2015 will be a silly F1 season as it will be the eighth in succession when supposedly the most complete driver in Formula 1 might not be in the fastest car. Fernando Alonso, a two time World Champion, hasn’t been the smartest or luckiest when it comes to making career choices – well, post his World Championship wins in 2005 and 2006 that is. Yes, those wins are almost a decade ago now.
Will Alonso rekindle the romance with McLaren-Honda for a one-night stand (season) before forging an alliance with Mercedes in 2016? Or will he take a one-year sabbatical from the sport? Neither option seems like a winning one, and the Spaniard’s wait for his third title could get longer.
McLaren haven’t delivered a consistent race winning chassis for the last few seasons, and Honda will be a full year behind in terms of development in comparison with their key competitors – Mercedes, Ferrari, and Renault. Should Alonso dream of achieving success with them, he does need to invest a few seasons to help develop the team and not see this as a stopgap arrangement. I do hope he’s wiser this time, as this could be his last switch before retirement.
In terms of Ferrari, both Alonso and the Scuderia seemed to have outgrown their relationship – and publicly so. Alonso was unhappy leading a team that was delivering inconsistent results. Ferrari has been unable to dig themselves out of their slump – even with the high-tech resources, infrastructure and multi-million dollar budgets at their disposal. And they weren’t too happy with the bad PR that came their way when their much-anticipated affair with Alonso didn’t yield much success. And history has shown that brand Ferrari has always considered themselves more important than any of their drivers.
Alonso’s loss does seem to be Vettel and Ferrari’s gain, or so one would imagine. After all, the Italian team has tasted success with a German driver before, and it isn’t much of a coincidence that Baby Schumi has followed the legends footsteps. Will this new affair bring success back to Italy’s marquee team? Well, that’s the million dollar question – but I, for one, would love to see the ‘Vettel finger’ replace the ‘Schumacher leap’ in those scarlet overalls on the podium!
Even with their new teams, I doubt if Alonso and Vettel will be able to mount much of a challenge to the supremacy of Mercedes next season. The engine freeze rules don’t favour much of a change, although it is being debated whether such a rule should exist at all if it affects the ‘show’ – not to mention that it goes against the ethos of a sport that relies heavily on research and development.
Mercedes, on the other hand, should be complimented for two things. First, wrapping up their business target this early in the season. Their Constructors’ Championship win has been a comprehensive one, and this is very much their purpose of racing in Formula 1 – this is where the money lies! Second, allowing Hamilton and Rosberg to race each other, even after the aftermath of Hungary, Spa, and a few other races, where Rosberg was accused of crossing the line. For the fans, this has added a much-needed spark to this years’ championship.
By the time you read this, the Hamilton vs. Rosberg battle would have only intensified – and, unless unreliability plays a part, this battle will go down to the wire. It would be a shame, though, if the double points scoring system in Abu Dhabi were to alter an obvious result. While Hamilton has had more race wins during the season, Rosberg has kept pace with the former British World Champion and has accumulated points by being one of the most consistent drivers on the grid – much like his father did back in 1984.
The momentum has swung both ways at various points during the season. And I believe it isn’t pace alone that’ll decide this year’s World Champion. The crucial ingredient will be the mental strength to sustain the pressure, not to mention display an element of shrewdness. Both Mercedes drivers appear well equipped to lead their respective campaigns, and I do hope that the best driver wins.
Speaking of leading drivers, it’s extremely unfortunate that one of the best and most highly regarded young drivers, Jules Bianchi, has suffered severe injury because of a tragic crash at Suzuka. Weeks after the race, he remains in ‘critical’ but stable condition.
Is the FIA to blame for delaying the Safety Car period after Adrian Sutil’s crash brought out a recovery vehicle? Should the organisers (Honda in this case) be blamed for not agreeing to bring forward the race start? Or should Bianchi be blamed for not slowing adequately enough under waving double yellow flags?
I’m sure an inquiry by the FIA will yield answers. Some that will be made public, and some that won’t. I hope that the FIA, which must be credited for increasing driver safety in the sport, is able to learn from Bianchi’s incident and take steps to avoid such occurrences in future. And for the sport, I hope that the price for this learning isn’t too high. Forza Jules!
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