Bob Barnard Track Engineering

The quote of the weekend was "it is a week's holiday at the end of which they run a race." And what a race we were treated to this year! Xan and I both had no trouble staying awake for the 24 hours. Fourteen seconds separated first and second, Audi and Peugeot, at the end of 24 hours. There have been closer finishes, but all staged. A slow down lap was added after the 24 hours were up as the last lap was full out racing, not the usual parade for the cameras.  You could say the race was won by the length of the pit lane, as that is what it came down to with both cars stopping with about 30 mins to go, the Peugeot just for fuel, the Audi for a dash of fuel but then new tires, so a longer stop and he got out 6 seconds in front, thanks to the Peugeot being at the opposite end of the pit and Audi being close to pit out.

All four classes saw some great tussles, most of them cleanly fought. I'm not sure I am happy about the antics of the Peugeot drivers, despite their claims they were innocent and it was down to bad visibility out of the closed cockpit cars. Davidson and Gene knew all too well where the Lotterer Audi was and being laps down on the Audi should have have had more respect for the leader. It is one thing to make things hard for the overtaking car, it is another to deliberately move over on him on a straight piece of road after you have just collided in the second chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. We had already seen all to graphically what happens when a car moves over on another at those speeds, and I for one expected better from Gene. I still have not forgotten Davidson putting the Corvette into the wall at the Porsche curves.

Yes the Audi guys were aggressive too, they had to be, and the changes to the rules had an unintended consequence. The ACO reduced engine size and air intake size to slow the LMP1 cars down, but in the usual fashion the engineers worked out how to recover some of that speed by reducing drag, and therefore downforce. So the cars were more on the limit when it came to cornering and avoiding traffic, and needed to keep up the momentum, so they took chances and had less control when they did not work out. We saw two massive accidents to the Audis which thanks to the design of modern cars both drivers survived with virtually no injuries. As I said a week or so ago, car design is where safety has improved. The walls and tires did their job too, especially for McNish's accident where there were a lot of marshals and photographers. We had two long safety car periods to repair damaged guard rail, and great job by the track to get it fixed, but it showed why I prefer concrete as the hits in the Porsche Curves with the Corvette and Ferrari required no repairs at all. Guard rail is made to give, and is probably a bit better for the drivers in that respect, but McNish almost went over the guard rail perhaps due to the fact it did give and provided a ramp?

Unlike almost any other form of racing Le Mans does not red flag a race except for exceptional rain or fog, so we saw a one hour and a two hour procession. They have three cars due to the length of the track, and this makes for some interesting strategy. The race goes on, albeit at a reduced speed, and a lot happens. Drivers make mistakes due to cold tires or boredom, teams with a slower driver take advantage of this time to put him in, therefore meeting the time requirements for drivers but not losing any time. Refuelling stops have to be made and tire changes can be done without the normal loss of time, but who is behind which safety car has to be considered, and when to stop. At the start of the period, yes if you are low on fuel, or at the end to maximise your next run and if you actually wait until the final moments you can actually make time as you can leave under green without waiting for the next safety car. Great strategy games.

The strategy between Audi and Peugeot was fascinating. This year Audi were the fast cars but used more fuel, so more pit stops. So which was better, a fast pace and more stops or a slower pace, relatively, and less stops? As it turned out there was no difference. 14 seconds in 24 hours, 0.016%! Tire wear also played a part. Audi, despite running faster could run four or five stints between tire changes, and the poor drivers did those stints too! The Peugeot although slower could only run three and sometimes four stints. Either way they ran about twice the distance on one set of tires as F1 does on three or four, so who's green?

The standards applied by the Stewards both here and at Montreal make me scratch my head. Robert Kaufman who made contact with Rockenfeller in the Audi in the dark and when taking the racing line, as the slower drivers were told, is ejected from the race. Gene who deliberately moved Lotterer over almost to the barrier in broad daylight while racing with him and on a straight does not even get called to the Stewards! Hamilton gets called to the Stewards in Montreal and Button who took him and Alonso out while winning the race does not? Now, that is probably due to the past problems of Hamilton as much as anything, but it is still inconsistent.

I did not see too much of the Canadian GP. After getting up at 5:30 on Saturday and staying awake until 7:30 Sunday and being emotionally wrung out by the Le Mans race, I went to sleep and set the alarm for Montreal. Speed had given the race over to Fox who dd their usual stellar job, starting the coverage as the race started despite a paid for ad being on the half hour prior, and thankfully for them it was behind the pace car due to the rain. I got up for this? We had the usual BS from Bob Varsha and the boys. This is network so we must have a whole lot of new viewers who know nothing about F1 so we have to talk to us like we are children. Then we start, and it is all crazy, Hamilton more than most, and the outcome was all too predictable. I personally thought Button put him in the wall, but I guess his explanation stands up, that would have been out of character. Then we had the red flag, so I gave up and went back to sleep. I wrongly thought Fox would give up after the mandatory two hour broadcast but apparently no. I'm glad I did not wait up though. I have read it was an exciting race, but from what I have read it was a crap shoot. Give me Le Mans every weekend.

The coverage of Le Mans was great. I had Radio Le Mans on one computer so had all the action and information on what was happening, not a load of infomercials, FromsportCOM.com live streaming on the TV via the other computer, and SPEED if I needed it, when they were actually on and following the action. The Eurosport Director went to the same school as the SPEED guy, he would at times rather show someone asleep in the pits or media center rather than two cars racing their hearts out.

Needless to say I did not watch the MotoGP or the WSBK, both predictably won by Casey Stoner and Carlos Checa respectively. Great gutsy ride by Colin Edwards though.

Finally a word about Lewis who is reported to have met with Red Bull's Christian Horner at the weekend. A very smart man, Warren Willing, told me years ago that when a rider or driver is struggling with a slow machine one of two things will happen. Either he will get depressed and stop trying, or drive over aggressively and crash. This seems to be the consensus for Lewis' problems at the moment. The McLaren is almost there, but never quite there when it comes to beating the Red Bull, so he tries to make the difference up by driving harder. It cannot be easy to watch Vettel in that car and know you could be there too.  Something needs to change before his career will be remembered as a great talent wasted. Maybe a change of team is it?

Great pictures and commentary on www.fromsportcom.com of the first free practice and qualifying. Pictures are Eurosport with very few and short ads, and commentary is out friends from Radio Le Mans. They have 24 hour coverage of the race itself so I know what I will be watching. Peugeot just on pole at the moment from the three Audis. Top seven all diesels and the best petrol is Pescarolo 5.5 secs off the pace of the slowest diesel. The ACO intent is for the petrol cars to be within 2%, which would be around 4 secs, so getting closer, and they have some breaks which in the race may even things out. Lets hope so. Still, the times between the diesels is close and we should have another cracking battle.

Some big accidents, especially the Straka which leads the LMP2 class again this year, but all are repaired I believe. BMW's leading the way in the GT Class which is a big improvement on last year. Fisichella stuck in a quick lap at the end in the Ferrari 458 to split them, and then the Corvettes who had a bit of a fraught session. Let's hope all their problems are sorted.

Meanwhile, back in Bahrain the head of the Tourism Board called Bernie a hypocrite for changing his stance on staging the race this year. That's pretty rich for a group who say all is peaceful while they put 47 medical staff on trial in a secret court behind closed doors. Adam Parr, CEO of Williams, has come out and said we cannot change India's date, all his neighbors have booked their holidays. Nice way of saying we are not going to Bahrain without actually having to say it, no guts. So, if the FIA needs to 100% agreement of the teams to change the calendar then they are now officially in trouble.

Joe Saward can always be relied upon for some  good sensible comments and today is no exception. Read his two pieces about the situation:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/

Yes I am going to go on about this again. Mark Webber is the only driver to come out against going to Bahrain at this time, no surprise that he is the one to speak his mind, and it is a measured reasoned response. Read it at the Autosport web site:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/91981

Pity Bernie cannot follow his example. I had a comment elsewhere that the airlines are still flying so why not go? Mussolini made the trains run on time, but that was no argument to go there. On the other hand there are suggestions that the sponsors will not want to be seen on the cars, but I bet they are all doing business there anyway.

That is the point. I and others have said this has to be about something more than the money. Well here is my theory and it is about money and politics, but not race fees. In the last ten years F1 has got itself into bed with the Middle East. Daimler is part owned, and Ferrari and McLaren also have Arab investors. Look at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi and you can see the extent of the connections. There are rumors Torro Rosso is being bought, and I'm sure there are other teams with Arab interests. The FIA and the World Motorsport Council have strong political ties, how else can you explain a "unanimous" vote, and of course Bernie has profited by both the huge fees paid for races and the monuments to excess they build to race on. He has used these as a stick to beat other would-be and existing Promoters for more money and more luxurious tracks. Now they are all reaping what they have sown. They cannot be seen to insult their friends.

FOTA says it is going to meet. Let us hope they can show some guts.

There are the suggestions of course that this is all games about the contracts. No one wants to be the one to say it is off, not Bahrain, Bernie or the teams, for fear of being sued for non-performance. That is why there was all that nonsense earlier and we had to wait for Bahrain to call it off. Bernie magnanimously dropped the penalty and fee, but Bahrain are now smart enough to say everything is fine and start a new game of chicken. It is suggested Bernie will wait till close to the race and then say conditions are not safe. But then India moved for nothing?

On a much brighter note the World Motorsport Council voted to do a deal with the ACO, organizers of the Le Mans 24 Hour, to turn the Intercontinental Cup into what it actually is, The World Sportscar Championship. Nice to have you back, now to see who is on the calendar. Le Mans of course, Spa and Silverstone, Sebring and Petit, and a race in the far east? That opens the question about the cost of a World Championship Round, there was some delay in including the Petit this year, and the tracks will have to be Licensed by the FIA as a Level 2 track.

The Council also agreed to possibly delay the 2013 F1 regulations, so the 4 cylinder may not be "set in stone." A 21 race F1 calendar was approved, with Turkey as a "to be confirmed." USA pairs up with Canada as expected. Bahrain starts the season off, but we will see, won't we.

Over in Barcelona Simoncelli met with the Race Direction about his aggressive style, said he had thought long and hard about it, and then took pole. The "private" Honda is giving the works team some grief. Let's see if he can keep it going for a whole race and avoid running into someone. The replacement for the 125cc class was unveiled in Barcelona, a spec class Honda 250 cc four stroke, but a nice looking piece of kit and at a good price to. Still sad to see the two strokes go though.

Just to return to F1 and money, there is a report out that F1 income is due to double in the coming years. Part of the reason is the built in escalator for race fees, at 10% it doubles in 7 years, and it was stated that fees for new races would hit $100m. How can you say that? Tracks are baulking at fees around $25m, and there cannot be enough Middle East countries to fill the calendar at those prices. This is looking more like the housing bubble. When will it burst?

No not the last turn club, the last turns at Indy and Charlotte. Both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 were won and lost at the last corner. Earnhardt Jr. had his best run for a long time only to run out of fuel, but J.R. Hilderbrand had even worse luck crashing at turn 4 at Indy. He almost won even so, Wheldon only just beating him to the line even though he was still on all four wheels. Reminded me of Adelaide in '85 when one of the Ligiers finished on three wheels.

Pirelli finally did something I agree with, coming out and saying the rule should be changed to prevent tire changes under red flag conditions. Ruined the race for the fans. Let's hope someone is taking note.

Martin Brundle echoes my thoughts,  speaking of Lewis he said “You wonder if he needs a bit of a mindset change.” I'm afraid Lewis is becoming a whiner, nothing is his fault. The Stewards have apparently accepted his explanation and apology, but I doubt the FIA are going to let it go at that. Bringing the sport into disrepute?

Ferrari has continued their opposition to the 4 cylinder engine and has proposed a V6 for 2015, with the V8's being limited by fuel and with KERS to make them "green." Cosworth came out and said the 4 cylinder isn't green anyway. Todt has come out now and said he is looking for harmony, so maybe the engine deal is not decided yet.

Great live streaming pictures and sound from SPEEDTV.com this morning. Wish I could watch all the F1 like this, no ads, no idiot commentary, maybe ALMS has something here. No picture break up or lock up, and the quality was better than cable. Two interesting sessions today with some big accidents, two at the chicane after the tunnel. Rosberg lost the back end under braking and took off over the speed bumps put into the center of the chicane, presumably installed to slow cars down that short cut it. Thankfully these were removed before qualifying as they actually only make it worse, as demonstrated . I for one did not expect to see Rosberg back out in quali, not that he was hurt, he missed the center island between the track and the run-off, but the car had substantial damage. Great job by the Mercedes team to have him not only back out but competitive. Perez was not so lucky in Q3, hitting the island side on, and thankfully he did, a head on would probably have him under the TECPRO barrier. The jury is still out on these compared to tires, and they cost many times more. For me they are too light, as we have seen already cars go under them. Perez will miss tomorrow's race but fortunately his injuries are relatively minor.

Unlike the two HRT cars who despite not turning a wheel in qualifying have been given the OK to race, and they did not even have to buy a starting spot! The Stewards in an unfathomable piece of generosity will let them race, despite being 6-7 seconds off the pace in practice. Now on another track that may be OK, but around here there is no place for sentiment, and no room to overtake. Let us hope that decision does not turn around and bite someone.

Perez's accident showed the absolute necessity to get out early and bank a lap in these short sessions. McLaren failed Lewis and now he is stuck down in seventh despite being fastest in Q2. As I suspected, no one tried to save tires, starting position is everything here. It will be interesting to see what McLaren's pit strategy will be to try and leapfrog Lewis up the field.

I commented the other day on the efficiency of the Monaco track team in repairing the asphalt, and it was in evidence again today. Most of these incidents would have taken lesser crews a long time to clean up, and in some cases may not have repaired in time to finish a session. Indy, NASCAR et al need to go there and see how they do it. As Michael Schumacher was crashing Thursday at Ste-Devote you could see the crane operator start up. Having said that the "crest" coming out of the tunnel seems to have contributed to a few accidents this weekend and needs addressing. Given their usual rapid response it is surprising it was not planed smoother during yesterday's quiet day.

In other news it seems the Lotus sponsored Renault team is in a spot of financial trouble. The Marussia money is not flowing and since Kubica's accident interest from new sponsors has all but disappeared. The Geni Capital deal was a novel one for starters, and Lotus Cars is another work in progress. maybe Tony Fernandes just needs to wait this out. Story is Renault is owed big time for engines and may be looking elsewhere for 2012, like Williams.

I did miss a race from my list yesterday. The World of Outlaws Sprint Cars were at Charlotte last night, but got rained out anyway. Rescheduled for tonight, but will only be live streamed. Kimi qualified 15th for the Nationwide race! Outqualified not only his mentor Kyle Busch but his car owner Joe Nemechek! Need to watch that tonight.

Ferrari have now expressed their concern at extending the calendar to accommodate Bahrain. Has no one the guts to come out and say they will not go? I for one will not watch it if it is reinstated and encourage others to do the same. That is the only message Bernie and his cohorts will understand. This would be almost the last straw for me and I hope many others about what has become of our sport.