Red Bull in with Flavio

By John Sharpe
March 13 2005

Today I got it in my head the idea to attach some horns to the head of my youngest male Great Dane, Tazio. Senna, my older female Dane looked on from her bed in disgusted amusement. I was merely giving it a test run in anticipation for the Malaysian GP the coming weekend.

While I wrestled with Tazio I began to start thinking about some ideas for my next article.

One of the things I enjoy doing is reading and researching what’s happening in the world of Formula One. Am I an F1 junkie? Perhaps, but if I am addicted to this sport like a heroine addict is to his drug of choice, then I am about to get my fix now.
While reading the F1 news this evening I was pleasantly surprised about the comments Flavio Briatore made regarding the lack of excitement in F1.
Two nights ago, I posted an article about Dietrich Mateschitz and his desire to bring the fun back into Formula One. In it, I touched briefly about the value we as fans hold to the teams as well as to the sport.

Over the years, Formula One has grown from the pinnacle of motor sport to the upper echelon of world wide design and technology.
Consider this; many of the components and materials used in some of today’s most sensitive fighter jets would be outdated in a 2005 Grand Prix car. Now take into account the cost each team spends on research and development in order to stretch the envelope with exotic materials and mind bending aerodynamic theories. Our sport employs probably just as many PhD’s and experts in their related fields than most US defense contactors and the cost of entertaining these professionals has become astronomical.

Testing is still the biggest economic casualty of the sport. In order to gain a slight advantage, teams spend excessive millions of dollars just to find that extra tenth of a second - Millions of dollars to do nothing but entertain an empty circuit. Teams like Minardi, Jordan, Sauber and our own Red Bull Racing do not have huge testing budgets. They don’t own their own test tracks. Testing has become for them an unnecessary expense in order to survive.
So why test? Most of what’s even tested during a session may have nothing to do directly with the next GP. While a specific aero package for the next race might go through preparations, testing usually revolves around the evolution of the next generation racecar. Building a brand new completely different racecar not even midway into the season for next year and testing it seems crazy but remember this is F1. Though the advantages are huge, the financial shock for a smaller team is greater. If a smaller team cannot compete on a testing level, then how does one expect a smaller team such as Minardi to compete on race day? Teams like Minardi or Jordan don’t need a handout or a larger share of Bernie’s financial pie to survive. Reinventing regulations, not to make it safe but to make it more competitive is not the answer as well. However, a restriction or a ban on testing outside of race weekends just might be what is needed.

As it is, race weekends have become very boring and uneventful. The single lap qualifying session doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for the teams and it sure as hell doesn’t work to make for a good show. F1 is so busy trying to entertain the stars who come on race day that they forget about the fans who come during all three days.
Christian Horner made a huge impression on me when he stated that he wanted Red Bull to identify with the guy on the street. That would be you and me, the ones who actually pay for our team shirts, caps and other souvenirs. I raised my head and immediately said an amen brother when Dietrich Mateschitz protested the current state of F1 and has decided to bring the fun back into the sport - Via RED Bull Racing.

Flavio Briatore has a great point when he speaks; “we need to start talking about F1 as a sport again.”

Somewhere between all the testing and the corporate smoozing and all of the celebrity hob knobbing, F1 has forgotten that it is still a sport. A sport with a fan following that is second only to soccer. Why then does it try so hard to alienate us. I am sure it isn’t done on purpose but years of trying has made the powers that be numb to our voices.

Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner subscribes to Flavio’s suggestions that perhaps we need to shake up the race weekends. Dismiss single lap – aggregate qualifying in favor of testing on Friday, (all teams) qualify of Saturday and race on Sunday.
I don’t know about you but I prefer to watch many grand prix cars on track then a single car on its flying lap. I actually miss the old 12 lap qualifying sessions of the past. At least there were several cars on track and more than one flying lap attained.

I look forward to Christian and Dietrich’s plans for the team. I wait with great anticipation for the journey back to F1 excitement once again. I know that all that was once good in the sport of Formula One will be achieved through the efforts and a promise that was made to me and you from the Red Bull Racing team.

John Sharpe (DCfan)
www.racingbulls.co.uk
tayvan32@aol.com