23 Sep – Your Time Is Up! (I’m talking to you, RB)
If I read one more article about how Rubens still belongs in F1 (by the way he is the only one that keeps saying this) I think I might just have to puke. Come on already! Look, I’m not trying to be completely insensitive (just somewhat insensitive), but it is time that Rubens moves on to something else, GT, Le Mans, whatever, but his time in F1 is done, as they say in Brazil, TERMINADO! Sure, he had a good second half of the season in the Brawn three years ago, and made an attempt at the whole enchilada (do they have those in Brazil?), but it didn’t work out. He won some races with Ferrari, but a championship was never in the cards and that is the deal he made so he should now have no regrets on that one. He is fast, but not fast enough. He has experience but does that really win a championship? And is that what Williams needs right now?
Another driver that was kept around way too long, despite never really showing any kind of raw speed, is Nick Heidfeld (his nickname is Quick Nick if you can believe that) and thankfully he has finally been dropped. He was hired based on, yep, you guessed it, his experience. How many races now? 150 plus, with only a handful of podiums, and never a win. A lot of good that did Renault, and by the way he is still trying to get back in an F1 car for next year. My question to the universe: Is he smoking crack? Heidfeld, wake up and smell the double diffuser buddy, you had your time, and your time is now over, O-V-E-R. It is now someone else’s time.
How much experience did Michael have prior to his first championship with Benetton? One and a half years I think. Lewis almost won the championship in his first year. Fernando won a championship in just his 3rd year as a driver for Renault. Back to the point. Williams needs a super fast driver that will generate excitement by getting into Q3 on Saturday and driving the shit out of the car, no matter what its problems, straight into the top eight on Sunday. This is what fans love to see, this is what gets the guys in the garage fired up to put in the blood, sweat and tears that is the backbone of F1. This is what inspires the designers to draw up new ideas, and this is what sponsors like, which brings in money, which in turn allows the teams to innovate and react and stay at the pointy part of the grid. There is a positive domino effect thoughout the team and the sport when a driver is fast, really fast. Think back to Nico’s first year with Williams, right off the bat he was fast and had a pole. Mercedes saw the potential immediately and scooped him up to be Michael’s successor.
Let the team worry about the experience part, and last time I checked Williams has plenty of experience winning. Of course not all teams can have an Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel, Nico, or Button. But the longer Rubens, and drivers like Heidfield and Trulli (you also had your time, buddy) stay in the car is the longer that we, the fans, and the teams will have to wait for the next super-fast kid that goes on to break Vettel’s “youngest F1 champion” record, who in turn broke Fernando’s “youngest F1 champion” record. So send in the new kids, lets see what they can do. It is a young man’s sport now, no way around it. Vettel proved last year that speed more than makes up for inexperience and a few mistakes. I say fine. Bring it. Youth rules, bitches…
AmerF1can 