What did we learn from the German GP?
Well, it has taken some time, but Mark
Webber has finally opened up his F1 winning account.
Remember there hasn’t been an Aussie on the top step since
Alan Jones, almost 30 years ago. He also showed some of the
humor that is part of the Australian trademark, thanking
“everyone in Australia and a few people who doubted me too,
so hello to them as well.” Having watched a very young Mark
Webber driving the wheels off a Formula Ford in the rain at
Mt. Panorama, I said then that he would make F1 and be a
winner. It just took a little longer than both of us had
imagined!
Sebastian Vettel did not live up to the image he has built
up over the first half of the season, being stuck in traffic
and seemingly unable to pass anyone. He did, however, have
the good grace to say, “Congratulations to Mark, he was
unbeatable today - he was quicker than all of us, so he
totally deserved to win.” He did. He did.
We also learned that Rooby Baby Barichello is not only the
oldest driver, but is now becoming menopausal. You get
nowhere by publicly blaming your team for anything. To go to
the media with “To be honest, I wish I could just go
straight on the plane and go home. I don’t want to talk to
anyone in the team because I don’t want to understand. All
it will be from them is ‘blah, blah blah’. I’m not saying
they are favoring anyone, all I’m saying is that they have
given a good show in how to lose.” And while it’s
raspberries to Rooby, it was hats off to Ross Brawn who so
diplomatically said in response, “I’m sure once he
(Barichello) has looked at the figures then he will realize
we were just not quick enough. Rubens set the eleventh
fastest lap time of the race and you just can’t win races
being eleventh fastest.” Nuff said.
Current leader in the championship, Jenson Button, was also
nowhere near the podium. Has the Brawn’s performance
advantage come to an end? It would appear so. With eight
races still to run and 80 points up for grabs, we may be
looking at a cliff-hanger again. Let’s hope so.
One of the best performances of the race came from Adrian
Sutil in the Team Poppadum. Through to Q3 in Qualifying and
even running as high as second at one stage. He would have
finished in the points quite easily if he had not tangled
with Kill-joy Kimi in the Ferrari, who was later to retire
with unspecified engine problems anyway.
What can you say about our current World Champion? The run
down into Turn 1 was never going to work, with Hamilton out
braking himself and getting himself tagged by Webber’s front
wing. Lewis, write out 100 times, “You don’t win the race at
the first corner, you only lose the race at the first
corner.” He was also reprimanded by his team who told him
over the pit to car radio, “You do the driving, we will work
out the strategy.” His McLaren team mate Kovalainen kept his
nose clean and did finish in the points, so it was possible.
Another driver with a clean nose was Ferrari’s Massa, who is
looking more and more as the Prancing Horse’s Number 1. To
finish third was a good effort from the Brazilian.
Much rumor about replacements for Piquet Jnr (Renault)and
Seb Bourdais (Roaring Tossers). The axe has been hovering
all year. Time it fell.
The next event is the dreadfully boring Hungaroring;
however, perhaps Hamilton can throw a Spaniard in the works?
Brian Redman chatted up
my wife: a postcard from the Goodwood Festival of Speed
By Simon Panton
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is notable for the
open paddocks where the public are able to mingle with the
cars and drivers. And people bring with them different
levels of knowledge of motor sport. Many visiting drivers
have registered their astonishment at the people, often
children, who have not simply only recognized them, but have
brought books or photographs to be signed, and have asked
them detailed questions about races from years or decades
previously. Some spectators have only recently started to
watch modern Formula 1 on television, while others are
died-in-the-wool addicts. I spoke to one on Friday who I
know from previous encounters can quote AC Cobra chassis
numbers. Another German once watched me photographing Darren
Turner and asked, “You are taking many pictures of this man
- who is he?” When I told him, his eyes betrayed no
recognition, so I explained that Darren had been a McLaren
test driver and had competed at Le Mans and in the British
Touring Car Championship. “Ah, in Germany ve haf only heard
of Michael Schumacher,” he laughed. He’d had a bit of a
wasted journey then.
Peter
Fonda looking for neutral - pic Simon Panton
Anyway, about Brian Redman chatting up my wife... Michelle
wanted to ask him for an autograph but he was talking to
someone and she didn’t like to interrupt. She’s polite like
that. I assured her she needn’t worry, Brian’s a very
approachable no-nonsense Northerner. So Michelle called him
across and he looked positively entranced. I suspect he
hadn’t been asked for an autograph by a girl for some years,
only by middle-aged men who knew an uncomfortable amount of
detail about him. When he started hinting about signing
girls’ body parts, I decided it was time to remind him that
he had a car to drive and the marshals were waiting for him.
Every year I see something I never expected to see in my
lifetime. The most complete gathering of Auto Union and
Mercedes “Silver Arrows” anywhere for over 60 years, for
example, or a Formula 3 car made out of carrots. And I
thought making cakes out of carrots was weird.
Timo
Glock burning rubber - pic Simon Panton
Peter Fonda came with a recreation of the Captain America
chop he rode in Easy Rider, to commemorate 40 years since
the film was made. While we chatted about motorbikes,
policemen and Johnny Depp’s steamboat, I concluded that he
looked and spoke like he’d spent most of those 40 years off
his chops on whatever cheeky substances he could get his
greedy hands on. He enjoyed himself so much he asked Lord
March if he could return next year to celebrate 41 years.
The high point of Fonda’s weekend came on Sunday afternoon,
when he finally found neutral on the bike.
The turnout from modern F1 teams was poor this year.
Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Toyota and Red Bull were there,
as were Brawn GP who were unable to run a car up the hill
because of the FIA testing ban and, unlike the other teams,
they don’t have last year’s cars to get around the ban. Yes,
burnouts on the drive of a stately home count as testing,
apparently. Timo Glock beat Mark Webber to the Hooligan of
the Weekend Award, not that such a thing exists, for the
most violent burnouts and doughnuts. Jenson Button comes to
the Festival of Speed every year but, not having an F1 car
to thrash this time, was allowed to play with a beautiful
and priceless 1937 Mercedes W25, its supercharger producing
a banshee wail. The car’s enormous value and central
throttle pedal will have kept him focused.
Derek
Bell Porsche 917 - pic Simon Panton
In the F1 assembly area, David Coulthard spotted in the
mirrors of his (Toro Rosso STR1 painted as a) Red Bull, a
small child peering through the fence at him. He asked two
of his mechanics to lift the boy over to him, shook his hand
and had a short conversation with him. It was a simple
gesture, but it was good to witness the birth of another
motor sport fan.
Bruno Senna broke the gearbox in Uncle Ayrton’s McLaren
MP4/4, to the dismay of Lewis Hamilton who had been promised
a go in his hero’s car on Sunday afternoon. It was his
lifelong ambition, he’d said, but there’s always next year.
A ceremony was held in the F1 assembly area to mark Frank
Williams’ 40 years as a team owner and principal. Surrounded
by a selection of his old cars, and by current and
ex-drivers, Frank was embarrassed by the praise of Murray
Walker and Patrick Head. Another celebration was 40 years of
the Porsche 917. Five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell drove
his 1500 bhp, 5.4 liter turbocharged 917/30 such as got the
rules changed to ban it. That’ll teach them to show off!
Justin
Law Jaguar XJR8 - pic Simon Panton
Always spectacular, Justin Law set the fastest time up the
hill for the fourth consecutive year and is starting to fret
that they’ll stop inviting him if he keeps going fastest.
His 44.40 second run up the tricky 1.16 mile hill (I make
that 1.86 kilometers) in the Jaguar XJR8 beat Gary Ward’s
44.64 in a Leyton House - Judd.
A few years ago, Justin and his father Don, who prepare
racing Jaguars, transplanted the running gear from an XJ220
into a Ford Transit builder’s van and Justin took that up
the hill. That was damned fast too. The outright record of
41.6 seconds was set ten years ago by Nick Heidfeld in a
McLaren MP4/13, making Justin’s times in a much bigger,
heavier car on such a narrow drive look very creditable
indeed.
(Thank you Simon for the “postcard”, and all the enthusiasts
in Thailand are envious of you. Great pix too. Dr. Iain)
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I said let’s remember the
‘muscle car’ era of the mid-60’s. What was the most powerful
American muscle car in those days? This refers to stock
vehicles, off the showroom floor, not ones that have been
modified after-market. The correct answer was the 1965 Ford
Galaxie Cammer 427 which put out 675 BHP and you could drive
it out the door of your friendly Ford dealership!
So to this week. The Ford Mustang is always thought of as a
muscle car, but what was its horsepower when it was released
in 1964?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
