Formula 1 maybe amongst the fastest sports in the world, but crises and controversies are brewing at no mean pace either!
We are a little over midway through the season, and the world of Formula 1 has swept through trauma, turmoil, truth/lies faster than the tyres on it’s car have worn out.
It’s been a complete cinematic saga, the rise of the ‘Underdog’, the unfortunate incapacitation of a ‘Hero’ and the return of the ‘Messiah’!
The season kicked off Down Under, with speculation rife about whether this would be Albert Park’s final swansong!
No sooner did the ‘3 red lights’ go off, than it became clear that this season would be unlike any other in history. Move aside Ferrari, McLaren!... Rising from the ashes of the Honda team (who pulled out of F1 ), was the phoenix a.k.a BrawnGP!
Adding to the flamboyance of F1 was the Virgin Group supremo, Richard Branson, now the proud owner of Brawn GP, which itself was christened after Ross Brawn( formerly Schumi’s right hand man at Ferrari) now technical director of the newly formed team.
But Brawn GP was not only about the big names and big bucks, ‘Brawn’ also had the brains!
Their ‘differential’ interpretation of the new diffuser rules courted as much controversy as Max Mosley’s private life, and multiple hearings later it was decided that the two teams(Red Bull racing being the other) who pumped not only money but also ‘mind’ into their cars stayed atop the podium.
Just when you thought all the controversies for the season were ‘diffused’, along came the FIA’s proposal of a budget cap for 2010, and all the big spenders screamed foul!
They threatened to break away and form a rebel league sand what would Formula 1 be sans the Prancing Horse and all it’s other big names. But with neither faction relenting, this storm had caused a rift right down the middle.
Amidst the entire hullabaloo, Brawn continued to be strong up front, and slowly but surely the season was becoming a tug-o-war between them and RBR, as the traditional power houses Ferrari and McLaren were relegated to mere also ran(s).
As the season approached the European leg, the rest of the field showed mild improvements and managed to secure a footing on the podium, while Brawn showed the first signs of strife. But more drama was to follow… Following the German GP, Torro Rosso showed it’s French driver, Sebastian Bourdais, the door and thrust Spanish teenager Jamie Alguersuari into the cockpit!
At 19 years and 126 days, he becomes the youngest ever driver in the fast lane. This youngster with prodigious talent, has impressed many in his stint in the British F3 Championship and no doubt is ‘one for the future’!
With team boss ready to give him time to learn and with no imminent pressure on him, this reigning BritishF3 champion has a bright future… but is he( like many are already saying) the next Fernando Alonso?...
But can the original Spanish Matador be left behind from all the talk? Riding on quite a impressive performance in what is at best an average Renault, (which seems to be feeding of Alonso’s caliber) , Alonso was back in the news… and by it we mean big time!
The romour mills were abuzz with speculation that 2010 will mark the landmark transfer of Alonso to Ferrari!
And who would he replace… former World Champion, Ice-man Kimi Raikonen!
Well, all those concerned neither confirmed nor denied these rumours outright… and the whispers only grew louder. All they said is ‘wait till Imola’… the Prancing Horse’s home turf!... and wait we will till we reach the Italian shores!
So if you thought that this was enough excitement for one season, all the events thus far could only be called the ‘calm before the storm’.
The race weekend at Hungary went on to be marred by the ugliest incident in along time. During qualifying, Ferrai’s Felipe Massa was hit on the helmet, above the left eye, by a spring which came off Barrichello’s Brawn GP car.
Massa subsequently suffered a nasty crash. The series of events left Massa with a fractured skull and fighting for his life!
But emergency services and the medical team got to work quick, and Massa has since recovered sufficiently and is now, according to reports, walking and talking!
But Massa will be unable to pilot the scarlet car for at least the rest of this season, and fears are abound about the damage caused to his left eye.
Meanwhile, team Renault walked into another mess at the Hungaroring after failing to safely secure Alonso’s tyre after a pitstop… and landed themselves a ban for the race at Valencia.
So, Ferrari was without a driver and Alonso sans a team for Valencia( as it was the Renault team and not the driver who was banned). People put two and 2 together, and there you had it, gossip mongers sent Alonso into Ferrari cockpit for the subsequent race. A sort of pseudo-audition/test run for next season!
But the bosses at Ferrari had some different ideas! And they managed to convince the ‘big daddy’ of F1, Michael Schumacher to make a comeback!
So there you have it, if you thought Lance Armstrong was the only one who could do it, Schumi is not to be left behind!
The physical aspect permitting, the phenomenon called “Michael Schumacher”, is set to set the circuits ablaze yet again!
But can a 40 year old really take on competitors a good 10-15 years his junior in today’s grueling, demanding world???
Well, Schumi is no mere 40 year old! Active in two wheel racing, and spending a lot of time on the Ferrari technical team means he still is in the thick of things and given his passion and hunger for victory, rivals better not underestimate him!
Is Schumi the tonic that controversy riddled F1 so desperately needs???...
Things are revving up, and if the first half of the season is anything to go by, then the remainder of it is definitely not for the faint hearted!!!
