F1's Colourless Grid

So, the first week of Formula 1 testing has been and gone. What stood out more than Mercedes' ridiculous bullet proof reliability, or the Honda power unit still completing the least mileage, is the shocking lack of colour on the grid for 2016. It has been noticeable over the last few years that colourful liveries are disappearing off the grid, making it more difficult for fans to know who is who. For more hardcore fans, they will probably know the difference, however fans new to the sport will be looking at the cars thinking they are all the same. Obviously the red of the Ferrari stands out amongst the dull, dark paintjobs on the grid, along with the white Williams and three tone colours of Manor. Other than that, the grid consists of darkened colours, with the only prominent colour being that of the sponsorships. I understand that having sponsorships stand out on cars is a big thing, and has been throughout the years. In the past though, teams have always had the sponsors stand out and retained the colour. Why not now? Here, I will be looking at teams who have had liveries that have stood out like a saw thumb during a Grand Prix. Obviously there are many other colourful F1 cars in history, but these are my personal favourite three.

British American Racing (BAR 01) 1999 Season

At the end of 1998, the historic Tyrrell team was bought by British American Tobacco and rebranded British American Racing, BAR for short. The teams debut season saw them run a livery that was different on each side of the car. Originally the team wanted separate liveries for each car, one running the Lucky Strike blue, and the other running the red and white of 555, both brands of cigarettes owned by British American Tobacco. This was rejected by the FIA, so instead the team split the livery down the middle. It was a unique idea that was easily noticeable during the 1999 season. The livery was able to corporate other sponsors due to its "zip" up the centre, which spread out at the end of the nosecone. This way, the dual colour wouldn't affect the other sponsorships on the car. Even the rear wing of the car featured the duel colour scheme, seeing the blue Lucky Strike on the front and the red and white 555 occupying the back. It was a unique livery, and one that stood out on the grid. The idea of seeing something with this much vibrancy on the grid today is unthinkable. 

Image Taken From: http://wtf1.co.uk/the-cool-wall-cigarettes-and-alcohol/

7up Jordan 1991 Season

This car was the car that gave Michael Schumacher his Formula 1 debut in the Belgian GP in 1991. Eddie Jordan's first Formula 1 car came onto the grid in 1991 - and immediately stood out. It gave the team its visual identity and although it only lasted for one season, the way it stood out on T.V was brilliant. Its main body of emerald green was supported by flashes of lighter green which broke up any potential repetitiveness of colour, and gave something more to the livery. On top of this, dark blue is separated from the green with a strip of white, giving it a simple, yet brilliant look. The red of the 7up logo on the engine cover means that bits of red can be used elsewhere without seeming out of place, particularly on the wing. On the sidepods there were two variants of sponsor, Fujifilm and later on, Tic Tac. The Tic Tac logo looked like a better fit with its white standing out better against the blue. The Fujifilm one looks less effective as the red does not stand out from the blue. What helps the Tic Tac stand out more is possibly down to the fact it was on Schumacher's  first car in the sport.  

Images Taken From: http://www.diecast.org/diecast98/html/asp/list_reviews/xq/ASP/id.MP100-910032/qx/reviewpix.htm

Jaguar R1 2000 Season

When Ford bought the Steward team and announced it would run under the Jaguar guise for the 2000 season, every F1 fan knew it would be seeing a green livery on the grid. Mock-ups were made by many people during 1999 of the distinct British Racing Green and the famous Jaguar logo (the "leaping cat") on the engine cover. That is what the fans were given as the Jaguar launched with its traditional green and the well incorporated white and red of the HSBC sponsor, that carried over from the Stewart team. The shade of green wasn't exactly BRG (British Racing Green) but was optimised for T.V audiences. On top of this, the subtle touches on the car were fantastic, in particular the gold wheels, which had the potential to look hideously cheap but looked superb. A smart move on the part of Jaguar was to keep all sponsors on the green parts of the car white. Jaguar competed in F1 until 2004 which never saw a massive change in the team's livery.  Changes were made over these years which took away the class from this first design. For example using the Beck logo in full on the barge board, even though it matched the main colour scheme of the car. To add to this, in 2002, the team added the blue of sponsors EDS and AT&T making the car look extremely messy. Although the team's performances never lived up to the historical name, the cars livery is iconic, recognisable and one that is loved among racing fans in general.  

Image Taken From: http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/photo/687698,19843,0,0/photo.aspx

Why Felipe Massa Shouldn't Fall into the F1 Abyss

If anybody reading this entry has read previous entries, then they will know I am a huge fan of Felipe Massa. The formality of him leaving Ferrari at the end of the year still saddens me. My major fear about this popular little Brazilian is that he will fall into the F1 abyss like many other popular drivers such as Heikki Kovalainen, Jerome d’Ambrosio and Jamie Alguersuari. In this entry, I will look at the reasons that F1 teams should be doing all they can to sign Massa up for a 2014 drive.

Before his eight year spell with the Scuderia, Massa was at what could be called Ferrari’s junior team, Sauber. Massa made his debut with Sauber in 2002 where he scored 4 points in his first season, with a best finish of 5^th at the Spanish GP. He showed his competitiveness, but did make several mistakes. He earned a one race suspension which meant he missed the US GP. He returned for the Japanese GP, but was subsequently dropped by the team for the 2003 season, however he moved to Ferrari as their test driver. Massa re-signed for Sauber in 2004 scoring 12 points with a best finish of 4^th at the Belgian GP. His steady season earned him a second consecutive year at Sauber in 2005, where he scored 11 points and outpaced Jacques Villeneuve and beat him in the drivers’ standings. He got his big break the year after with Ferrari, partnering 7 times World Champion, Michael Schumacher.

During his first season at Ferrari, he scored 80 points and finished third in the title race behind champion Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher. It was a year that Massa was to be mentored by Schumacher, to try and help cut out the driver errors. Evidence of nerves could be seen during some races during the season such as in Bahrain, where he spun several times. He also crashed his Ferrari in Australia during both qualifying and the race itself. Despite all of this, Schumacher's influence could be seen as Massa scored his first pole position and victory at the Turkish GP. My personal favourite memory of his debut season at Ferrari was his victory at his home Brazilian GP in front of his adoring fans. He was the first Brazilian to win at Brazil since Ayrton Senna.

Schumacher left the team and Massa was partnered by Kimi Raikkonen, his team mate at Sauber in 2002. Massa seemed a much more complete driver, especially during pre-season testing where he looked on brilliant form. When it came to the opening race of the season, Massa suffered a gearbox problem during qualifying and started last, however he still managed to come home in 6^th. Problems continued into Malaysia where he was overtaken by the two McLaren's, despite starting on pole position. Massa attacked Hamilton and went wide, which meant he finished 5^th. His luck and form picked up as he won back to back races in Bahrain and Spain, both from pole position. He won the Turkish GP again and scored another 6 podiums. His team player image was first seen at Ferrari when he yielded the lead of the Brazilian GP to allow Kimi Raikkonen to win the World Championship.

So onto 2008. This without doubt, was Massa’s best year in F1. It all started wrong for Felipe again as he retired from the first two races, both by spinning out. People began to question if Massa was up to the job of racing at the sharp end of the grid without the assist of traction control. Massa silenced his critics in the best way possible. He dominated the entire weekend in Bahrain, only to have pole position snatched away by Robert Kubica. However, this didn’t stop Massa’s awesome pace in the race. Massa had Kubica by the first corner and went onto a dominant win. He scored another brilliant podium in Spain and went onto record his 3^rd consecutive victory in Turkey and started to gather real momentum.

He carried this momentum into Monaco, where he amazed himself by sticking his car on pole position. He started brilliantly and led by 15 seconds in the rain before the safety car came out and took out his lead. After the safety car, Massa pulled away again before he ran off at the first corner and lost the lead. He eventually finished her 3^rd behind his title rival Lewis Hamilton and Kubica. A fifth place in Canada, followed by a win in France meant he led the drivers’ championship, the first time a Brazilian had led the championship since Senna. The next two races saw Massa score zero points as he spun an amazing 5 times at the British GP, and retired from the lead of the Hungarian GP with only 3 laps left. The European GP saw Massa make his 100^th start in F1 and went onto win the race, making him the only driver to date to win on his 100^th start. He was awarded the win in Belgium after his main rival Hamilton was penalised 25 seconds for cutting the final chicane.  Points came his way in Italy before a pointless finish in Singapore meant he was 7 points behind Hamilton. At the Chinese GP, Massa’s stance as number 1 for the season could be seen as Raikkonen yielded 2^nd to Massa to ensure he could keep his title hopes alive.

The final race of the season was held in front of his adoring fans in Brazil, with Massa 7 points behind Hamilton. It was simple for Massa, he had to win or finish second, and for Hamilton for finish lower than 5^th. It started fantastically for Massa, qualifying on pole, with Hamilton fourth. Massa blew everyone away with his performance and won by 13 seconds. His part was done. Felipe Massa was World Champion for 38 seconds. His title was cruelly taken away as Lewis Hamilton overtook Timo Glock at the second last corner for 5^th place and the title by a single point. He was praised left right and centre by everyone and his maturity was praised by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo. All in all, Massa managed 6 victories and 6 pole positions.

After all the highs of the previous three seasons, 2009 would ultimately see the downfall of Felipe Massa. A poor, uncompetitive Ferrari at the beginning of the year meant the Brazilian couldn’t relive the form of 2008. It was the middle of the season at the Hungarian GP where Massa could have lost his life. He was struck in the head at 180mph by a spring that fell off the back of the Brawn Mercedes of Rubens Barrichello. It would see Massa miss the rest of the season and return in 2010 to partner Fernando Alonso. Despite what Massa said, I believe that his head injury played a part in his below-par 2010 season. He did lead the German GP before being told to move over for Alonso. I also believe this was hard for Massa to take and psychologically destroyed Massa’s confidence. This form continued into 2011. He was continually out-performed by Alonso again and was caught up in many high profile incidents with Hamilton. 2012 started off poorly for Massa before he managed to keep place with Alonso in the second half of the season, even out-qualifying the Spaniard occasionally. He was awarded a new one year deal for 2013. 2013 saw Massa start just as strong as he ended 2012, out-qualifying Alonso and looking as though he had re-captured his 2008 form. However his form faded and Ferrari announced that Massa would be replaced by Raikkonen for 2014.

So there you have it. Eight years at the oldest F1 team have ended. Looking back at his career, Massa deserved so much more. In my opinion Massa deserved the title in 2008 and had he won that, I believe that he could have achieved even more. The end of 2012 and beginning of this year, we saw the old Massa back in action. Unfortunately this form couldn’t be kept up, and it’s now time for a change. I believe Massa still has enough to offer a top team in 2014, possibly Lotus? Only time will tell if he gets another shot, or fall into the F1 abyss.          

Michael Schumacher - F1 Villain

4 Races that tainted the career of Michal Schumacher.

In all sports, there are heroes and villains and Formula 1 is no exception. In this post I will be looking at one of the sports’ all time greats; Michael Schumacher. Schumacher holds nearly every record in Formula 1 and is considered by many as the greatest driver of all time. His illustrious career has been blighted by many controversies; run-ins with Hill and Villeneuve, the arrogance, the team orders and Monaco 2006 (the famous parking incident at La Rascasse) to name but a few, could give Schumacher the title of ultimate F1 villain.

His first major controversy came in 1994 at the final round in Adelaide Australia when Schumacher and Damon Hill were fighting for the title. Of the 16 races in 94, Hill and Schumacher had won 14 of them (Schumacher 8, Hill 6), leaving everyone else in their wake. The whole season came down to a straight fight between the two of them in Australia, with only a single point separating the two drivers. Many expected Schumacher to drive away from Hill, but the Brit was able to stick with Schumacher and put the German under massive pressure. For the first time in his short career, people could see Schumacher feeling the pressure and on lap 36, he seemingly cracked when he ran wide and hit the wall. Schumacher returned to the track very gingerly and Hill, like a shark smelling blood, went for a move down the inside at the next corner. Enter Michael Schumacher controversy number one. Schumacher turned into the corner and collected Hill’s car, leaving Schumacher in the barrier and Hill with damaged suspension. The argument of whether he meant it or not has rumbled on for 19 years now and it is my opinion that it was intentional. His mentality of winning at any cost took over Schumacher and when he saw Hill go up the inside, he panicked, turned into Hill and took the title with that one move. You could see Schumacher hanging round the corner where he retired with a look of anguish just waiting for Hill to come round. Ultimately Hill didn’t, and Schumacher rejoiced at his first world championship. His ruthlessness came out in all of its glory, leading to many people in the press slating Schumacher as an arrogant cheat. I don’t however, believe that Schumacher wanted to end the race in retirement; he wanted to give Hill a message but went too far.

If Australia 1994 was a debatable incident, then Jerez in 1997 was a lot easier to judge. The scene was very reminiscent of Australia 94, with Schumacher fighting a Williams in the final round for the title. Jacques Villeneuve had stormed on to the F1 scene in 1996 and almost took the title in his debut year. 1997 saw him locked in a battle with Schumacher's Ferrari which went down to the wire. The two drivers were separated by a single point. On lap 48 Schumacher chalked up another moment of controversy when he drove into the side of Villeneuve, but only managed to take himself out of the race. Various angles have shown the incident and it’s clearly evident that he meant to take Villeneuve out and go on to be champion. Villeneuve went on to collect 4 points and take the title. Schumacher was not penalised after the race by the race stewards. However, two weeks after the race, Schumacher became the only driver in the history of Formula 1 to be disqualified from the official classifications at the end of the season. The incident showed that Schumacher was willing to win at any cost and it backfired. Arguably, this win at all cost attitude is what gave him his seven titles, but at the cost of a tainted career.

We then come to May 12^th 2002; the day sporting integrity was thrown away by Ferrari. Team orders in F1 have always been controversial and were put directly under the spot light during the Austrian Grand Prix in 2002. Over the course of the weekend, Ferrari number 2 Rubens Barrichello had been quicker than Schumacher, even taking pole position. Barrichello had lead the majority of the race and with barely 100 metres to go was told by Ferrari to move over and let Schumacher through. At this point in the season, Schumacher already had a healthy lead over the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya, so why did Ferrari feel the need to give Schumacher the win? Personally, I believe it was the amount of influence that Schumacher had in the Ferrari team. The whole of the team was moulded around Schumacher and the number two was seemingly always used as a rear gunner. This didn’t just go for Barrichello; Eddie Irvine received similar treatment during his time as Schumacher's team mate. With the structure of the team being built around Schumacher, did they fear that if they hadn’t ordered Barrichello to move over, Schumacher would have something to say? Ferrari argued that if Schumacher had lost the title by four points or less they would have looked foolish that it was Barrichello who prevented Schumacher from winning the title. I don’t think that this is a viable excuse that the team gave. Schumacher didn’t need the points at the time; it was Barrichello that needed them. There was outrage from drivers, teams and fans over the move with one title reading “Schumacher steals Austrian win”. Greeted with boos on the podium, Schumacher stepped aside and encouraged Barrichello to take the top step. He could see the disgust from the fans but ultimately, I feel it was his influence within Ferrari pushed them into the decision.

Monaco 2006 would see Schumacher be branded as an out-right cheat by many drivers, team bosses, ex world champions and the media. On his final flying lap in qualifying, Schumacher could see Renault’s Fernando Alonso was about to take pole position away from him. At the La Rascasse corner, Schumacher parked his Ferrari across the circuit, blocking any chance of Alonso taking pole. Alonso slowed down, handing pole position to Schumacher. Flavio Briatore, boss of defending champions Renault, fumed “It was unbelievable. This is Monaco, this is Ferrari, so nothing will be done. It’s a disgrace”*. Keke Rosberg went as far as to call Schumacher a “cheap cheat”*. Schumacher was seen moving the wheel right then left, nudged the barrier and climbed out. At this point Schumacher knew that this was to be his final season (only to return in 2010) and that he was the old lion now being chased by the young hungry cub Alonso. Alonso’s skill behind the wheel was now better than Schumacher's and Schumacher knew it. In Monaco, pole position is huge and Schumacher was so hungry for it that weekend. Schumacher’s win at all cost attitude got the better of him and ultimately tainted his unbelievable reputation in F1 even more.
 

*Taken from an article in the Daily Telegraph 28th May 2006