Dear Heretic:
You're right on every count; most importantly, from my point of view, about
McLaren. It may be that they were put a little off stride last year by the
loss of half of the team that makes the Ilmore / Mercedes engine. But now
they're regaining momentum and that plus their really strong drivers makes
them again competitive.
D.C. is, I think, of all the drivers the one most like Michael in smartness
and determination. If Kimi is wise, he'll learn as much as he can from David
and soon be on the podium regularly.
On the other hand, I agree with you that J.P.M. is not a believer in finesse
and, therefore, not likely to learn anything from either his team mate or from
anyone else on the grid! This means that he will, occasionally, be on the top
of the podium, but never make enough POINTS to help either himself or his car
manufacturer. If it can be broken, as you say, he will break it.
I am also gratified to see Fisi doing as well as he is; maybe with an improved
Honda, he'll be a threat to Williams, too. You were wondering about JPM's
early stop. Me too. Could it be that he was even lighter than they claimed?
And that they (the team) screwed up tactically by thinking that if they went
very light at first they might stretch the lead enough so to be able to make
room for a "splash and dash" finish? I mean this is, after all, as
you pointed out, the team that can't seem to make refuel their cars, so why
assume they have any more reliable strategies than they do refuelers!? And
that takes me to the thing that pleases me the most: in a sport where money
buys you ONLY advantage, not guaranteed results, it is gratifying to see those
monster corporations (Ford, Renault, Toyota) trying (and failing) to simply
BUY a win. Jaguar is agonizingly pathetic from Nikki down to the front tyre
changer --but they have those beautiful trailors and logos/ paint schemes.
Renault is more daring (they have a radical engine design) than Toyota, but
equally conservative in their operations and strategies. I am sure that
various corporate individuals AND organizational structures affect these big
manufacturer's team decisions and strategies. But in racing, decisions need to
be made on site and immediately; neither of which are corporate ways of being.
So do you think it possible that the leading manufacturer, Ferrari, even
though they are "parented" by a huge corporation, have somehow
managed a kind of independence not available to either Jaguar, Renault, or
(now) Toyota? So that it is their (big) money PLUS their independence which
gives them just enough edge to squeak past McLaren and Williams --both of
which have equal talent, equal independence and are just lacking the kind of
money available to the Red team? If so, the way to go may end up being Honda's
after all: now that would be really fun --to see Eddie Jordan pushing
Williams, McLaren and Ferrari while Nikki Lauda and the Toyota boys settle for
fighting with Sauber and Arrows!
Ah well, enough said. Over the half way hump, it looks like another smashing
year for Michael and Ferrari; the only other interest being who manages to
take second and what new "reasons" Rubens and JPM come up with. On
to Germany! - Jim W - USA (Reference Heretic
4-17 - McLaren on the way up ?)
The Heretic replies:
Hi Jim,
McLaren is definitely on the move. During testing (and we
know that testing tells us very little) Raikkonen is fast. Let’s hope this
is race and not qualifying trim.
I am not sure that I share your views on David. I believe
that he is technically very fast and that he is one of the few drivers on the
circuit today that uses his head, but I suspect that he is a little too cool
– to the extent that it suppresses the flair that Michael displays
infrequently (the ability to do the impossible for a few laps). He certainly
is one of the most professional.
I wonder if Fisichella will still do well in the right
car. It has been a very long time since he has had a great drive – I just
hope that he has not gone conservative.
In today’s f1 world where everyone is secretive by
default, it is really hard to find out why things like Montoya’s stop
happen. I have mulled this one over in my mind and am starting to suspect that
he had a rear tyre with a problem. Maybe a slow leak or possibly a vibration.
There was no benefit in pitting that early if he was on a single stop plan so
it has to be something else.
The other theory is that he was very light on fuel to
ensure that he stayed ahead from the start. If so how come Barrichello was so
much faster when later in the race they were evenly matched?
One of those mysteries that we’ll never solve.
The money thing is getting interesting. I think it was
Henry Ford that was asked: “When is enough enough?” and responded “After
just a bit more”. The problem is that there are several teams that are
unable to succeed with large budgets but no teams that even get close with
small budgets. The large budget teams that do not do well seem to suffer from
large company bureaucracy – a bit like a camel being a horse designed by
committee.
