The Bulldog returns to F1
We've looked at the best of F1 2010, but further down the pitlane there have been equally impressive performances.
I can always tell when it’s getting to the end of the year, when the end of my desk starts leaving the floor, supported by a column of dead trees full of interesting car facts and gorgeous photography, so it’s time to give the local paper bank something to chew on.
Being a voracious reader of magazines, I can’t simply chuck away anything over a certain date. Each issue needs to be carefully combed through and potentially useful issues kept, while others have articles demanding one last re-read before being consigned to the blue recycling box that becomes rather prominent when clearing out is suddenly suggested.
What’s been interesting this year, having read Martin’s rather excellent end of year F1 review, is re-reading the early and mid-season F1 Racings magazines. The story of USF1 blowing $25m to produce half a tub and some suspension pieces, the prospects for a charged up Red Bull, the wonder of the F-Duct overshadowing a yet unknown blown diffuser or flexible wings…
What has been most impressive, though, is the new teams. A double page spread showing Lotus Racing frantically screwing together their car in Bahrain really showed what a huge challenge the three new teams who made it had actually completed. OK, so the HRT looked like a wheeled version of Buckaroo, and none of the six cars had any great giant-killing moments, but by the end of the year no-one could say that Virgin or Lotus weren’t real F1 teams.
The end of year F1 Racing highlighted how Adrian Newey might be F1’s man of the year. I’d suggest that at the far end of the pitlane there are two equally impressive technical chiefs at work; Mike Gascoyne and John Booth. While John did have Manor Motorsport running prior to F1, to tool up for such a technically advanced Formula, to design and build a car, and then understand and run the car whilst simultaneously chasing for funding is nothing short of a miracle in the year since the FIA announced the new teams. Certainly if I were going to start a Drive Cult F1 team, Mike Gascoyne would be on my list to hire.
In fact Mike, if you’re reading this, get in touch. Our wind tunnel model is made by Tamiya, and you’d have to work out of your back bedroom, but we can offer Hob Nobs by the box load and many leather wrist straps.
The other big surprise for me has been Karun Chandok. He drove the wheels off F1’s greasy weasel, the HRT car, he ended a storming Monaco run with a Lotus on his head, but ultimately his rupees were overshadowed by Yamamoto’s yen. In his role as one of HRT's reserve drivers, in a squad smaller than the complete roster of the San Francisco 49ers but larger than the So Solid Crew, he attended GPs and made the 5Live practice sessions a brilliant treat for the diehard F1 fan; part extra running, part in-depth tech analysis, part a group of mates nattering. If the team continue it next year, it’s well worth watching/listening to if you’re the sort of person who loves in-depth F1 talk – and if you’re reading this, you probably are.
Oh, one final treat. Register, then enjoy these F1 race edits!