Even a few years ago, the sport called Formula 1, was fast losing in appeal, owing to the activity of one particular individual who goes by the name of Michael Schumacher. Genius as he was, as far as driving was concerned he (quite unintentionally) transformed, what was essentially meant to be the greatest sporting spectacle on earth, into a form of sport which, every year seemed to be no more than the repeat telecast of the previous year's. As a result, the first slot in every race seemed pre-determined, as did the first slot in the run for victory in the driver's and constructor's championship. This went on for seven whole years till it seemed that the Ferrari-Schumi pair was perhaps the most successful pair in the history of mankind ... more so than even Adam and Eve.
Well I guess these are fond memories which Ferrari will get to cherish for the rest of their sporting career .... for things have certainly changed now. Season 2009 has indeed turned out to be Ferrari's worst start in more than a decade, with them sitting right at the bottom of the points table (consolation for the Kolkata Knight Riders?), and their drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felippe Massa occupying the 13th and the last spot on the grid respectively.
The reason for this is that the essentials of F1 have changed dramatically. Decades earlier when F1 was a new sport, gaining wide acclaim owing to its speed, excitement and grit, it was in general the driver who had a key role to play in deciding the fortunes of the teams. Though technical and engineering excellence on the constructor's part did decide the game between equally matched drivers, it typically boiled down into a battle of drivers. No wonder the likes of Juan Fangio, Jack Brabham, Allan Prost, Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and of course Schumacher himself continue to remain etched in the annals of time as the greatest of their sport.
Now however the scenario has changed - the focus being more on the engineering and technical brilliance of the cars, than driver skill and capability as a result the drivers are slowly becoming mere team workhands, whose jobs are no more than keeping the cars together till the end ... letting the cars do what they are meant to do. In other words, the smarter car wins, as opposed to the smarter driver winning.
This again has good and bad sides. The good side being the provision for better cars, faster cars, smarter cars ... in other words better technology, and the bad side being ... well ... losing the sport like status it had. Or better becoming a sport for machines, robots, more than a sport for people.
We are seeing a fine example of this feature in this season itself. Brawn GP, the brand new team which debut this year ... are at the top of the points table, with their ... quite ordinary driver Jenson Button having won three of the four races and having come second in the fourth. Currently Brawn have accumulated 50 points, a whopping 23 points above Red Bull, the team at second spot. The reason? A smart aerodynamic feature ... the inclusion of an air diffuser in their cars which reduces the drag coeficient tremendously, as well as provides more downforce on the rear wheel, as a result of which it is possible to drive the car faster AND safer. Smart tech? You gotcha! And for your information Jenson Button had been the driver who had ended season 2008 at position 18.
Yet another example of the steadily changing tides of F1 lie in the dismal performance of Giancarlo Fisichella, who till a couple of years back was an active podium achiever, is now trailing at the bottom of the Drivers Championship tally without having scored even a single point this season or the last. The reason, isn't as hard to find. He drives for Force India, the team which for lack of funds, research scope, and technical advancements haven't aldded anything to the total F-1 scores in it's history.
The facts, as they stand today are pretty clear. In a sport where the difference of even a thosandth of a second can separate the winner from the rest, is slowly and steadily becoming a technology dominated sport, where to win, it's the home work that matters, not the test.
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