Bob Barnard Track Engineering

Trulli lamented the fact that all 24 cars finished the Valencia GP, the first time that 24 cars have finished a race, ever! As I said the race was only the third in history where every car finished, but previously we did not have 24 start and all finish. Trulli says it is a victory for technology over humans, a sad day. The quality control is so good now a small team cannot rely on cars breaking down to move up and score points.

It is said of Le Mans that it is now an all out sprint, not an endurance race, although we do see failures like the Peugeot last year, but barring accidents this year we would have seen the top seven cars all run to the end. The Nurburgring is said to be the old Le Mans where attrition is still a factor, so is inheriting that allure.

But is it true that reliability is a bad thing? How often have we had a great race spoiled when the competition breaks down, last year's Le Mans was a case in point. Wouldn't we like to see wheel to wheel racing to the finish? Technology is a huge part of why I watch F1 and Sportscars, and why Grand-Am and Indycar do nothing for me, and building these machines that push the envelope of performance and yet last the distance is something to admire, not decry.

F1 is about being the best on merit, not inheriting it, and long may it remain, however unjust it may seem in some ways. No "draft" here to equalize the competition. Reward success.