Race Report by Pete Vack
2 AM Eastern Daylight time. Last thing we needed to stay awake was a boring Grand Prix race, which Korea almost was. But just almost. Yes Vettel won and wrapped up the constructor’s Championship for Red Bull (for us who care more about engines than sugar drinks, that’s Renault Red Bull) and even Webber placed well in third to bolster the points for Renault Red Bull. But underneath and behind was a very palpable sense of frustration that was clearly evident among the drivers and made for an exciting race–at least for second and third places.
And that is not a comforting thought for anyone as competitive and hardnosed as a Formula 1 driver.
Someday in the future, some young gunslinger may come around and put Vettel away. But it probably won’t be any one of the 23 or so sharpshooters currently left behind unless perhaps F3 buddy Paul Di Resta suddenly takes Webber’s seat. More likely, the magic that is Red Bull Renault will dissipate, disperse, never to be again, and Vettel will have to carefully choose his next ride, and that is like playing the stock market. But it’s just as likely that he and Renault Red Bull may go onto to a Schumacher-like winning streak well into the teens.
And that is not a comforting thought for anyone as competitive and hardnosed as a Formula One driver.
Last year, Vettel found a way to defeat all the high tech methods created to enhance passing; just drive away from the field at an average rate of 1 second per lap. Simple, if you are a Vettel! But rules are meant to be changed. What if they allow drivers to use the DRS at any time in order to keep up with the leader—and not allow the leader to use it. Rules are totally arbitrary anyway (why only one second behind a competitor, why only on this straight but not that one, etc) and that might be one way to put a damper on the ubermenchen and others of his ilk.
This absurd situation of talent and domination will not stand. Is anyone really going to stay up till 2 am to see a foregone conclusion? Or pay thousands of dollars to actually attend an event?
Such human superiority in F1 racing is part of the game; Nuvolari, Fangio, Moss, Clark, Villeneuve, Prost and Senna all left their peers gasping for air. But in those days, there were more volatile variables in the equation. Reigns of Brilliance were, short, often too short. Fangio did wonders with Mercedes and Alfa, Clark with Lotus, Prost with Renault, Villenueve and Schumacher with Ferrari. The human superiority factor was usually aligned with a superior team factor. It remains to be seen if Vettel can function, say at Ferrari or McLaren as well as he has with Red Bull.
Of all the frustrations in F1, for Webber, it must be not only frustrating but devastating. Webber didn’t come to Red Bull to lose races. Others can field excuses—the team, the tires, the chassis, the engine, but not poor Mark, whose abilities as a driver are top notch but not at the Vettel level. He finished third, almost within sight of his nemesis. He has now almost relegated himself to being somewhere behind Vettel. During the post race interview, he said, “Disappointed not to get second today” instead of “Disappointed not to win today.”
Lewis Hamilton, who will be 27 in January, was once a Vettel, winning his World Championship in 2008. But he is now almost considered an also-ran with only two wins to his name this year—His frustration was clearly in play not only in Korea, but during the entire season of pushing and shoving his way into the penalty box. Determined to keep at least McLaren (they only team he has ever driven for) in the points, he gamely tried very hard at Korea to stay out of trouble and onto the podium. The racing between Hamilton, Webber and Button was top notch and kept us sipping the Starbucks.
Perhaps the bright spot of the season was the re-emergence of Jenson Button, thought by many to be a one time champion. Maturity seems to have created an even better, more calculated driver than the young thing that won his World Championship in 2009. Only Vettel won more races this year than Button, who edged out Hamilton and Alonso by winning the Japanese Grand Prix last week for his third victory of the season. Constant improvements with the McLaren Mercedes at the same time may mean that Button could effectively challenge Vettel next year. Button will be 32 in January.
Of the ones who must be mentioned, Alonso and Massa tried all year with a Ferrari Italia with Attention Deficit Disorder. Both were locking up the brakes and flat spotting tires at almost every opportunity. In the last few races, no doubt racing for his seat, Massa has been competitive with Alonso and obviously trying very hard, a situation made difficult by the handling of the Ferraris. But while Alonso may have another World Championship in him, Massa will probably go the way of Barrichello, sliding further and further down the grid in a last ditch effort to continue to live that lifestyle that only a Formula One driver can. And think about it. Most F1 drivers never really retire. They are simply, eventually, forced further back on the grid until they can no longer start, even from the pits.
India’s first Grand Prix in two weeks.
Race Results
| 1 | VETTEL | RBR RENAULT | 1h38m01.994s |
| 2 | HAMILTON | McLaren MERCEDES | + 12s |
| 3 | WEBBER | RBR-Renault | + 12.4s |
| 4 | BUTTON | McLaren Mercedes | + 14.6s |
| 5 | ALONSO | Ferrari | + 15.6s |
| 6 | MASSA | Ferrari | + 25.1s |
| 7 | ALGUERSUARI | STR-Ferrari | + 49.5s |
| 8 | ROSBERG | Mercedes | + 54s |
| 9 | BUEMI | STR Ferrari | + 67.2s |
| 10 | DI RESTA | Force India-Mercedes | + 68.6s |
While Vettel is surely great we’ve only seen him great in one make which is clearly superior.
Only time will tell how much is the car and how much is the driver.
My opinion is that all top 10 drivers in F1 have the same talent, but Renault\Red Bull team is technically superior, the rules and tech specs should favor for better more competitive racing if they continue to favor the biggest wallet and aerodynamic know how it will continue to be the boredom that it already is.
The integral part of Red Bull Racing (RBR) success is the exhaust blown diffuser. When it was discovered earlier this year that this technology, also copied by McLaren, is illegal, FIA banned it to some extent, and the result was that neither RBR nor McLaren were victorious, but Ferrari. Since then after objections and discussions, it was unanimously agreed between the F1 teams to allow RBR and McLaren to continue using this illegal technology, because it is impossible to NOW, mid year, change their complete cars. Loosely explained, the blown exhaust technology is that these cars have a double floor, and HOT exhaust gases are channelled to between the narrow floors from the engine at the rear of the car to the front of the car, in close proximity to the tyres. The floors are calculatedly and meticulously drilled or “BLOWN” at precise places where they expand at the front and rear wheels in such a way that ALL the TYRES glow RED HOT with the hot exhaust gases being blown on them,- THEREFORE THEIR TYRES ARE ALWAYS HOT and do not wait for road friction to heat them. When the Ferrari tyres heat up, 3 or 4 laps into the race,the RBR and McLaren tyres are redhot, and they have gained that many or more seconds on the Ferrari and when pitstops arrive, the same scenario, Ferrari has to wait another lot of laps before attaining competive speeds, and RBR and McLaren have gained another load of seconds on the Ferrari and the rest. This is also the reason that Ferrari complain of battling to get heat into tyres for qualifying, and RBR and McLaren DO NOT. Next year this illegal blown exhaust technology will be banned and we will know for sure what their gains were with this illegal concoction. Remember it is always the RBR and McLaren racers that have had blisters on their tyres.