Ingram's Flat Spot On
by Jonathan Ingram
Has The Real Circus Left Town?
During yet another round of Formula One scandal, the latest being the trial
of accused "Crashgate" principals Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, one has
to wonder if the media circus has replaced racing as the core product in F1.
 |
|
Bernie Ecclestone's personalised annual Christmas card for 2009. Photo by Bernie Ecclestone.
|
 |
The churn of controversy in F1 has been a mainstay of publicity and fan
interest for about three decades now. Since the new age of media arrived and
the money that came along with it, the sport has been rife with charlatans
and cheaters, because it attracts those with what might best be described as
a high tolerance for risk.
On the track, motor racing always lends itself to late braking excitement,
the edgy drama of challenging the laws of physics and the inspiring portents
of cheating mortality through legendary feats. Given the relatively large
amounts of money and corporate hubris that are currently brought to the
stage of a world championship, F1 lends itself to political theatre in a
manner unlike any other sport.
I suppose if I was perfectly honest, I'd have to admit to being attracted to
some of the political power play aspects of F1 in addition to the raw
majesty of men and highly sophisticated machines "going to play." I bring
up this old-fashioned phrase because it lends perspective to the fact the
more romantic era and sense of F1 as sport has long since been out of style.
Most recently, the genuine technical conflicts, bona fide rivalries and race
tactics with inevitable sub rosa tints have often become secondary to the
arrival of larger and larger sums of money associated with both the teams
and the administration of the sport itself. Greed combined with vanity have
been mainstays. Now the passing of the gilded factory age has left behind a
bitter afterglow. In retrospect, factory stewardship may have been more like
an occupying army.
We all have to keep up with the times and figure out how to live in the
swells and rhythms of circumstance. Twitter and tweet. In some ways, a
highly-charged romance with a sport like F1 is like a handrail for the
psyche when it comes to weathering the changes beyond any individuals'
control. There are each year's new cars, new champions, old favorites and
familiar players in the paddock.
|
 |
|
Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds in happier days at Renault F1. Photo by xpb.cc.
|
On the other hand, the attachment to a sport that readily betrays so many
long held values can be like a mirror that reflects a beautiful woman
gradually turning into a hag. Outright theft of team design secrets, a top
administrator whose nickname of "Spanky" can hardly due justice to the
darkness of vengeance that inaugurated his sex scandal, and now "Crashgate"
are the coin of the realm when discussing F1.
The saving grace is that F1 remains a sport as well as a business subject to
the usual litany of human weakness. For those whose price of admission is
only a ticket or time in front of the TV, the drama is more of a passing
parade. Stick around long enough and something new and refreshing and,
perhaps even romantic, will happen down the sinuous paths of asphalt set
aside around the world for these cars and these drivers.
Although there's been enough disappointment to wither one's soul of late, F1
continues to stir the spirit with the joy of the extraordinary. (But beware
of the political rule of thumb: out with the old bums, in with the new
rapscallions.)
Last year, in addition to a typical disappointment for racing fans (the
factories are fleeing), there was a team of extraordinary destiny at Brawn,
an upstart from India and fascinating technology that will find us all
driving hybrids at breakneck speeds down the highway soon enough. This year,
Schumacher has been born again, Kimi has split (shall he return?) and
America is back in the technology race.
 |
|
The cars leave the grid on the formation lap. Photo by xpb.cc.
|
|
At a time when we're all learning to live with lower expectations --
especially for the sad, pathetic souls of terrorists -- the beauty of an F1
starting grid continues to beckon.
Quotes of the Week:
NASCAR driver Greg Biffle had these comments when asked
about the arrival of Danica Patrick in the Nationwide Series in 2010.
"I think we all know it's gonna be great for our sport as far as recognition
and awareness and bringing some popularity over, and bringing some of her
fans. It'll be our first female driver in a while, so that will be good for
us. I'm looking forward to seeing how she performs on the race track. I
think it's a win-win for everybody. I'm glad she's decided to come over and
give it a try. It's very difficult. I hope she does well, and I'm looking
forward to racing with her a little bit."
Question:
What are some of the challenges she'll face?
Biffle: "The same things some of these other guys have -- Sam Hornish, Juan
Montoya and some of the other open-wheel guys, like Scott Speed, who have
come over and really tried to get a handle on these cars. These cars are
very hard to drive and the list goes on. Max Papis and right on down the
line, there are a bunch of guys -- Boris Said and Ron Fellows, very
successful road course drivers, not necessarily like open-wheel or anything
like that, but very talented. The oval track with these cars are very, very
difficult. We've seen them have huge success in road racing and won road
races, but then have a tough time competing on the ovals. I don't know what
it is about it, but it is difficult and if it's not what you've grown up
with or not what your reflexes and your instincts and your car control and
everything that you're used to in your environment, it makes it difficult to
adapt to. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman -- a lot of those guys come from those
types of cars and have been very, very successful, so certainly it's
possible."
Jonathan Ingram can be reached at jonathan@jingrambooks.com.
