The following paragraphs, provided in Q & A form by the Mercedes GP Petronas team, shed some light on the challenges facing an F1 driver when seeking to master this unique corner. What is perhaps the most challenging corner on any modern-day Tilke circuit, rates amongst many drivers’ outright favourite, but 7-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher describes it as “not particularly difficult to drive..”, so maybe he can show the young-pups a thing or two at next weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix.

I’ve lost count of how many ambassadors that makes now, but the illustrious roll-call includes Alesi, Mansell (Leo, Greg and Nigel) and now Senna. On second thoughts, rather than forming his own principality, perhaps Dany Bahar and his team are working their way towards forming a separate world F1 Championship with all the big names past and present. All he needs to complete the set is a Schumacher, Prost and Hill – Ralph Schumacher must surely have some spare time in-between DTM races, and Nicolas Prost (son of Alain) and Josh Hill (son of Damon) would no-doubt welcome getting a step closer to F1. We eagerly await the press release…

Meanwhile back on Planet Earth. Bruno’s test driving role with Group Lotus is described as “..very development focussed and will see him provide valuable input into all Lotus cars, both track and road.” He’ll certainly have plenty of spare time in his F1 role, given how little time is available for testing in F1 these days.

I’ve been trying to get into a good Formula 1 programme for a couple of years so it feels great to be joining such an established team – Bruno Senna.

“My relationship with Lotus is just at the beginning, for me the aim is to continue to make progress in my Formula One career whilst at the same time contributing to the success of the various Lotus projects I will be involved with. There are some fun times ahead!”

Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro said: “We’re delighted to have Bruno on board. In his young motorsport career he’s built up a great armoury of skills and experience. He’s a fast learner and this talent combined with his ability to shift between different types of race car will make him a great asset to Lotus. Normally people like to talk about the ‘technology transfer’ between F1 and road cars but in Bruno’s case we’re opening this up to an intellectual transfer – we’re certainly going to keep him busy!”

Lotus Renault GP reveals it’s 2011 challenger, the R31

Meanwhile Lotus Renault GP’s 2011 challenger, the R31, was presented live on the internet from Valencia circuit, as the team prepares for the first winter test of the season beginning on Wednesday.

Drivers Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov joined Gerard Lopez (Chairman of Lotus Renault GP) and Eric Boullier (Team Principal and Managing Director) to pull to present the car, introduce its driver line-up and discuss their hopes and plans for the upcoming season.

“For Genii Capital and Lotus Renault GP, the 2011 season will be the one in which we achieve our aims,” said Gerard Lopez. “We now have 100% ownership of the team, and we’re tackling the coming championship with the intention of continuing to do things our way – but always with humility. I would like to welcome Lotus Cars, a new ambitious title sponsor with us for the long term. Renault and Total have also chosen to accompany us again in this adventure and we thank them for their valuable contribution. Our aim for 2011 is to continue our march towards the front of the grid, seize the slightest opportunity and do better than last season in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships. We feel we are well prepared for the challenge ahead.”

Eric Boullier echoed those sentiments and paid tribute to the enormous effort back at the team’s base in Enstone: “All the hard work over the winter has been focused on delivering a big improvement for 2011. The result is a car with more than 92% new parts compared to the R30. But technical innovation isn’t the only key to performance. Since last year, we have reviewed all our internal processes and our overall efficiency has now improved by 15%. That means we should be more competitive than last year, on the track and at the factory.”

Technical Director, James Allison, explained how the team approached the design of the R31: “Words like ‘aggressive’ and ‘innovative’ are very much in vogue in Formula 1 at the moment, but where the R31 is concerned we feel those adjectives are appropriate. It’s true to say that the car has been designed in an ambitious manner and a quick glance at the layout will confirm that its entire concept differs considerably, not just from last year’s car, but from any car this team has ever produced.”

Both Robert and Vitaly were enthusiastic as they got acquainted with their new car and eager for the season to get underway.

“After a long winter break you always feel ready to jump back in the car,” explained Robert. “At the moment it’s difficult to know just how competitive our package will be, but the engineers have decided to go for an innovative design, which is good.”

Vitaly said: “It feels exciting to be starting my second year of Formula 1 and I can’t wait to try this beautiful car for the first time tomorrow. Now that I have a year of F1 experience behind me, I feel more confident and ready to deliver. I’m determined to do well and fight hard for this team.”

The team’s new third drivers were presented as well, with Romain Grosjean joining Bruno Senna and adding further strength to the team’s driver line-up.

Photo Gallery

Fernando Alonso, announcing back in July that he would win the title in 2010, has continued to outperform his rivals in the 8 races since the British GP. Meanwhile Fernando has admitted he is only aiming for second in Abu Dhabi on Sunday afternoon, which would land him a third Formula One driver’s title.

The debate over whether Red Bull will instruct Sebastian Vettel to ‘assist’ Mark Webber’s title efforts on Sunday continues to wear on, with seemingly a different answer depending on who you ask in the team. The co-owner of Red Bull Racing, Dietrich Mateschitz announced earlier this week that losing the drivers’ title to Fernando Alonso and Ferrari would be preferred over pushing the team drivers into ‘team orders’. “We don’t manipulate things like Ferrari do,” he concluded saying, “It’s better to loose than to cheat.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has announced that both, Vettel and Webber will be free to race however it is the team’s intention to deny Ferrari the drivers title and therefore he would expect both drivers to act in the best interests of the team. Hmm…

Meanwhile Mclaren’s Lewis Hamilton believes he no longer has a chance of winning the F1 Drivers’ Championship in 2010, as the McLaren MP4-25 car is not fast enough. Instead he intends to “just have fun” on Sunday. He hasn’t mentioned if this means acting as a spoiler in the last act of the title play, but if I were Fernando I’d be just a little bit worried..

As usual we have a bunch of preview videos over on SkiddPlayer in the Formula 1 2010 Channel, and this time we’ll single out the excellent Murray Walker preview which is the last of his exclusive Castrol Rankings vodcasts of 2010.

There will be an abundance of information to help guide us through the weekend, from McLaren’s excellent live data and commentary, the BBC’s interactive TV coverage and the many twitter streams that keep you close to all the action [See our: Essential F1 Twitter Sources].

Whatever you do this weekend, we hope you have a good one and enjoy the thrilling conclusion to 2010.

My first wince came when Charlie Whiting announced the start was going to take place behind the safety car. Pussies, I thought. Then when the ridiculous spectacle begun with 5 or so laps in procession I thought the ‘elf n safety brigade had infected every competitive orifice of humanity. When it was red-flagged, I just lamented getting out of bed…

What was most disappointing was not Mr Whiting putting the kibosh on proceedings; it was the attitude of the drivers. For anyone who romanticises the Prost/Senna era, the radio transmissions between car and pit were embarrassing. The common theme was ‘too much spray’ and ‘I’m aquaplaning’ – I probably wasn’t the only one bellowing ‘man-up!’ at the TV.

Not being an enormous fan of Lewis – ‘I’d like to thank the team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, for doing a phenomenal job’ – Hamilton, I was surprised to feel a kinship when he tacitly inferred most of the field were wetties and should get out there and compete. I’m sure Schuey was feeling the same when he was masterfully seeking out grip behind the safety car, though Jonathan Legard felt he was making errors – glad Brundle corrected the dunce.

When the race did finally get underway 55 hours later it didn’t take long for us to discover why Mark Webber shouldn’t be crowned World Champion. I know he’s a genuine, nice Aussie bloke, but dropping it on a wet kerb when you’re leading the championship under no real on-track pressure is not the stuff of a title holder.

I did feel quite sorry for Vettel. It was the third time this year he’d been driving a lights-to-flag victory only for mechanical failure to rob him. He lacks a bit of race craft, sure, but he’s the fastest 1-lapper out there and a bit more deserving than his teammate, who also punted off an in-form Nico Rosberg.

Bunsen was in the heart of the midfield chaos in a race that demonstrated the talent gap between him and Lewis. He can’t drive an imperfect car well, though I do find the radio to his engineer amusing when it’s not going to plan: ‘guys, I’m getting a lot of understeer here’ or my favourite, ‘guys, there’s just no grip’.

When the chequered flag fell, it was Eddie Jordan who made the most sensible comment of the entire broadcast when he said 3 of the 4 best performances were by former champs Alonso, Hamilton and Schumacher; changeable conditions sort the Brendans from the Brendas, I just wish the majority of the grid would either realise they have balls… or go and find some.

However, as far as 2011 goes, it got the ball rolling and there are many team principals/owners now considering their options.

Ferrari has found their icon; though Fernando may have made more errors this year than at any time in his career, he’s still fighting for the title, very much a competitor in the Schumacher mould. He’s mauled Massa for the majority of the season and despite the Brazilian’s vociferous protestations of ‘not being the number 2 driver’ we all know he emphatically is.

Felipe shouldn’t be occupying a seat at the Scarlet Colossus that privilege should belong to Robert Kubica. The Pole would aid development, be a genuine World title contender and not bend as much Italian carbon-fibre as the 2008 runner-up. I’m just not sure if Alonso would enjoy the competition…

Speaking of Renault, assuming Kubica remains, who slots into the second car? Petrov’s below-par performance at Suzuka and distinctly average first season means he remains under pressure from Eric Boullier to improve. He can’t be bringing enough money in to justify every smashed component of the R30 attributed to his erratic driving. His only hope is the confirmation of a Russian GP in 2014 doling out more sponsorship.

If Petrov is out of luck, Adrian Sutil would be a strong candidate to partner Kubica. Though to my mind a touch inconsistent, he has shown potential and is respected by peers and pundits alike. Brundle in particular speaks highly of the young German.

The Red Bulls seem to be set for next year. If Webber wins the championship I can foresee Vettel dominating him next season before he retires. If Seb snatches the 2010 crown, then Mark will be sure to consider the option of carrying on.

There won’t be any changes at McLaren unless something dramatic occurs. Lewis will be there until Doomsday and it’s fairly certain Jenson will see out his contract. Martin Whitmarsh has already said he’d pursue Vettel if/when he becomes available, so look for Bunsen to relinquish his seat near that time.

Of the 3 teams in the ‘B’ championship, well, is anybody fussed? When they become remotely competitive I think we may take an interest. Oh, except for Chandhok. If he doesn’t find his way into Force India, then let’s hope he can take the seat of Jonathan Legard. I’ve enjoyed his Five Live input and occasional BBC cameos and I reckon that guy can party.

On a serious note, if Legard is to be replaced then David Croft must be overwhelming favourite. When he and Anthony Davidson gatecrashed Japan, the joie du vivre was injected back into the race, making the ideal soundtrack to Kobayashi’s borderline-insane antics.

KK will be continuing with new driver Sergio Perez, a former GP2 standout, as teammate. The unofficial F1 ‘junior series’ produced Lewis Hamilton, but then it’s also produced Romain Grosjean, so the jury’s out. You have to feel for Nick Heidfeld. He left his testing role at Pirelli only to be given a handful of races with Sauber and he’s far more talented than a good portion of the grid. ‘Quick’ should be a target for any of the F1 minnows.

And finally in spite of the rumours, Schuey looks almost guaranteed to partner Rosberg next year. His last performance was encouraging and assuming Mercedes can provide the wicked turn-in he so badly needs then he can win again. Roll on 2011…

In the midst of Hamilton-Mania I sat back and said with some confidence, ‘Vettel is the real rainmaster. Give him a McLaren and see what he can do…’ Well, now he has a car superior to the McLaren and given his prodigious speed he should be walking away with the 2010 title.

His display at Spa was fairly indicative of his form this year. A relatively poor qualifying session, average start and then over-excitement and panic as he tried to make it to the front. The great drivers are able to scythe through the field with a combination of aggression and racing nous. Vettel hasn’t displayed this skill at all in his short F1 career, unlike Lewis who has been spectacular on a number of occasions.

He now finds himself being outperformed by his teammate who, though a thoroughly decent bloke, is considered mid-field – an affliction known as Felipe-Massa-Syndrome. It will be a hammerblow should Webber win the championship and assume the unofficial number 1 status within the team, a situation which Vettel will surely find difficult to recover from.

At this stage in the season it is conceivable that Red Bull will need to back one driver over the final races. McLaren may have the same conundrum, but unlike their rivals the quicker driver in the team is leading the other and will probably continue to dominate him.

Even so, the Bulls must still be considered the favourites purely on the basis of the track design suiting their uber-downforce front-end, but Christian Horner will have a difficult conversation if he wants Vettel to yield.

If you’re new to all this Horse Whisper malarkey then let me bring you up to speed.

Indiscretion.
Maranello, 4th August 2009 – Guess who opposed the test with the F60? A team that hasn’t won anything for years and yet didn’t pass over the opportunity to demonstrate once more a lack of spirit of fair play. Just for the record, the Scuderia Ferrari had given its approval to let Alguersuari test, but it seems even in this instance someone decided to stick to the precise wording of the regulations..

Back in August 2009 Ferrari took a swipe at Williams F1 for opposing their impromptu test of Michael Schumacher (following Felipe Massa’s accident) – Ferrari tried to bend the rules and got all sniffy when Williams cried foul. Then in February of this year The Horse Whisperer published the now infamous post entitled “For whom the bell tolls” in which Scuderia Ferrari heaped vitriol on the new teams struggling to enter F1 – singling out USF1, Stefan GP and Campos for a particularly astringent tounge lashing.

Last week we heard The Horse Whisperer speak up again after double Ferrari World Champion Niki Lauda dared to criticise the team in light of the Hungarian GP team-orders incident. This time THW showed complete disdain for a driver whose skill and determination helped build their reputation – who almost lost his life driving one of their cars, in a post they entitled “Moralists with short memories”:

“After events in Hockenheim, a wave of hypocrisy swept through the paddock, with so many pundits, young and old, keen to have their say: some were promptly brought back into line by his master’s voice, while others continue to pronounce sentence willy-nilly. The lastest missive comes from Austria, from a person, who having hung up his helmet, has never missed out on a chance to dispense opinions left and right, even if, on more than one occasion, he has had to indulge in some verbal acrobatics to reposition himself in line with the prevailing wind. This time, good old Niki has missed out on a fine opportunity to keep his mouth shut, given that, when he was a Scuderia driver, the supposed Ferrari driver management policy suited him perfectly…That aside, where was all his moral fury when, over the past years, so many have been guilty of more or less overt hypocritical actions? As for any predictions regarding a possible decision from the FIA World Council on 8 September, time will tell: in this sort of situation, the best policy is to respect and to trust in the highest level of the sport’s governing body.”

Rightly or wrongly, Ferrari clearly see themselves as being beyond reproach – certainly by a mere ex-driver, but it’s the pettinness and lack of decorum that sticks in my throat. You get the feeling that Ferrari are unable to understand how ‘they’ could bring the sport into disrepute – since Ferrari are F1 and therefore by all accounts an attack on Ferrari must also be seen as an attack on F1.

When I buy a car, I like to feel a connection with the brand – something within the brand that I can either relate to or aspire to and just over 5 years ago I took that step with Ferrari by signing on the dotted line for a F430 Berlinetta. At the time I felt a reverence for the brand that positively echoed with the legacy of heroes such as Lauda, Villeneuve, Scheckter and Fangio.

The qualities which Scuderia Ferrari exhibits today of arrogance, pettiness, spineless jibing and a lack of respect for the fans and other F1 teams leaves me asking “what exactly is the substance behind the Ferrari brand in 2010?” Sure, Enzo Ferrari was far from being a saint but I do wonder if his legacy is being spent without being adequetly replenished.

Written by Pete Wadsworth

on Thursday, August 26, 2010.

I’m going to come to the defence of Ferrari… not because they need the support of a sometime columnist on a motoring website, but because I can see some virtue in their behavior.

The Horse Whisperer column on Ferrari’s website has expressed some, erm, interesting opinions since it started, taking a pop at some of the sport’s leading lights and to be completely honest, displaying a distinct lack of diplomacy, objectivity and tact.

But is that such a bad thing?

I think not. In an increasingly sanitised sport, where the emphasis is very much on toeing a corporate-friendly, guarded line, I like the fact that there’s still at least one team who is willing to disregard all that for the sake of, essentially, throwing all its toys out of the pram and having a tantrum.

I would never defend the position they take, but I am glad they take it.

Who wasn’t excited when Michael Schumacher stormed down the Spa pitlane, intent on knocking DC’s considerable block off at Spa in ‘98? How about Piquet and Salzar’s big-girl fight at the German GP? Or even Pascal Maimon’s Basil Fawlty-style strop on the Safari rally? Yes, on those occasions the behaviour of those involved was poor at best, but at least they were showing the capacity to get properly pissed off about something. These days you’re lucky to see a driver display any emotion at all other than being pleased when all goes well (and even that seems too much to ask sometimes – Ed).

We can all tell when a driver or team is genuinely irritated by something, and I for one would much rather they just came out with it.

Emotion is, for me, an important part of sport. I want the competitors to care. I want to see backflips on the podium and cars kicked when the engine pops two laps from the end when the driver was in the lead. As Ian Wright said after England’s defeat at the hands of Northern Ireland, “We should be as annoyed about losing as they are pleased about winning.”

Yes, it’s naive of Ferrari to assume that they can go around having a go at whomever they please without fear of retribution – especially for it not to impact sales of their cars – but at least they have the cajones that appear to be sadly absent from many other teams on the grid.

Counterpoint

The uptake of Twitter by those in the world of F1 was slow at first, with only the Brazilians really showing much affection for one of the fastest growing companies of 2009.  Now however, members of the F1 circus not on Twitter are becoming an exception to the rule rather than the norm.  Teams over the 2009/2010 winter realised the demand for tweets and the fan base it can nurture if implemented correctly and regularly.

To neatly bring all of this F1 Twitter frenzy together, we at SkiddMark have collated the best links to help you get the latest F1 buzz, gossip and opinion directly from the sources themselves. If you want to see Heikki Kovalainen’s insider photos from the paddock, Jaime Alguersuari’s hyperactive tweets or Mike Gascoyne’s musings from the pit wall and more, then scroll down to interact directly with the stars of modern F1.

+ [This article was originally published on 3rd March 2010 and was last updated on 4th August 2010]

The Drivers and Teams

Ferrari

Don't expect to see Fernando Alonso on Twitter any time soon - he only uses his phone to speak

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa aren’t on Twitter and don’t expect the former to ever be after recently saying if someone wants to contact him they can use a phone.  However, the team has an official Twitter page that can be found under InsideFerrari. Not as entertaining as their quarterly press release rants, but surprisingly warm and informative all the same.

Force India

No sign of life yet from Adrian Sutil or Vitantonio Liuzzi on Twitter, though test driver Paul di Resta joined Twitter in late July.  The team also has their own Twitter account that is regularly updated under Clubforce. You can follow the team’s journey to each race, step-by-step details of their test days and the highs and lows of each race, including what Adrian Sutil has for lunch on race day…

These regular updates and openness have led Force India to surprisingly become one of the most followed teams, showing that Twitter can overcome preconceptions over teams’ popularity amongst fans.  If you’re interested in Force India’s owner, then Vijay Mallya is around on the Twittersphere tweeting about racing to business.

HRT (Hispanic Racing Team)

Both Bruno Senna and the recently announced Karun Chandhok can be found regularly tweeting away, though you may need your Brazilian translation book handy to decipher many of Senna’s tweets.  HRT’s PR lady Tabatha Valls keeps fans of the small team up to date.

Lotus

Lotus' management are the most active and open tweeters amongst the teams

Jarno Trulli’s too busy crushing grapes to be tweeting, though his team mate Heikki Kovalainen has the time to talk to his thousands of followers. The team has their own account, as does their charismatic owner Tony Fernandes and technical director Mike Gascoyne, who is very open and honest even when the chips are down.  You’ll even madly enough receive tweets from Gascoyne mid race, such is Lotus’ passion for involving their fans in the experience of a race weekend.  Team Press officer Tom Webb, Jarno Trulli’s race engineer Gianluca Pisanello and Head of Vehicle Dynamics Elliot Dason-Barber are all also on Twitter.

Tony Fernandes could be described as a PR manager’s nightmare, using Twitter to announce major changes within the team whilst moving about during his busy week, but his many followers benefit from such an open and candid style which is very much the essence of a man who modelled himself on Richard Branson and EasyJet’s Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

McLaren

Lewis Hamilton still thinks he’s too cool for Twitter, but the same can’t be said for Jenson Button who’s been a regular tweeter since early 2009.  Test driver Gary Paffett recently joined Twitter and the team also have their own account under the TheFifthDriver moniker. This account is full of exclusive pictures from the factory and the track and is well worth following. McLaren’s strong interaction with its fans has led it to becoming one of the most popular Twitter accounts on the grid.

Mercedes

Mercedes GP's Nico Rosberg is now officially on Twitter

Despite reinventing himself for 2010, Michael Schumacher isn’t on Twitter, but if you want to follow fake profiles of the seven times world champion, you’re spoilt for choice. Nico Rosberg‘s official account is now updated regularly, though only usually post-race.  The team is an active participant on Twitter providing interesting insight and media content along the way.

Red Bull

Sebastian Vettel obviously wants no distractions in his push for the 2010 title as he avoids joining the F1 Twitter party.   His team mate Mark Webber is one of the latest drivers to join Twitter and we look forward to hearing from Webber in his usual matter-of-fact way. The team is also aboard the Twitter bandwagon.

Renault

If you can speak Russian then be sure to follow Renault's Vitaly Petrov ... "Udachi"

Robert Kubica hasn’t managed to find Twitter yet, though you can follow Vitaly Petrov if you’re fluent in Russian.  The team has their own official account, so expect to see more activity here over time with an investment company behind it keen to close the gap between the internet and cars.

Toro Rosso

Whilst Sebastien Buemi has thus far scorned Twitter’s advances, his hyperactive team mate Jaime Alguersuari more than makes up for his team mate’s absence. Tweeting in an over excited manner at all hours of the day, sometime DJ Alguersuari also uses geotagging to keep his fans updated on his exact whereabouts as he lives the dream. His team is also a regular part of the F1 tweeting fraternity.

Virgin

Lucas di Grassi was one of the early adopting Brazilians and has continued to tweet regularly now he has established a ride in F1.  His German team mate Timo Glock is now also part of the Twitter community, tweeting often in both his native language and English.  The team’s official Twitter account is full of the enthusiasm and fun you’d expect from a Richard Branson led franchise.

The team has now launched their full website, so expect Virgin Racing to quickly climb towards the top of our list of social media savvy teams during 2010.

Williams

Williams utilise Twitter more effectively than most to interact with its fans

Williams have often been ahead of the marketing game versus their rivals and so their intensive involvement on Twitter should come as no surprise. Veteran Rubens Barrichello was one of the first drivers to use Twitter as shown by his monstrous number of followers. F1 new boy Nico Hulkenberg is also a reasonably regular tweeter as he looks forward to being rookie of the year.

Williams’ PR and Communications lady Claire Williams manages the team’s official Twitter page.  Head of Comms Liam Clogger and IT support specialist Mark Arnott are also Williams team members regularly tweeting interesting photos.

The Paddock

There are plenty of other individuals on Twitter who may not thrash around the track every other Sunday but nevertheless bring entertaining and interesting views to the table.

FIA accredited photographer Darren Heath is amongst the Twitter crowd

From the world of the journalism, we strongly recommend following James Allen, Will Buxton, Adam Cooper, Adam Hay-Nicholls, Jonathan Noble and Joe Saward.  From the guys behind the lense, Mark Sutton from Sutton Images and freelancers Alex Comerford, Darren Heath and James Moy are always charming and open with those who engage with them.

For those after technical analysis, follow the excellent Craig Scarborough for immediate in-depth but simple to interpret analysis from a very talented illustrator.

Jake Humphrey from BBC F1 often provides amusing photos as the race weekend progresses, with his co-presenters Ted Kravitz and Lee McKenzie also lurking about and tweeting occasionally.  You can also keep track via Martin Brundle’s co-commentator, Jonathan Legard, who provides some interesting insights on race days.

BBC F1 5 Live team are also on Twitter in the form collectively and individually with David Croft and Anthony Davidson.  BBC Sport Online’s Sarah Holt has in excess of 10,000 followers and shares some great behind-the-scenes stories from the BBC’s F1 team.

If you want un-PC laugh a minute mid-race tweets, then look no further than SniffPetrol.

2010 and Beyond …

Will the other Mercedes GP car be next to join Twitter?

2010 is already a fascinating season on and off the track.  As technology develops that allows us to feel more involved with our favourite drivers and teams, we hope to welcome more personalities to this page.

Have we missed anyone from our list of essential F1 sources to follow? Let us know and we’ll add them in our next update.

It was Senna-esque; a replica of Prost running out of road on the Portuguese pit straight in 1988 with Ayrton pressing him up against the wall. Both Alain and Rubens made the moves stick, and though they’d never admit it, probably made them ultimately more satisfying.

After the race Barrichello spoke of Michael trying to bring the past to the present – presumably alluding to the late Eighties – and I’m glad he did. It was easily the most interesting part of the weekend yet Schumi has been universally vilified by the press, who’ve been trying to sully his record since the start of the season.

The accident could’ve been big, no doubt, but a serious injury in F1 is a freak event like Massa’s last year.

The cars have now reached a safety level where a racing incident is no more serious then the hefty price of a new chassis and still the FIA and drivers press on with regulations that would make the sport virtually risk-averse.

Come on guys, there has to be an element of danger. If Fernando’s being paid £100k a day, you’d expect him to put his manhood on the line every once in a while.

F1’s culture has changed so much that every on-track battle is scrutinised (and usually penalised) by the stewards, whose bs rulings mean grid relegation, arbitrary time penalties and meaningless fines. Is it any wonder why the scrapping has become so tame?

Schumacher bridges the two grand prix eras and polarises contemporary fans, commentators and peers. What can’t be denied is that his will to win and his stay-in-front-by-any-means attitude has not faded.

He may have lost speed, but without him all we’d talk about for the next 4 weeks is a well-timed safety car for Mark Webber and Jenson Bunsen losing grip. Every soap opera needs its villain… don’t you think?

Image: Mercedes GP Petronas

Tweeting that he’s just checked out Porsche’s latest banzai offering in the GT2 RS, Webber also commented that other drivers (whom else we wonder?  Comment beneath your suggestions) have also been talking up the Stuttgart bullet as they look for their speed fix during the imminent summer break.  The world’s motoring press recently got their first go of the GT2 RS and the early verdict is nothing but gushing approval, so with Webber’s comments too, this will have done Porsche’s press no harm at all in recent days.

Webber’s apparent preference is for black wheels, though he’s perhaps not as keen on the silver/black combination as seen on many of the initial press photographs.  It’s refreshing to see a modern F1 driver being honest about his preference, partly down to Webber’s honest nature and also because as a non-manufacturer employed driver, he has no corporate responsibility to side with a particularly marque.

Other Drivers

The cars F1 drivers use day to day is an interesting topic because how do you still get a thrill from a road car when your work car regularly takes you to well in excess of 200mph?  It reminds us of the halcyon days of Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi playing their version of chicken otherwise known as “who can hold the throttle longest” along the Autostrada in their Ferrari 308s en route to testing at Fiorano – simply another time …

Lewis Hamilton spent his money on a Mercedes G-Class. What would you buy as an F1 driver?

When at Renault, Fernando Alonso was quite happy to nip around his then home county of Oxfordshire in a Renault Mégane R26, showing that ultimately no road car was ever going to give him the same kick as his championship winning Renaults.

Contrary to this, Michael Schumacher owned an Bugatti EB110 in his early Benetton days showing even F1 drivers can be bitten by the supercar bug.  On the flipside, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton is quite happy to cruise around Geneva in his Mercedes G-Class, with Hamilton obviously preferring gadgets and toys over performance motoring.  However, with the arrival of the McLaren 12C next year and McLaren’s ever weakening ties with Mercedes, Hamilton may soon be changing to a more purposeful bit of kit.