While I'm stressing out at what has been happening at work while I've been gone for the last two weeks, struggling to come to grips with being back in front of a computer, and generally trying to bring the family home back into some semblance of normality by gardening, washing, cleaning, etc. I've also had to work out what's been happening in the F1 world while I've been out of commission.
Before getting into the more interesting, and worrying, news that has happened, as well as the exciting GP at Hockenheim (which I just about saw - missing quali), and updating my World and Driver's championships (- Bahrain) I've a suggestion for any entrepreneur who'd like to sell something at a GP. My phone died on Day 2 (Saturday) of Silverstone and I would have paid anything (well not quite anything) for one of those portable charges. Any chance someone out there would fill a few up and bring them along to every GP for sale to all the 3 day punters? you'd never know but Vodaphone/O2/Orange/3 might be willing to logo them for a bit of advertising. Just an idea.
News Round-up
MARUSSIA/de Villota
I see that Marussia's exhaustive tests have concluded that the de Villota accident was not due to any fault in the car and also that Maria has returned to Spain after leaving hospital in the UK.
While I'm delighted to hear that Maria is recovering well I think that now is the time to question the wisdom of taking on test drivers for PR purposes over and above their ability to drive the car. Regardless of the fact that de Villota was a racing driver she had zero experience in an F1 car and did not hold the requisite superlicence. I have refrained from commenting on this matter up until the results came in from Marussia on the car, but I think the time is right to require test drivers to obtain their superlicence before stepping into the car to go testing.
I know it may limit the ability of a team to take on a new driver but it will ensure that each test driver is proficient enough to be able to step into the car on a race weekend should they be required.
I'm all for female F1 drivers but I'm afraid that they need to show, as with wannabe male F1 drivers, that they are capable of holding a superlicence and handling an F1 car. I'm still hopeful that my daughter (who has shown no interest in motor racing) will one day be the first female F1 World Driver's Champion.
I made the same point about Ma Qing Hua when HRT took him on - based on his results to date there's little chance of him getting a race seat, unless of course HRT suddenly get a Chinese sponsor. Does he have a superlicence? What about Toto's wife? As my mother used to say everything's rosy until someone gets hurt; it's sad but true.
NURBURGRING
I see the track is going down the tubes and is about to enter insolvency. While the reasons behind this would appear to relate to negligence on a massively costly scale, the fragility of the circuit due to it's reliance on local government funding was highlighted in a post of mine last April.
It would be a very sad day for motorsport were this historic and difficult track to close its doors. while the current F1 track is adequate there is no question but that the historic track paints a living and true representation of former F1 eras. Its significance to F1 cannot be overstated.
More tomorrow, including the German GP Review
