and it’s frustrating sometimes in terms of its ability to deliver quick results, but it’s a balanced approach in terms of measuring what the overall needs of Formula One are, as opposed to looking through the eyes of four very, very well-funded teams”.

This quote is extremely telling. First it reveals the inherent frustrations of being excluded from important discussions regarding F1 and secondly it underlines, quite subtly, the issue with the group’s members: they are very, very well-funded.

If this group is a balanced way of gauging the needs of the sport as a whole, then why are his and the rest of the excluded teams, as well as Williams and Lotus, being financially run into the ground without any means of getting out? There is something extremely angering about the way the sport has blatantly disregarded the desperate need for collective (all the teams) discussion about the direction of the sport in favor of appeasing the four richest teams. The final kick in the teeth comes from the thinly veiled and pathetic attempt at including the voice of the “masses”, so to speak, in the form of Lotus and Williams. Even these two are vastly better funded than some of the other teams struggling to get by.

We may applaud the decisions made at the end of yesterday’s strategy group meeting. It may mark the first time in a long time that real decisions were made regarding Formula One’s future. But the nagging feeling that much of the field will potentially suffer as a result of not having their opinions heard will always taint the legacy of this group.

The “elite” is undermining the needs of the Formula One grid. When Red Bull pulled out of FOTA it was only a matter of time before the rest of the grid followed suit. This is when Ecclestone took the opportunity to help form this new strategy group of the sport’s elite. It is a sad day, indeed, when the needs of others are disregarded. The sport will surely suffer for it in the long term.

 

 

It’s the Fickle Teams that are to Blame for Pirelli Drama

Pirelli has been under a lot of pressure this season, and indeed every season since it returned to the sport. This pressure, though, hasn’t stemmed from the company’s inability to build tires properly, but from the teams’ fluctuating reactions to its tires.

Two recent races in Italy and in Korea have shed further light onto this situation, one in which completely different views of Pirelli’s tires are made clear from the same people.

Much of the media was yawning during the Italian Grand Prix for its lack of strategic variation. The preferred strategy was, of course, a one-stop, for the medium and hard compounds brought to the race made it a relatively easy task. But Pirelli came under fire, as it did during the latter half of the 2012 season, for being too conservative in its approach to the race. Those criticizing, however, seem to have failed to take into account the fire and fury Pirelli endured during and after the British Grand Prix this year, when multiple, violent tire explosions plagued the race.

In Korea, Pirelli was scrutinized for precisely the opposite reason. The supersoft and medium compound tires offered a variety of strategy options between what tires to start on and whether a two or three-stop strategy worked best.

Drivers like Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber couldn’t have been more displeased with the tire choices for that weekend, as they both complained that the supersoft tire would not even last a whole lap during qualifying.

In response, Pirelli Motorsport boss, Paul Hembrey, suggested Alonso and Webber take a few lessons from Sebastian Vettel on how to work the tires, because he wasn’t experiencing any issues. Hembrey later apologized for his statements, but his rebuttals do make a lot of sense.

The tires are as durable as you make them. Yes, they have their limits, but degradation can be managed with the careful application of patience. That isn’t to say Alonso and Webber are impatient, but there is a sense that they are either unwilling, or perhaps incapable, of truly succeeding in the Pirelli era.

Hembrey pointed out his frustration at the Korea disputes today. “We’ve come off the back of Monza where everyone moaned that they were falling asleep because it was a one-stop race and nobody knew what to write about”, said Hembrey of the recent criticism. “So you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t sometimes” he continued. “I just wish people would let us know what they want.”

Ironically, Ferrari and Fernando Alonso discovered a brilliant solution to the problem during the Spanish Grand Prix this season. The Scuderia put the Spaniard on a four-stop strategy. This allowed him to push for the entire race and, eventually, win. This strategy came received a lot of criticism from fans saying that four-stops was entirely too many for one race. They seem to forget that in 2011, a time when a four-stop strategy should have been much more shocking, Sebastian Vettel employed a four-stop strategy to win the very same race. No one complained then.

Pirelli has been doing everything right since 2011. It is the teams who, for some unknown and increasingly frustrating reason, make Pirelli’s life, and our enjoyment of the sport, much more difficult. When the teams decide whether they want tires with degradation, many pitstops and lots of tire conservation or whether they want durable tires, easy strategy and boring races, then Pirelli will finally get the break they deserve, because at least there will be a desired direction for them to take.