Categories
2018 Racing Season

F1 2018 – A Glance in the Mirror

The 2018 racing season has come and gone like Jean Alesi entering the stadium at the old Hockenheimring in the ‘94 Ferrari V-12, blasting past the start finish line at 16,000 rpm and motoring off into the forest for another 1:45 lap.   As we head into the dark days of winter, it’s time for a little reflection to make sense of this latest chapter of the motor racing saga.

 

So what did we learn?  

 

First and foremost, we were reminded that Hamilton and Mercedes are just a little better than Vettel and Ferrari.  I think it’s safe to say that Ferrari arrived in Melbourne in 2017 and 2018 with a slightly better package than Mercedes, but throughout the course of 21 races, Hamilton has been the more consistent operator and Mercedes has gained the edge in the development war.  In fact, there is a trend here that Ferrari will need to address if the Scuderia intend to win another title. Namely, how they interpret the FIA imposed two week summer break. From the outside, it seems like Ferrari goes into the tank each year after the break while Mercedes discover their sweet spot.  Can it be as simple as the Italian based team spending their two weeks bobbing in waves and sipping cocktails while Toto has a secret command center in a small barn in the German countryside where engineers are hard at work 24/7?

 

Check out these numbers-  Through Hungary 2017 and 2018 combined points:

 

Vettel 391

Lewis 401

 

Post Hungary combined points:

 

Vettel 246

Lewis 370

 

To hammer this point home, Lewis has won 11 GP’s after the break to Vettel’s 2, while their pre-break totals are Lewis 9 wins to Vettel’s 8.  This can’t all be down to the circuits in the second half of the season favoring the handling characteristics of the Mercedes over the Ferrari.  There is something else at play here that needs to be examined in more detail. I’m not a sports psychologist, but I have a blog so that makes me qualified to offer my professional opinion on the psychological battle between our two championship protagonists.

 

Here then is the B.E.V Hot Take brought to you by Hanks’s CD’s and VHS Tapes:  Life looks to be one big celebrity jet setting adventure for Lewis while Vettel appears to prefer the quiet life.  Yet when they turn up to the track, it is Lewis who is better able to absorb the pressure and make the correct split second critical decisions that win races and championships.  My advice for Vettel: Quit playing with your garden gnomes and get out to the nearest fashion shows and nightclubs. And while you are at it, get a few tats and date a pop star or two.  Trust me, the weekend at the race track will feel like a pressure free relaxing getaway after all that chaos and you may quit spinning the car out every time you make a little contact.

 

What else?

 

The pursuit of the mythical Triple Crown is alive and well and Fernando Alonso is knocking at the door.  To recap, winning the triple crown of racing involves winning Monaco, Indy and LeMans. Graham Hill is the only driver who has captured this impressive trio to date.  After seeing the way Alonso adapted to driving at the speedway in 2017, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him join Mr Hill in the Triple Crown Club someday in the near future, but winning Indy involves a lot of luck.  Case in point, Mario and Michael Andretti only have 1 win in a combined 45 attempts at the brickyard.

 

Contemplating Alonso’s run at the triple crown and his recent test in the #48 Cup car has me thinking about a few recent drivers with cool well rounded resumes.  We know about the legendary exploits of Mario, AJ, Gurney, Clark and Stewart, who participated in a period when the drivers were men and they would race anything with four wheels and an engine, but here are a few of my favorite modern day all rounders:

 

Juan Pablo Montoya:  F3000 champ, CART champ, Indy 500 Champ, Monaco winner, NASCAR Cup winner, Daytona 24hr winner.  He may be missing the LeMans win, but when you add in a Nascar Cup win, that puts JPM in the Mario-Gurney class.  Shoot this guy was/is so good he tied Dixon for the 2015 Indycar championship and would have won it if not for the silly double points season finale at Sears Point.  

 

Jacques Villeneuve: CART champ, Indy 500 champ, F1 champ, LeMans runner-up, pole sitter and podium finisher in NASCAR nationwide series, made starts in just about every other series under the sun including Nascar Cup, Aussie V8 Supercar, FE, World Rallycross, etc.  Love him or hate him, a young Jacques was exciting.

 

Nelson Piquet Jr:  Okay I can hear you crying foul over this call but look at the total body of work.  South American F3 champ, British F3 champ, F3000 runner up, F1 podium finisher, Nascar Craftsman Truck winner, Nascar Nationwide winner, FE champ, 4th overall in Global Rallycross, many other starts across numerous disciplines.  Young Piquet even randomly entered the 2015 Toronto Indy Lights race for Carlin and put the car on pole but was taken out in the race.

 

Tony Stewart:  Sprint car champ, Indycar Champ, NASCAR champ

 

Robbie Gordon:  CART winner, Nascar Cup winner, BAJA off road legend.  I still think this guy had the natural talent of anybody.

 

Mattias Ekstrom:  DTM champ, World Rallycross champ, two NASCAR Cup starts.

 

Other cool feats:

 

F1 & Indy Car champ:  Emmo, Nige, Mario, JV

F1 & MotoGP champ:  John Surtees

 

Lake Speed – 1978 World Karting champ over Senna and Nascar Cup winner

 

AJ Allmendinger – Atlantic Champ, CART winner, Nascar Cup winner, Daytona 24hr winner

 

Whenever I get into this mode I start to daydream about what Senna would have done post F1.  Would he still be showing up today and strapping on the overalls in IMSA or WEC? Can you imagine how cool it would have been watching him in sports cars or the 500?  Just the thought of seeing him at Laguna in the fan friendly US paddock has me giddy. What a catastrophic loss for all of mankind.

 

Moving Along……

 

When did the FIA announce that there was an official F1.5 series?  Over the past two seasons, there has only been two podiums outside of the Big 3 teams.  Two! And they were both luck jobs (Stroll ‘17, Perez ‘18) at Baku due to the chaotic nature of the circuit.  What blows me away is that we are not talking about the mid 80’s when half the teams were operating on a shoestring budget with a leased Cosworth V8 competing against McLaren and Williams with majorly funded factory turbo motors.  No, we are talking about Williams, McLaren and a factory Renault effort with works engine deals struggling to stay on the same lap in a race. McLaren has the same engine and rubber as Red Bull with Fernando Alonso peddling the car and they can’t stay on the same lap?  Amazing. At least this year the F1.5 action was closely fought and enjoyable to watch. Per the FIA points, Nico Hulkenberg is the 2018 F1.5 World Driving Champion and Renault are the Constructors Champions. Now if you removed the Big 3 from all races that may change the points, but I would need an intern to do those calculations so instead here are the win totals for F1.5

 

Hulkenberg – 6

Perez – 3

Alonso – 2

Gasly -2

Magnussen – 2

Ocon – 2

Leclerc – 2

Grosjean – 1

Sainz – 1

 

Now that’s more like it!  I’m getting a Nico ‘18 F1.5 WDC T-Shirt printed immediately.

On a personal level, I was fortunate enough to spend 2 days at the Long Beach GP, 2 days at the Portland Indycar weekend and 3 days at COTA for the USGP.  Great events all. Long Beach is still the quintessential street event in the US, PIR is still a fan friendly mellow facility in a beautiful setting with a great race track and in COTA, F1 has found a great home.  

 

Tips:

 

LBGP- Sit down at Turn 1 in Grandstand #40 as high as you can get for the race.  During practice, watch the cars from the elevated walking area on the inside of turn 8 and go stand down along the fence at turn 10.  During breaks, check out the expo center and the IMSA paddock. For food and beverage, walk into the harbor and you will have all sorts of choices at regular prices.  In other words, you can probably save $10 for a beer just for walking an additional ¼ mile. Enjoy the local SoCal flavor.

 

Portland – Sit in the Festival Chicane (C-3) as high as you can get for the race.  For practice, walk the entire track and make sure to stand on the outside of T9-10 to get a feel for the speed of the cars and commitment of the drivers.  Buy a paddock pass, take the Portland local rail to the circuit from downtown, and enjoy the outdoors.

 

COTA- Sit in Grandstand 12 down near the apex of T12 for the race.  During practice, walk the T3-7 esses and stand on the berm at the entry to T19.  Be prepared to be blown away. I’ve seen everything on 4 wheels and these current cars are shocking to witness in person.  The cornering capabilities defy the laws of physics. During downtime (and there is way too much downtime for the F1 weekend) seek the Pakistani family food truck on the soccer field and enjoy the best Shawarma you’ve ever had.  After the race on Sunday, walk the main straight and then go check out the local bands set up on the outside of the track at various points having nice little jams.

 

And now for the moment of truth.  Each season I put my esteemed rep on the line by picking the the entire F1 grid;

 

Here were the top 10 pre-season picks:

 

  1. Hamilton – 7 wins
  2. Vettel – 5 wins
  3. Verstappen – 5 wins
  4. Bottas – 2 wins
  5. Ricciardo – 2 wins
  6. Kimi
  7. Alonso
  8. Sainz
  9. Hulkenberg
  10. Ocon

 

And here is the reality:

 

  1. Hamilton – 11 wins
  2. Vettel – 5 wins
  3. Kimi – 1 win
  4. Verstappen – 2 wins
  5. Bottas
  6. Ricciardo – 2 wins
  7. Hulkenberg
  8. Perez
  9. Magnussen
  10. Sainz

 

Postmortem: My hopes of a Max championship charge were dashed early on due to poor driving and the down on power Renault engine.  From the summer break on he was back on form and should have won Brazil if it wasn’t for that meddling Ocon. Next year! Lewis wasn’t into sharing the spoils with Bottas this year and reached a level that left the paddock in awe and likely left his teammate thinking about life after F1.   In the 1.5 field, McLaren were a major letdown and Renault were the most consistent performer. I’m honored to say that I got to witness Kimi defy the odds and win his 21st gp. Props also to my preseason #16 pick Magnussen and preseason #19 pick Leclerc for making me look like a proper fool.  

 

Looking to 2019, the revamped driver lineups have me counting the days to Melbourne.

 

Mercedes:  Lewis vs Bottas

Ferrari:  Vettel vs Leclerc

Red Bull: Verstappen vs Gasly

Renault:  Hulkenberg vs Ricciardo

Haas:  Magnussen vs Grosjean

McLaren:  Sainz vs Norris

Force India:  Perez vs Stroll

Sauber:  Kimi vs Giovinazzi

Torro Rosso:  Kyvat vs Albon

Williams:  Kubica vs Russell

 

A Christmas Wish List:  

  • A harmonious mating of the Red Bull chassis and Honda powerplant
  • Revised aero that actually works and allows closer racing
  • Leclerc magic
  • Kubica on pace with Russell
  • More than 1 podium for the 1.5 class

 

In Indycar, I’m counting the days to see Rosenqvist and O’Ward get in there and mix it up with the old guard.  

 

Now, it’s time for hibernation.  Until March.

 

Categories
2014 Racing Season

Racing Round Table II

With two races and two champions still to be crowned in 2014, I think it’s time for a conference call with my Gang O’ Buzzards, Haybale Murphy and Tab St Claire.

The following is a transcript from the call:

Bul Bulifant:  Well gents we are about to witness history and close the books on yet another year of motorsports.  Before we get into our picks, how was Texas?

Haybale Murphy:  Bul we did it right this year.  Piled the boys into the old ‘85 Ford Tioga Arrow with the Big Pig Trailer Rig in tow at noon on Wednesday and headed for Austin.

RVBul Bulifant:  Jesus you drove the Tioga to Texas?

Tab St Claire:  Who tows a BBQ to Texas?  That’s like bringing sand to the beach.

Haybale Murphy:  That old Ford would chug all the way to China with the Big Pig Trailer Rig along for the ride

Tab St Claire: I like the idea of Haybale driving North to Alaska, crossing the Bering Strait and cruising through Siberia and into China, all the while feeding the locals Costco burgers from a grill the size of their homes.

Haybale Murphy:  Don’t tempt me St Claire.  I’ve always wanted to track tigers and sleep in a yurt.

Tab St Claire:  I thought the Solano County assessor does show your house as a yurt?traditional-siberian-yurt

Bul Bulifant:  Okay boys – Motorsports – Texas – Focus – Haybale you have the floor

Haybale Murphy:  We arrived in Austin on Thursday and drank Shiner Bock’s all night down on 6th St while watching a Stevie Ray Vaughn clone.  Friday we went out to the circuit, got our F1 fix, then packed it up and headed North towards Ft Worth and the Texas Motor Speedway.

Bul Bulifant:  So Nascar over F1?

Haybale Murphy:  Heck I would rather watch evening commuters on the 80 than these quiet F1 cars.

Tab St Claire:  Wow

Bul Bulifant:  How did Max Verstappen look in FP1?

Haybale Murphy:  That kid was easily able to get to the limit and lay down some quick lap times.  Heck he was 10th in the session.  Pretty impressive for a young buck.  Reminds me of my youngest boy Billy until the poor SOB grew to 6’4” and 275lbs.  Shit the only thing he can fit in now is a tractor.

Bul Bulifant: Yes I remember Billy dominating the Junior Sportsman class out at Dixon and then running over to the snack shack for a third serving of nachos and a bucket of Mountain Dew.

Haybale Murphy:  A Murphy’s gotta eat!

Tab St Claire:  Guinevere and I stayed at the W and missed FP1 because we were at the spa.  The highlight of my day was a pit walk on Friday evening hosted by Force India. They had Perez and one of their engineers on hand to explain the intricacies of the ERS and the steering wheel.  So cool.  I had Perez sign a Tel-Mex sombrero that I purchased and we took some pics.   We then had a wonderful Indian/Tex-Mex fusion meal in a suite above their garage

Haybale Murphy:  Fascinating

Bul Bulifant:  So Tab which engines do you prefer?

Tab St Claire:  I prefer the technology of the turbo but miss that sound of the V8 from afar.  Guinevere likes the fact that we can now talk on our cells during a session.  Either way, F1 is still the pinnacle of motorsport.  The pole time this year was 3- tenths quicker than last year so these cars are hauling the mail.

indycar-wheel-1011-deBul Bulifant:  I love how Rosberg claimed he lost the race because he used the ERS switch instead of the ERS button.  With 30 something buttons, knobs and switches on the wheel, can a driver really use them all and pound around at 10/10ths?  That seems like a lot for a human brain to tackle.

Tab St Claire:  That’s like the modern day equivalent of missing a shift.

Bul Bulifant:  Speaking of shifting, I watched a ‘90 Senna lap of Jerez last night and was blown away by the skill required to handle a car on the edge with one hand.  Moment of silence for Ayrton………    Okay Haybale how was TMS?

Haybale Murphy:  Great until we found out that Vallejo’s Jeff Gordon didn’t make the Final 4 after the race.  I was fired up and sennadrunk and when a guy in my section dressed in Keselowski gear said Gordon sucks, I lost it and jumped on him.

Tab St Claire:  How old are you Haybale?

Haybale Murphy: Old enough to witness Mario Andretti hold off Lauda at the ‘77 Long Beach GP!  Were you there St Claire?  Anyways, I beat the guy up pretty good but I’m so bummed because when the cops arrived they threw me down and ripped my favorite #24 Dupont jacket.  I had to spend Sunday night in Denton County jail but that wasn’t so bad.  In fact it was better than sleeping next to Bubba in the Tioga at a rest stop.

Bul Bulifant:  Haybale you are the real deal!  So predictions?  Tab you take F1.

Tab St Claire:  Hamilton gets punted by Vettel on the opening lap in the hairpin and has to fight back through the field to place third and win the title.  He then shocks the F1 world by getting out of the car and announcing that he’s retiring from racing to focus on his hip hop label.

Bul Bulifant:  Very cool.  Haybale how does the Nascar finale play out?

Haybale Murphy:  You have a lot of pissed off drivers who got left out the Final 4 cruising around out there with nothing to lose so I’m expecting fireworks.  In the end, Ryan Newman finishes 6th and wins the Sprint Cup that should have been sitting on the #24 car’s mantle being dusted by Ingrid Gordon in a French maids outfit.


Bul Bulifant:  
Hey Now!  Well there you have it.  Enjoy the next two Sundays.

 

Dupont