In this piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The next stop-off was Hockenheim for the German Grand Prix. It celebrated its 40th anniversary, and it produced some controversy that the sport just didn’t need. This conclusion piece will be dominated by Ferrari’s actions, which brought the sport into disrepute. This is the round-up of this, and other events on a stale weekend in Germany.
Ferrari – Why Was the Order Required?
Finally, Ferrari returned to the Bahrain form in Germany and about time too. They have flattered to deceive on too many occasions this season and after a race to forget at Silverstone a fortnight ago, the pressure was on to get solid points to stay in touch with McLaren and Red Bull Racing. Consequently, a 1-2 finish was the perfect tonic and keeps the titles battles well open. So, why was the team order required for Fernando Alonso to win the German Grand Prix? Well, Felipe Massa’s title chances were practically zilch anyways, so it might have made sense for the team to switch positions around. However, they did it in the worst possible way – by a blatant switch on the track. If a mechanic had fumbled a wheel nut by mistake, or claimed Massa had fuel consumption/braking problems, it might look suspicious, but not much would be made of it. Alonso is their best hope for the championship, which is agreed by many. However, he still arrived at Hockenheim over 60 points behind Lewis Hamilton, so his ambitions for winning a third title were just as unlikely as Massa’s were. That leaves the question then, whether it was necessary for a team order to be given. My conclusion is: We were robbed of a wheel-to-wheel battle on Sunday afternoon, and it was unnecessary to make such a call, given Alonso’s distance he was behind in the standings. They will feel stupid then if Massa wins Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix and Alonso fails to finish then!
Fernando Alonso – Did He Play A Role in the Switch?
Not for the first time, Fernando Alonso threw his toys out of the pram, when things don’t go his way. When he lost out to Massa in a feisty scrap on Lap 21, he radioed in saying “This is ridiculous.” Did Ferrari make the decision when this radio message came through? They might have done, and only they will know this. However, this indicates that Alonso did play a role in the controversial switch, and it wouldn’t be the first time that he has required assistance and love within a team. He got that at Renault, but did crack under the pressure in Canada 2005/China 2006 when Giancarlo Fisichella had the upper hand on Alonso. We all know what happened at McLaren with Lewis Hamilton in 2007, and then there was Singapore 2008. Although I firmly believe Alonso didn’t know anything about the race-fixing incident involving messers Briatore, Symonds and Piquet Jnr, some will feel that it is a coincidence that Fernando Alonso is involved in another inter-team controversy. He didn’t help himself on Sunday, and may have lost quite a few supporters with his actions.
Felipe Massa – Back To His Best & a True Team Player
Felipe Massa has found 2010 to be a massive struggle. Bahrain and Monaco aside, he has put in some disappointing and very sub-standard performances. This is down to his lack of confidence he has with running the harder Bridgestone tyre, similar to Michael Schumacher’s problems and to the fact that Alonso has trounced him so far this season. Alonso’s form proves just how ordinary Kimi Raikkonen was in the Ferrari during 2007-2009. However, they do say that form is temporary, but class is permanent. No doubt that Massa is class and he can beat anyone on his day. His performance on Sunday, the magnitude with which he accepted defeat and played the team game should be highly praised. His reputation will be enhanced and the media will not hang him out to dry, like they probably will with Alonso and Ferrari. A year after his near-fatal crash in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, it should have been fitting for Massa to win for Ferrari. I hope he does this season, because he does deserve to. Let’s hope this revived Massa form continues for the second half of the season.
What Will Be The Implications from the Team Orders?
The fallout from Ferrari’s team orders will carry on into Hungary, and probably all the way to September 13th, when the World Motorsport Council meet in Paris to talk about Ferrari’s actions. They were fined by the race stewards, which show that they feel something was wrong with the switch, which was blatantly obvious. The FIA rulebook clearly states that ‘team orders are prohibited.’ Ferrari has broken the rules, and whilst punishing the drivers would be drastic, the team should cop a severe penalty. Throwing them out of the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Constructors Championship and stripping them of all prize money for this season would certainly fit the crime. The FIA must make an example of this, to stop any action of team orders being used again. They missed a trick when Ferrari staged the finish of the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix – now they must make an example of the Italian team, to show that they mean business.
Sebastian Vettel – Another Pole Position Wasted
Away from the Ferrari controversy, Sebastian Vettel failed again to convert pole position into a race victory. Six times he has started from the front so far in 2010, and so far, only once (in Valencia) has Vettel turned that into a maximum score, which is a sobering statistic. His super-human effort to beat a faster Ferrari on Saturday was wasted by another sluggish start. He seemed more focused on driving Alonso into the pit wall, rather than get to Turn One first. He invited Massa through to take the lead and Felipe accepted the invitation instantly. From then on, he kept the Scuderia cars honest, but never looked liked beating them. Red Bull could well be cursing their strike rate when they leave Abu Dhabi in November without a championship; because that’s the way it’s looking at the moment.
McLaren – Never At the Races
McLaren took a gamble on their set-up at Hockenheim, by running less downforce, which meant they were mighty down the straights with their f-duct. However, they were lacking the general grip in the stadium section and they suffered for it. Once Lewis Hamilton smashed his car into the tyre barriers on Friday morning in the wet, he was on his backfoot from the outset. Jenson Button took advantage to out qualify Hamilton for the first time since Shanghai back in April, and his start was terrific. However, he was baulked by Vettel in Turn One, and lucky to escape from the melee in 7th spot. Button’s pace on the harder tyre did for Mark Webber in the pits, but he couldn’t progress from 5th, whilst Hamilton had to settle for 4th, nowhere near the top three at the chequered flag. It was a tough weekend for the boys from Woking, but they picked up sensible points again, and continue to control both championships as a result.
Force India – A Very Tough Weekend
Force India had their worst weekend of the season in Germany and drew a blank for only the second time this season. The pressure increases further on Vitantonio Liuzzi, when he made an elementary error in qualifying and smashed into the wall. A gearbox problem for Adrian Sutil on Saturday morning left him back in 19th place, following the 5-place gearbox demotion. Their race was compromised on Lap 1, when Liuzzi made contact with Timo Glock’s Virgin and Sutil pitted by mistake, thinking his front wing had been damaged. The team muddled it up, by giving the pair each other’s tyres, which meant an extra stop or face disqualification. This was a very tough weekend for the team; they will be looking forward to Spa and Monza – when they should threaten the frontrunners with their low-downforce spec settings.
Vitaly Petrov – Makes His Point!
Vitaly Petrov arrived in Germany under pressure, with no less than seven drivers, including Timo Glock, Heikki Kovalainen and Nick Heidfeld linked to his seat at Renault for 2011. Despite showing some flashes of speed and potential, the Russian has a tendency to pull off some ambitious moves, which have often ended with his car in a tyre barrier. Qualifying was disappointing; down in 13th, meaning Robert Kubica keeps his 100% record for getting better of his rookie team-mate on a Saturday. A solid performance on Sunday saw Petrov keep Michael Schumacher in touch and hold off attacks from Pedro de la Rosa and Kamur Kobayashi for the final championship point. Petrov remains an outsider to keep his current seat for next season, but don’t discount him just yet.
Toro Rosso Copy The Red Bull Tactic!
Red Bull committed the perfect crime in Turkey, Ferrari mirrored it at Silverstone and now, Toro Rosso copied the example on Lap 1 in Germany. Jaime Alguesuari missed his braking point by at least 150 metres, and assaulted his team leader, Sebastian Buemi. Buemi was minding his own business, passing Pedro de la Rosa into the Turn 6 hairpin, when he was clobbered by his young Spanish team-mate. The incident saw Buemi limping back to the pits to retire, and Alguesuari requiring a front wing repair job. Not what was required for Red Bull’s sister team!
Lotus – Being Closed Down By Virgin Racing
Lotus have already decided to focus their efforts onto the 2011 car, despite one more big development package that is due for the Belgian Grand Prix next month. However, they are in danger of being jumped by Virgin Racing as the quickest of the new teams by the end of the season. Gearbox troubles for the Virgin team, and a mighty effort from Jarno Trulli on Saturday saved Lotus from facing embarrassment from a team that has quite frankly, underperformed massively. In the race, Trulli retired early with a gear selection problem, and Kovalainen chopped de la Rosa late on and had to retire too. At the time, Lucas di Grassi harassed Kovalainen all day, so Lotus need to continue developing if they want to stay quickest of the new teams.
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