Sidepodcast

The Stewarding Process, Now With Added Drivers

Credit: Williams F1

Alain Prost and Damon Hill, pose with a sponsor at Kyalami, '93. The FIA is putting it's trust in these men.

For the 2010 season, the FIA are introducing an F1 driver to each stewarding panel, in an attempt to make their judgements fairer, and to provide a little insight into what was happening during each incident. We've previously discussed this idea at great lengths, pondering whether it's right to allow drivers in. Their added experience can only be useful, but might they be a little impartial to their former teams? It's an unknown at the moment, but what we do know is who will be taking those positions for the next few races.

Alain Prost

Prost is at the helm in Bahrain this weekend, taking the reigns as the first former driver to participate in the stewarding process under this new ruling. The Frenchman was last seen driving in the sport in 1993 for Williams. He's also driven for McLaren, Renault and Ferrari - and had a held a bitter rivalry with Ayrton Senna along the way. Prost has four world championships under his belt.

Prost went on to start his own F1 team which lasted just five seasons.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen

Frentzen hails from Germany, and was last behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2003. He's since been competing in DTM. He's driven with Sauber, Williams, Jordan and Arrows, but never managed to grab that elusive championship. He won three Grands Prix, though, the last being in 1999. He was disqualified only once during his F1 career - for leaving the pit lane under a red light.

Alex Wurz

Wurz has never been far from our consciousness, last seen racing in China 2007. He attempted to launch his own F1 team for the 2010 season but the application was not successful. He's driven for Williams, McLaren and Benetton, but made more of an impact as a good development and test driver than a sparkling racer. He has no championships or wins to his name, but is known for speaking his mind, and as a comentator on his home TV networks in Austria, he'll be good at calling things as he sees them.

Wurz has on occasion been trusted at the wheel of the FIA medical car.

Johnny Herbert

Herbert has driven for quite a few teams during his 12 years in the sport, with the last Jaguar Racing in 2000. He's also been involved with Stewart, Sauber, Benetton, Ligier, Lotus and Tyrrell. Herbert never won the championship but stood on the top step of the podium three times, and picked up 98 points during his F1 career. Since leaving the sport, he has participated in Le Mans and BTCC, and advised Jordan and Midland before they became Spyker.

Damon Hill

Since leaving F1, Hill has kept himself extremely busy heading up the BRDC and managing their exploits at Silverstone and in keeping the British GP alive. The former champion won 22 races and one title in his eight years - driving for Jordan and Williams amongst others. Damon is a media friendly figure, but isn't afraid to share his frustrations, making waves and headlines in equal measures. Hill has been confirmed as a steward for two races.

What do you think of these driver choices? Will they make sensible decisions? Who else should be added to the list, and more importantly, who should not?

Daily: 11th August 2009

It is Lucas di Grassi's birthday today. The Brazilian is 25 years old today, and must be sad that the factories are all shut, because it means he won't get a cake. Still, with so many new teams turning up next year, does di Grassi have a shot at a race seat? On that subject:

• US F1 are contemplating signing up Wurz or Pedalo, in the hopes that they can get an experienced driver alongside their American rookie. The question is, which would you rather have? We've had comments on both sides so far, with plenty of people saying neither. Where do you sit on this debate?
• After some sensible words from Jean Todt recently, Ari has finally issued some of his own, but it is simply to say that he is not fighting against Mr T, or Mr M, but that he is concentrating on the plane he has instead. On that front, he should be revealing details on his cabinet very soon.
• Finally, Domenicali has admitted that the new regulations haven't worked at all. I have blogged about this here, because Stefano is not the first member of a team to express disappointment. What do you think?

That'll do it for now. There is still more news in F1 than I was ever expecting for the summer break, so I will have to eat my words about the boringness of these few weeks. I will see you in the comments.

Daily: 15th June 2009

Here we are, Monday once again, and the Le Mans weekend is over. It wasn't the result I was hoping for, naturally, but it was still a good race, and a really fun thing to experience with all our Sidepodfriends (coined by Jeremy). Here are some of the things we're talking about:

• Wurz won the race in Le Mans over the weekend, with my team of Franck and Bourdais coming in a close second. They led a lot of the way but couldn't make it stick through to the end. Still, even though Franck looked miserable afterwards, he must be happy to have help stop the Audi run of victories.
• Despite the fact they haven't managed to get on the entry list for 2010 as yet, Lola still aren't quitting their F1 dreams just yet. The boss says the decision will be made on Tuesday, which seems odd to me. Either you're going to wait for the next Max deadline, or you're going to pull out now. What's so special about Tuesday?
• Finally, anyone using the Safari web browser may spot an addition to the Live Commenting Live... Thing - a checkbox to activate an alert when new comments come in. At the moment, it defaults to on, which means you'll hear a maraca sound each time there are new comments. We will default it to off, but are just going through the motions of testing it out at the moment. Let us know what you think.

That'll do it for now. Monday means back to work which means we're already on the road to Silverstone, not literally of course. Let us know if you are making preparations for the big trip though, and we'll listen jealously. I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 1st June 2009

Apparently, not only is it the first day of a brand new month, it is also International Children's Day. With that in mind, we should be very aware of the cry "Won't somebody think of the children?" which has been used a couple of times in the comments already this week. Here are some of the other things we are discussing:

• Alex Wurz and his new team Superfund are set to make a heroic entrance into F1 - if they are selected, of course. The team have funding in place but aren't getting anything organised until they get the nod. It will be good to see Mr Wurz back in the sport, although I can't see him in the team principal role. Mr C thinks he might be quite good as the boss, however.
• It's also Martin Brundle's birthday today, which is only really interesting because I was thinking about Alex Brundle and his performance in F2. I kept an eye on the results, and find myself interested in Brundle Jr, and Natacha Gachnang, and that is pretty much it. Anyone else catch it, interested in it, got a fave or already? Or couldn't care less?
• BMW have confirmed in their Turkey preview quotes (oooh, is it that time already?) that they'll be running the double decker diffuser. Is it going to make any difference for them? Or have they scuppered their own season this early on?

That'll do it for now. The replay of the live streaming show we did last night is up if you feel like watching, or the edited show should be out this evening. Don't forget to vote on the Circuit Cup semi final, and I'll see you in the comments.

A Different Kind of Third Driver Role

Back in Singapore, we were all a bit surprised to see that Wurz had taken to the wheel of the FIA Medical Car as the usual pilot was taken ill. It made a lot of sense to choose Wurz, as he is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, knows when to take things easy, and when to put his foot down. He seemed like an ideal fit.

It appears that the Medical Car's regular driver Jacques Tropenat either has something serious or long-lasting (rumours abound that it's an ear infection), as he is not expected to be back in 2008. This week in Japan and for the final two races, Red Bull reserve driver Sebastian Buemi has been called up to take the role.

It's not clear why Wurz is unavailable to drive this week, after he did a fine job in Singapore. The Medical Car follows the pack on the first lap of a Grand Prix, but Wurz also saw some action when Piquet crashed into the wall. Thankfully, medical assistance wasn't required, although Wurz got them to the scene in style.

Nevertheless, it's Buemi's turn, and it could turn out to be a test for the young driver. He's currently being suggested as one of Toro Rosso's 2009 drivers, and keeping a cool head for the remainder of the season may take him that one step closer to impressing the bosses.

I do wonder why Buemi was chosen, as he seems quite a young chap for such a crucial role. I'm sure he will pull it off with aplomb, but there must be more experienced drivers out there who could take the challenge? I'm also curious how they decide who gets these gigs, who makes the decision, and which driver would get the call if Mayländer went awol?

Wurz Drives Singapore Medical Car

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

If the medical car hadn’t been called at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, we may never have found this out, but current test driver Alex Wurz was behind the wheel. On the night before the race, the normal medical car driver was taken ill. Bernd Maylander, who has driven the safety car since 2000, recommended Wurz for the position, being a friend of the man, and knowing his vast experience. Wurz took to the track after Nelson Piquet crashed into the wall, but assistance wasn’t needed. Piquet hopped out of the car by himself, and headed back to the pitlane.

Alex Wurz was a sensible choice, having so much Formula 1 experience. He’s raced for Benetton, tested for McLaren, raced for Williams, and is now a test driver for Honda. His results may not be particularly impressive, he has started 69 Grands Prix, and only been on the podium three times, but he has been involved in Formula 1 forever and knows the situations inside out. He has also participated in the Le Mans 24 Hour race, and therefore has plenty of experience with night racing as well.

The medical car is similar to the safety car, in that it is a modified Mercedes, ready to zip to the scene of any accident. Dr Gary Hartstein, the FIA’s chief medical delegate, is always on board, and once arrived at the accident, he uses a system of lights on top of the car to indicate how serious the situation is.

There are paramedics situated at different points around the track to deliver first aid in case it is needed, and if the situation is serious, drivers can be transferred to the medical centre, and/or the MedEvac helicopter for the onward journey to a local hospital.

The medical centres are fully equipped to deal with emergencies, housing a full operating theatre and resuscitation facilities, but transportation to hospital is designed to be straightforward if necessary.

Thankfully, Formula 1 has so improved its safety in terms of the cars, that visits to the medical centre are usually just as a precaution. In recent years, we have seen less and less necessity for medical intervention, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be there. If a serious accident does occur, F1 circuits should, and currently do, have the facilities to deal with it and minimise any effects.

Episode 78 - He Looks Like Mr Potato Head

• Length: 32:00 
• Size: 29.1 MB 
• File: episode78.mp3 
• Enhanced: episode78.m4a 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: episode78.torrent 

It feels like ages since we had a non-race weekend, and thankfully there was some testing, otherwise we would have had no news to discuss. However, we find other quiz-shaped ways of filling our time.

Intro

There's a significant reason he wants to try doing the show with shoes on his hands.

Good Week / Bad Week

It's a good week for Heikki Kovalainen as his boss has given him a public pep-talk, and a good week for relationships between teams. It's been a double bad week for Bernie, as Formula 2 begins to take shape, and Lehmen Brothers bankruptcy complicates things.

News and Views

A catchup with the action from Jerez, Mugello and Fiorano. Young drivers get a go in the car, we see some live KERS action, with scary results, a conspiracy theory forms regarding Bourdais, and Bridgestone choose pink.

Sidepodquiz

An introduction to, and our very first pilot edition of, Sidepodquiz - the Formula 1 quiz. Taking part this week is Ollie from BlogF1.

Feedback

A Facebook game, plus some great status updates from Peter. This week I had some brilliant emails with lots of lovely pictures, including some of Mr Franck Montagny. More please.

Housekeeping

The archives are there if you want them... but don't.

Linkage

• McLaren Sport Footwear
• Sidepodquiz
• Facebook: Obscure Claims to Fame
• Michael's Silverstone Pics
• Sidepodcast Archives
• Sidepodcast's Drop.io

Wurz It All About?

As a quick recap of the tale we all know so well, Alex Wurz used to be a racer, then he was pushed aside in favour of Jenson Button and became a test driver.

For many, many years.

2007 saw his return to driving in anger, but he called it a day one race before the end of the season. So where does that leave us now? With Wurz returning to the safety of test driving with perennial grid-struggler's Honda.

I like Alex Wurz and I was really happy with him getting a seat for 2007. The same way I felt good for Anthony Davidson, all that hard work wasn't for nothing after all. You couldn't exactly call it a stellar season for Wurz, but it wasn't one of the worst either. I was surprised when he announced he was retiring from racing, even more so when he couldn't see it through to the end.

In an interview recently, Wurz said he didn't think he had the energy to complete another F1 season.

You must know that the thing we drivers love, which is of course driving these cars and pushing them to the limits, is about 10 percent of what we really do.

Which is all well and good, but this leaves me in a bit of a quandry. Wurz has spent the best part of a decade testing out cars. He is really good at what he does, and he's bound to make a difference at Honda. But is it really fair?

He's happy to admit that he doesn't want to race, yet he's signed as a reserve driver. We assume that if one of the main drivers was sick, he would have no objections to racing in their place - but he wouldn't really want to, would he?

With opportunities for new drivers in such short supply at the moment, is it fair that a guy who has admitted his racing days are behind him continues to hold a top position. What about all those young rookies that could do with a leg up into the pinnacle of motorsport? God knows, they could use the experience.

I'm not saying Wurz shouldn't be there, because he's bringing all that wealth of knowledge to the team. But at the same time, I've always assumed that the test role is more the predecessor of a race drive. Weren't we all a bit shocked when Hamilton jumped into a race seat without testing first?

Without really being able to come to a conclusion, I shall therefore turn it over to my good friends and blog readers. So, should he be testing or stepping aside for a younger driver?

Alex Wurz Leaves F1

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Almost immediately, after the Japanese Grand Prix, Alex Wurz announced his retirement from Formula 1. The Williams driver had already confirmed that he would be leaving at the end of the year, but for reasons unknown brought his decision forward a race.

Wurz began this year after a considerable break from racing, although he had been testing in F1 to keep his skills up to scratch. The start of the season wasn’t too bad, he had a sharp learning curve, and ended up on the podium in Canada. Things were looking good, but gradually the performance began to ebb away and frustrations began to rise.

It really was a make or break season for Wurz this year. It’s incredibly difficult to get back into racing once you’ve left for a prolonged period of time, and he was lucky to have been given this opportunity. He clearly has the skill to make it work, but the season just hasn’t panned out how anyone would have hoped. Several retirements, collisions and spins meant finishing out of the points on many occasions. And now the guy has had enough.

I’m particularly sad about this news, because I felt that Alex Wurz had a refreshingly honest look on life and the sport, and seemed to come across really well in interviews. He was part of a regular segment on the AT&T Williams podcast, where the presenter would phone him up at 20:07 every Saturday to find out what he was doing and how he felt about the upcoming race. One night, Wurz was to be found in his hotel room painting his own helmet!

Notably this year, Alex also welcomed a new baby to his family, and this has probably contributed to his decision – the desire to spend more time at home.

Although the announcement appeared to come out of the blue, Williams did not appear too shocked and were ready the very next day to announce their replacement driver for Brazil. Kazuki Nakajima is getting his F1 debut after numerous tests for the team. There are a lot of candidates for the spare seat at Williams in 2008, and potential drivers must be fuming that they didn’t get a chance to have a go. Frank Williams is keen to point out, however, that the race will not be used to judge the driver for a potential 2008 race drive. It’s pretty clear, though, that if Nakajima does well, his chances of staying with the team will be raised.

China GP, 2007

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

Going into the Chinese Grand Prix race weekend, it looked like Hamilton was going to be finally stamping his claim on the 2007 Driver’s Title. Although the McLaren’s were lacking a little bit of speed and stability in the slippery and humid conditions of the Shanghai International Circuit, Hamilton pulled out a stunning final lap in qualifying to take pole position. Nearest championship rival Alonso was back in fourth on the grid.

In F1, however, anything can happen. Sunday continued to be wet, although the rain was intermittent, and tyre choices were tough. The Spyker team started on extreme wets, whilst most drivers chose the intermediates to try and find a dry line on the track. The moisture began to evaporate and a couple of drivers, Wurz and Webber, were the first to brave dry tyres. It was slippery, but they managed to pick up some good speed. At the front, Hamilton was pulling out a lead which he retained after the first round of pitstops. Unusually, they didn’t change the tyres on the McLaren, leaving him on the same inters that he started the race with. Just before his second pit stops, Hamilton’s tyres began to give up. They were worn down. He made it round to the pit entrance, slowly, but couldn’t turn in and ended up in the gravel. He waved at the marshals to push him out, but nothing could be done, and his race was over.

Drivers having more luck included Jenson Button, who is always stylish when the rain appears. He gained five places through the race and ended up 5th – his best finish of the season. Rookie driver Sebastian Vettel absolutely made up for the incident in Japan, which saw his experience called into question. Originally given a ten place grid penalty for that incident which saw him crash into Mark Webber behind the safety car, this was revoked after it was decided to be a racing incident. They then handed out a five place penalty instead, as Vettel held up Davidson in qualifying. Despite all this, Vettel still managed to make up 13 places during the race and finish fourth, an amazing drive from him.

Raikkonen went on to win the race, with Alonso following in second, which means both drivers are still in with a shot of the driver’s title when it comes to the last race in Brazil. Hamilton leads with 107 points, Alonso has 103 and Raikkonen has 100. The odds are still with Hamilton, but you couldn’t ask for a more exciting finish to the season.