I went on the BBC F1 website the other day and could not believe my eyes. No it wasn't because of Fernando Alonso's new, Zorro-esque beard or because Martin Brundle will be partnered by David Coulthard in the commentary box for the 2011 season to replace Jonathan Legard (a shrewd move by the BBC producers I must say). Nor was I stunned because Formula One will be broadcasted in HD throughout next season and beyond, a move which has been a long time coming. It was actually the announcement of Narain Karthikeyan returning to F1 which left me gasping for breath. Colin Kolles wanted to add experience to his team after a woeful debut display last season. It was deemed that the performances of Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok, Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien were not up to scratch. Yes at 34 Karthikeyan has been around the block, but the reality is he has only completed one full season in F1. His solitary season with the Jordan team was five years ago and F1 has progressed rapidly since then. He did score points at the infamous USA G.P. of 2005 however is somewhat tainted by the circumstances concerning that race. Nevertheless the more you read into Karthikeyan’s appointment, the easier it is to understand how he secured the drive. In 2009, the Indian drove for Kolles' sportscar team in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans series. Furthermore, Kolles was also the team manager of the Jordan team in 2005 which Karthikeyan drove for. Coincidentally, Karthikeyan’s return to the F1 calendar will see him take part in India’s first ever Grand Prix, ensuring they will have a home grown driver on the grid when F1 arrives in October. Is it a timely return? Oh yes, but will he still have what it takes to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport after five years away? That remains to be seen, but I wish the self dubbed ‘World’s fastest Indian’ all the best in his comeback to F1.
With Karthikeyan the latest driver to be confirmed for the 2011 season, there are few seats remaining. In fact, only Force India and Hispania have driver vacancies which leaves a rather large group of talented drivers unwanted and unused. Drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg will undeniably return to the F1 fraternity but whether that can be said for many other gifted pilots remains to be seen. Generating sponosrhip money is now critical if you want to secure a place on the grid (as many drivers have found out their cost) and Hispania seem to epitomise this notion. It appears that they will continue with the trend set last year when they used various drivers, four to be exact, over the course of the season. They need the sponsorship to bring in more money and it appears now that talent alone will not secure your place on the grid. Take this for example; Fernando Alonso may be one of the more superior drivers in F! but he still brings plenty of sponsorship money, courtesy of Santander to Ferrari. Money talks in F1.
Speaking of Alonso, he was asked recently who he thought his main threat for the championship would be. He said all the right things, underlining how much of a tough season it will be and how Mclaren and Red Bull will be very strong. Yet surprisingly he suggested his biggest rival would be a certain Michael Schumacher. Remember him? Oh yes, Fernando has kept everyone on their toes once again by suggesting we could return to the days of ’06 when these two giants of F1 went toe-to-toe on track. Or is it more than that? Alonso said: “There will be five world champions on the track and the most dangerous champion for me is always Michael. He is seven-times champion. He has nothing to prove. He had a difficult season but he is still a champion.” Is Alonso ‘inadvertently’ putting pressure on his old foe or are we reading too much into it? That remains to be seen but Alonso certainly acknowledges that there is a possibility that up to eight drivers, including Felipe Massa, could be title contenders this season. It is going to be a thriller.
I will keep updating my blog weekly and I just want to say thanks to those who have taken the time to read my thoughts on the ongoing events in Formula One. However, I would just like to draw your attention to something. I passed my driving test yesterday and I am confident (at long last) the calls from the likes of Ross Brawn, Martin Whitmarsh and Stefano Domenicali will be flooding in to get me onboard. Well, one can wish.
Josh.
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