Some More Clear Thinking On The Tire Issue
Well here we are day four, not counting Black Sunday, and although the F1 world has settled down a bit there are still articles, blogs and comments to be read and considered. I have made my thoughts pretty clear in the two posts I put up earlier in the week. I could go provide further insight that supports my point of view but instead I want to draw your attention to some others that do not necessarily agree with me although there is some overlap of opinion.
Earlier in the week I brought you a piece by Will Buxton the NBC pit lane reporter. I followed that up with a link to a post from Joe Saward. Now I would like to bring your attention to a new blogger I discovered.
F1 Shift.net wrote what I consider a well balanced piece, taking into account the tire degradation, the fans point of view, the teams, what is fair and what is not, the regulations, and the impact to the sport from a mid-season change.
I like this post because it is written from a place of principle, not one of emotion. We know points of view in regard to F1 can’t be completely free of our emotions, because lets face it we all follow F1 not just because it a great sport, but precisely because we are very emotional about it. The drivers, the teams, the locations that they race in, the technology, everything about F1 has an emotional aspect.
However, in this piece the author is able to table his emotions and reexamine what the true issues are and to then come to a logical conclusion. And this is what we need more of right now. Here is the link. Does Pirelli need to change the tires this soon?
The second article I want to share with you appears at the BBC Formula One website. It is from BBC Technical analyst Gary Anderson and he really gets to the core of the matter and sheds some light on the fans mis-placed ideas about the Pirelli tires and in particular how they performed last Sunday at the Spanish GP. The article has a couple of sections that delve into the effects that the change (Pirelli have decided to change the operating temperature window and the construction of the tires) might have and the issue of fairness, which now will be a spectre no matter who takes the championships at the end of the year. Here is that link. Formula 1: Pirelli tyre change could cause suspicion.
Hope you enjoy their insight. -jp- (and almost finished with this issue)
AmerF1can 
First, thanks for the compliments on my post, I appreciate it. Secondly, (I’m moving away from the tire subject now because I’ve voiced my opinion enough) you are 100% spot on about the emotional aspect of the sport. It’s more than just a sport. Seeing the drivers feel the car, control the car, manipulate the car, there is nothing like it in any other sport. Pour on the speed, technology, locations, Formula 1 is a unique mix unlike any other.
I love college football. When the Michigan Wolverines score a touchdown and I hear Hail to the Victors blasted by the band, it’s great. But when I see Alonso pass Raikkonen AND Hamilton on the outside of a turn, bump Massa in the rain going into the hairpin at the Nurburgring (2007) to take the lead, watch Kimi Raikkonen’s hands control the steering wheel, words can not describe that feeling. There is just something about this sport I love, it’s hard to explain, but it’s ingrained in me.
complements* spelling error in my previous reply.
agreed (for now, lol) monaco can’t come soon enough. let’s get back to racing…
Love your writing JP.
I agree it’s unfair to change the tyres in the middle of the season.
But hasn’t even Pirelli admitted that the tyres are not performing as intended, whether from a safety aspect or otherwise?
Do we F1 fans have to endure a season long of cars tip toeing around?
Perhaps things will change on other circuits. But Spain really didn’t feel like a race.
I have no strong views one way or the other, and have followed F1 even through the boring processional races years. But we can always hope for improvements to the sport we all love.
All revved-up
thanks for your kind words. it is true that pirelli came out and stated that they thought there was one to many stops in Spain. i have a feeling that was motivated by all the negative press that was going around. personally i feel they should of taken a step back and waited to take any major decision. as it turns out now the FIA has come out and said that the changes planed for the tire compounds are in breach of the rules. pierlli has to back track. slightly embarrassing. you are also correct to say the fans don’t won’t to see the cars not going flat out, and that was the case for part of the grid. i still maintain there was good racing at the spainsh gp and ferrari was definitely not tiptoeing around. most people can agree that this years tires did cross the line, i am part of this group. i just don’t think the arguments that i have heard from red bull and mercedes warrent a change. obviously the FIA feels the same way. it will be nice to have monaco this weekend for a distraction. we will see what happens in canada. my guess is the controversy will pick up right where it left off. lol…
JP,
To move away from tyres, Some suggested topics include your thoughts on your ideal candidate for the 2nd Red Bull seat; whether Toyota will follow Honda into F1; or why F1 experts such as Jackie Stewart, Lauda etc are no more accurate at predicting performance than the rest of us; or which team will do better under the 2014 new rules.
When you have time of course!
All revved-up
-the second seat at red bull. that is a tough one. i don’t think it is yet a fore-gone conclusion that mark is out the door just yet. from what i have read Dietrich likes the aussie and supports him completely. mark has put up with red bulls less than equal behavior so far, so it would not be much of a surprise to see mark stay at least for another year. that being said who do i think is leading candidate? most might say Kimi, but i don’t think that is in the cards for the simple reason kimi will not put up with any kind of team order/s and that leaves Marko Helmut with no power in any given situation, when it comes to vettel. red bulls whole deal is to support vettel, at any cost. but what do i know really? this time next year it could very well be a vettel kimi team at RB. i don’t think daniel ricciardo is making any kind of real impression either. if it was me i would want to poach hulkenberg or di resta depending what their contracts are like.
-i don’t think toyota is coming back anytime soon. frankly i was caught off guard when the honda roomers began. but i would like to see another engine manufacture. chevy is doing a great job right now in the IRL, and they have all the data from endurace racing, i would seem that right now is a great time to start work on a turbo 6 and justify it to the board that you can use all the data for a road going turbo 4 and be relavent against toyoto, nissan, and honda. of course ford has a history in F1. but for me nothing would be better that to see Audi in F1 as an engine supplier. not with the disel engine that they use for Le Mans, but the petrol turbos that are in the versions of their road cars. since porsche will not come back, this would be my ideal choice.
-why are the likes of Jacke Stewart, and Niki Lauda more accurate. i think it is down to the fact they still have many friends in and amongst the paddock. the intel that receive on a daily/weekly basis is super accurate and close to the source.
-i just might take your idea and do a post on the 2014 regs and who will do the best job. i just want to make sure i can add something fresh or interesting while i do it. 🙂 jp
good questions, i like when people make me think beyond my usual POV…