Despite low financing, the organization, experience and common sense win over technology and wealth. F1,Formule 1, construct, konstrukce

Despite low financing, the organization, experience and common sense win over technology and wealth.

Karel Jílek ,sr./foto J.Křenek | 21.4.09 | Komentáře - K.Jílek Sr. 2009

F1 comments Karel Jílek, jr.

After the third race this season, it is possible to review the news. The prologue was marked by FIA's changes in the rules, which, on one hand, left a lot of free space to technical imagination, on the other, came up with KERS, no matter the cost (up to $60mil. spent by one of the teams), justified by impossible expectations. This preface told the goats from sheep. While thousands of workers of factory teams, except for Toyota perhaps, who got strict limits, went on a spending spree on computer simulations without any useful effect. The remaining "guys from garage" saving every dollar, came up with an innovation that put them into the front.

This is true about Brawn, but also about Red Bull or Williams. The first of them built a perfect streamlined car, saving not only tires but also engine to achieve optimal grip. The second, thanks to the genius of Adrian Newey, features unrivalled front grip, which showed in both first wet races. The third made some clever innovations based on the principle of kid's gyroscopic car, different from dangerous and dysfunctional rolling power plants of the factory teams. The reactions to this reality are everlasting protests, cheating (McLaren) and disgusting insults (Briatore).And now something about the drivers. Formula 1 is a real showcase of the car racing, and the drivers are real top of their class. However, current rules and conditions under which they work allow them to exist far beyond the borders of self-preservation instinct. Without overstatement, you could say that in the 70s or 80s, with this attitude to racing, the half of the drivers would either be in a hospital or in a morgue. The current generation, which has grown up on simulators, don't care if they leave the circuit. They will not hit a wall like A.Senna, but will continue safely on the tarmac safety zone until they „by accident" cross the way of another, unsuspecting driver. Or, coming to the corner, they shoot their opponent off, get a new nose cone and go on. Nothing against sterile circuits, but all drivers faults should be punished. Exiting into the gravel and back, overspinning on the track etc., these are dangerous manoeuvres and deserve a drive-through or stop-and-go. Crash from behind - stop for upcoming races, or „unintentional" collision (speciality of M.Schumacher), disqualification from a season etc. Then, even Hamilton would behave himself.It is possible to summarize the performance after three races. On the top you can see both drivers of Brawn's, who have the best cars, enough experience and can focus enough, so as to avoid mistakes. The Toyota drivers follow. They are able to score points and if there wasn't the Trulli's fatal failure in the last event, also finish races. The Red Bull's drivers can get points on dry road, but mainly in wet, moreover, Vettel doesn't have a competition in wet conditions. Williams only has one problem, which is Nakajima. Though fast enough he makes mistakes quite often, which leaves Rosberg to win points, whose performance hasn't stabilised yet. From the factory teams, McLaren is the most successful, but their cars are hard to steer in the initial parts of corners, understeering at the exit, and they overspin easily. That calls for the drivers' mistakes. BMW uses different strategies for their drivers, Kubica with lighter car at the start, no KERS, while Heidfeld starts from the back with his tank full and KERS on. The start was unlucky for Kubica, two crashes out of three races is not the best you can get. Renault started with an uncompetitive car, Alonso is trying to compensate for that with his extreme effort and consequent mishaps. Piquet has been the biggest failure of the season so far. The remaining two teams without points are Force India, which was to be expected, even though Sutil at least gives it a try. On the contrary, the absolute fiasco is Ferrari. The cars are hard to control, Raikkonen didn't do as many mistakes in the whole last season as he has done this year. The team comes up with wrong decisions both in strategy and technology, which transfers, probably, into the motivation of the drivers. The result is a catastrophic situation heading towards a complete write-off of this season.During the Championship the difference between the teams would eventually be overcome, the technical finesse will be copied and the rich will come forward again.