The Week in F1 7th January

7th January 2005 - Christian Horner Appointed Red Bull Sporting Director 

This week 14 years ago, a young Christian Horner was appointed sporting director of Formula 1's newest entry, Red Bull Racing. The energy drinks company bought out the old Jaguar team at the end of 2004. Previously, Horner had excellent success with the Formula 3000 team Arden, who won both the 2004 drivers and constructors titles with future Red Bull driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi, also winning in 2003 with Bjorn Wirdheim. The step up to Formula 1 was always Horner's aim as shown in his attempt to buy the Jordan team from Eddie Jordan but withdrew when these talks broke down.

After the buyout of Jaguar, the old regime of the team was essentially ripped out by politics. Tony Purnell and David Pitchfirth were in charge of the Jaguar team and ran the team as if it was a democracy. As is seen over the years however, that is not the way to run a successful Formula 1 team. Look at the way Ferrari have ran they team over the years. The overall feel was that Purnell and Pitchfirth were naive and an operation under the Jaguar name should have been more successful on track. Adding to this, there was a strong sense that major issues such as engine and reliability problems were never properly addressed. 

Guenther Steiner was also added to the Red Bull operation as technical director, a role he held up until 2002, when Purnell and Pitchfirth regime began. The rest, as they say, is history as Horner led the team to four consecutive drivers and constructors titles between 2010 and 2013.

9th January 1977 - Wolf's First F1 Victory

Jody Scheckter scored the Wolf Formula 1 team's first victory on their debut at the Argentine GP. Walter Wolf, an Austrian who made his money in the oil business, first entered Formula 1 in 1975 and partnered with Frank Williams, who had not yet made his name in the sport. 1976 saw the team named Wolf-Williams but it was clear very quickly that Wolf did not want to be a support to another team. The partnership lasted one season and Wolf cut the name Williams from the 1977 team name. Peter Warr was brought in to run the team and Scheckter was signed from Tyrell. Their debut race saw them take the chequered flag through some good fortune as James Hunt, who had a 15 second lead and defending his title, crashed out after an error and Ferrari's Nikki Lauda, who would go on to win the title, retired with car trouble. It should be noted that the Wolf team were still there all season fighting for the title but the more consistent Lauda won the title, beating Scheckter by 17 points, and the Lotus of Mario Andretti, who possibly had the best car, but the poorer reliability. 

9th January 2003 - Jos Verstappen Joins Minardi

Back in 2003, Jos Verstappen, father of F1's hottest commodity Max, signed for his 6th and final team, Minardi. Jos would call it a day at the end of the season on a career that could have delivered the heights that his son is currently experiencing. Astoundingly quick during his karting days, he had started less than 50 races throughout Formula Opel Lotus and German F3 before making his Formula 1 debut alongside Michael Schumacher in Brazil 1994 in the Benetton. Any similarities there?

Always viewed as one of Formula 1's quickest drivers, amazingly his highest finish in the sport was third at the 1994 Hungarian GP. Given the machinery he had during that year and with his talent that he was unable to win a race. This was down to inexperience more than anything else and the fact he was in and out of the car as officially he was the teams test driver. 

This was as good as it got for Verstappen really. He will ultimately be remembered for two things. The massive pit fire that occurred at the 1994 German GP that he somehow survived and for running into the back of Juan Pablo Montoya at Brazil in 2001 when he was a lap down. A Verstappen being involved in a lapping crash? Where have I heard that recently?

Why Fernando Alonso is Still the Best Driver on the F1 Grid

It is fair to say that Fernando Alonso is currently experiencing his worst run in Formula 1 since re-joining McLaren in 2015. When I say worst run, I am talking purely in results form not his own personal performance. At the Spanish GP, Alonso pulled out the best qualifying performance seen by anybody in a long time, getting his McLaren-Honda into Q3. Even more amazingly, he ended up starting in 7^th. Although the race pace was still not there for Alonso, his performance in qualifying showed just how good the double World Champion still is.

It has not just been this race weekend that has showed his unquestioned talent, he has shown this dating back to the end of his Ferrari career, when that car was not as good as it should have been. Even during his second stint at Renault between 2008 and 2009, where the car was not on the same level as McLaren and Ferrari, he still managed to score two victories. 

When Alonso debuted with Minardi in 2001, everyone could see how special a driver he was. Though not scoring any points that year, he was constantly quicker than team mates Tarso Marques, and then Alex Yoong, recording a best finish of 10^th at the German GP. Getting more out of his car than people would have expected saw the Renault team sign him up for 2002 as a test driver, before promoting him to a race seat for 2003. Though the team were on the up, they were no match for the power of McLaren, Ferrari and Williams. This did not stop Alonso becoming the youngest driver to score a pole position at the Malaysian GP. He then became the youngest driver to win a race the following year at the Hungarian GP, again in a car that was improving along with its star driver. This progression was complete with his two World Championships in 2005 and 2006. A third title should have followed at McLaren, unfortunately, inter-team politics and a bad attitude cost Alonso and the team that year.

That was the last year that Alonso had a genuine front running car. Two backwards years at Renault saw him more to Ferrari in 2010, which should have been a match made in heaven, with multiple titles for the Spaniard. 2010 should have been the first had it not been for Red Bull’s Vettel storming through at the end of the season. After that, the Alonso that we see now was born, the man that could get more out of a car than anybody else. The 2012 Ferrari was not a title fighter by any stretch of the imagination, yet Alonso not only won races in that car, but kept the title fight going to the final race of the year. As at McLaren previously, the relationship between team and driver went sour, and Alonso re-joined McLaren, who had teamed up with once again with Honda.

This current spell that Alonso is going through with McLaren-Honda however, is the one that is showing that he is the best on the current grid. Yes, you have Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel who are battling at the front and providing some fantastic racing for the fans. Their talent is undeniable, but neither driver has performed in Formula 1 quite like Alonso. In a poor car, he still manages to score points and put himself in positions that other drivers would not be able too. What proves he is the best however is that, this season, despite having the second slowest car, he is still averaging 12^th on the grid, an achievement that nobody else on that grid would be able to achieve in that car. The upcoming Indy 500 race that he will contest, will provide further proof if needed that Fernando Alonso is not only the best in F1, but one of the best in the world right now.    

European GP 2016

Rosberg Boosts Championship Lead

The European GP returned to the F1 calendar after a 4-year absence to give Nico Rosberg the title boost he needed, with a comfortable win at the Baku street circuit in Azerbaijan. The excitement before the race was building as the supporting GP2 races had seen carnage and brilliant action. Even the F1 practice sessions and qualifying was a brilliant watch, as the winding street circuit was catching out even the best drivers. Ultimately though, as with many of the new circuits in recent years, the race fell flat and Rosberg eased to a 20 second victory. Sebastian Vettel did what he could to challenge Rosberg, but could only finish a distant 2nd. Sergio Perez continued his superb form to take another 3rd place for Force India, ahead of Kimi Raikkonen who finished 4th. Lewis Hamilton finished almost a minute behind Rosberg in 5th, after he suffered technical issues throughout. Williams' Valtteri Bottas was 6th, ahead of the Red Bull pair of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Nico Hulkenberg and Felipe Massa rounded off the points positions with 9th and 10th respectively.           

It was a comfortable afternoon for the championship leader who led every lap of the race after fending off Ricciardo at turn 1. From then on, he drove off into the distance to record his 19th win in Formula 1. His team mate Lewis Hamilton however did not have as easy an afternoon as his team mate and championship rival. Throughout Friday and Saturday, Hamilton looked almost certain to overhaul Rosberg in the championship come the end of the race on Sunday. His pace was scintillating throughout practise, and going into qualifying he was building momentum. This came to an end in Q2 however when Hamilton pushed that bit too hard and ending up crashing out of qualifying and started 10th. As with Rosberg in Canada, many expected Hamilton to fly through the field and maybe challenge Rosberg. Again, as with Rosberg, Hamilton struggled to make it through the field due to an engine settings problem on his car, the tight and twisty nature of the track certainly didn’t help. 

Elsewhere on track, it was a very drab race with nothing else really happening. Red Bull's race was ruined by strategy calls due to the risk of safety car deployments. Unfortunately for Red Bull, there was no such incidents. One highlight of an otherwise dull race was the performance of Jenson Button who came from 19th on the grid to finish in 11th place. Despite expectations before the race, there was next to no drama at all, with 18 of the 22 drivers finishing the race.  

Perez Equals Mexican Podium Record

Sergio Perez's rejuvenated Formula 1 career continued at the European GP as he equalled Pedro Rodriguez's record of 7 podiums for a Mexican driver. It is amazing what can happen in just three years. His 2013 season was a disaster at McLaren, with a series of high profile errors leading to the team dismissing him after one season. Force India could clearly see the talent the young Mexican possess and have really changed his career prospects in the sport. His performance in Baku, I believe, has put him in pole position to take Kimi Raikkonen's seat at Ferrari in 2017, should Ferrari drop the Finn.    

His podium in Baku was his second in three races, and that was after a big mistake in practice resulted in him receiving a 5 place grid penalty. Without the penalty, Perez would have started an incredible 2nd place behind Rosberg. Furthermore, Perez's race craft was brilliant throughout the race. To top everything off, Perez overtook Raikkonen, despite knowing that Raikkonen had a time penalty and would have finished behind Perez. What Perez did with this move was send out a clear message to the F1 world, especially Ferrari. What is certainly clear is that Perez has matured since the McLaren fiasco and is ready to return to the F1 big leagues. Ferrari would be foolish not to seriously consider Perez for 2017.   

Has the Radio Ban Gone Too Far?

Not for the first time in F1, rules and regulations off the track dominated the post-race talk, with the radio ban sparking huge debate. Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen suffered with technical issues throughout the race that could have been solved with a reset message from the team. However, due to the restrictions on radio communications, both drivers were not able to solve their issues. This message effectively ruined Hamilton's race as he was seriously down on power. Hamilton was getting more frustrated as the race progressed and threatened to reset everything to solve the issue. Eventually Hamilton figured out the issue and made the changes. By the end of the race, he was the fastest on the circuit. This has led to the debate about the ban. Many feel that this ban cost the fans the opportunity to see what Hamilton could do coming through the field. Had the ban been a bit more relaxed, an actual race might have broken out. With this ban in place, I feel it has taken something away for the fans. I used to enjoy listening to what went on inside the cockpit as it gave a brilliant insight into just how focused these drivers need to be. There has to be a happy medium with regards to this ban. I agree that drivers should not be almost coached by their engineers throughout the race, but these cars are extremely complicated. Knowing how to reset every little thing and focus on racing is a challenge. There has to be a way of balancing this out so that we do not have to keep talking about the ban. Formula 1's talking points should be made on the track not off it.