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| Updated: 19 February 1997 | Winter Issues 1 & 2 |
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Sir,
Keith Peterson's recent diatribe on the current Formula One World Champion, Damon Hill, poses some interesting questions. Mr Peterson believes Hill to be "perhaps the least talented title holder ever". He is of course entitled to his own opinion, but this brings up the question of how one defines driving talent. The easiest means of assessing a driver's skill is surely to compare his performance with that of his team-mate. Now, taking Peterson's case of Damon Hill, we can compare Hill to Prost, Mansell, Senna, Coulthard and Villeneuve. Comparisons with Senna and Mansell are somewhat limited, however, as both drivers only briefly drove for Williams at the same time as Hill. In 1993, Hill's first full season of F1, his team-mate was triple world champion Alain Prost; a driver whose talent is undeniable. As a relative newcomer Hill showed great speed and had it not been for some unfortunate mechanical failures and team orders in some races, Damon would have run Prost very close for the championship honours. Against Coulthard and Villeneuve, Hill both out-qualified and out-raced his team-mates. Now one might argue that Villeneuve was a 'rookie' and so could not be expected to perform on the same level as the experienced Hill. However, one should bear in mind that Jacques had a very large amount of pre-season testing time in the Williams, and so he was very familiar with the car. Equally, one could say that Jacques had the disadvantage of having to learn many of the circuits in 1996. This argument is also false, however, as any truly skilled driver will take only a very small number of laps to learn a circuit and find his optimum line. Making comparisons between drivers in different teams is rather more difficult. Michael Schumacher is undoubtedly a highly skilled driver, but one cannot easily compare him to others. His tendency to dominate his team-mates is probably influenced more strongly by the fact that both Benetton and now Ferrari have geared their design and operations to having Schumacher as their number one driver, than anything else. It is interesting to note that in the early stages of development, when the new Ferrari has had little work to refine it for Michael's preferred style, Eddie Irvine has regularly matched or beaten Schumacher's testing times. Another measure of talent would be to look at the number of Grand Prix victories, pole positions, starts/wins ratio or other statistics. Looking at these figures, you will find that Damon Hill not only has an excellent record against the current drivers, he also rates highly in the all-time listings. The fact is that formula one motor racing is a fiercely competitive sport, in which all of the drivers have abilities which are beyond the comprehension of most of the population. Keith Peterson's assertion that Damon Hill lacks talent is therefore based more upon his personal feelings towards Hill than any true reflection of Damon's talents. Any driver who is capable of winning 50% of the grands prix in a season and of qualifying his car on the front row of the grid for every race is undeniably talented and in my view, that makes him a very worthy champion.
Dr Matthew J. Pickles In the hope of forestalling a crush of e-mail from proud Quebecois and Canadian folk of all tongues, I'd like to sheepishly admit to a random access memory failure in my article at Atlas F1, "America's Lost Generation." In it I state Jacques Villeneuve was "born in Monaco..." and "...has possibly spent fewer months living in Canada than you have fingers on your hands." Which as I have been reminded by a number of nice Canadian people, is false. As the Villeneuve family moved to Monaco in 1978 and Jacques was born in 1971, I should have known. Or, rather, I should have put two and two together before running off at the keyboard. Pardon e au revoir, mes amis...
RM Glikin It is obvious that you do not proof read your contributors articles for accuracy. Roy Glikins column states that Jacques Villenueve was born in Monaco and probably has only lived in Canada for a few months in total. Where did he come up with that one? That's like saying Damon Hill was born in Dublin, or Jimmy Vasser was born in Greece. Jacques Villenueve was born April 9, 1971 in Quebec, Canada, and did not even see Europe until his father Gilles packed up the family to move there after his F1 career started in 1977. Why Roy Glikin would suggest otherwise is a mystery. The rest of the article is full of absurdities ranging from Ayrton Senna's leaving McLaren after 1993 because of McLaren's shoddy treatment of Michael Andretti(that's a good one) to suggesting that Michael can't speak Italian so that has something to do with anything. But these don't matter as much because we can probably chalk them up to editorial opinion. What matters is that columns like his hurt the overall integrity of your web-site. For every one person like me who spotted this error, there are potentially thousands who will take it for gospel truth, and the cycle repeats itself. That's fine if your the National Enquirer, or a trash tabloid, but not if you're a lightning rod of up-to-date information for many of us true F1 fans. Which do you want to be? I think this year is going to be great. Some teams are breaking records in Jerez, Barcelona and Estoril; I think that the drivers (teammates)on most of the teams are very competitive between them, we will see if Hill is the real thing or not, the war between Bridgestone and Goodyear (like Firestone-Goodyear in Indycar), new teams (Stewart and Lola), if Ferrari can finally be world champion again, if Benetton can conceive a win, if McLaren can constantly be on the podium, the Prost influence on Ligier, young drivers with cars at the same level, etc... From all this there is going to be plenty of stories to follow in this year championship. I think we can see three or more different drivers winning races (at least Schumacher, Villeneuve and Frentzen) in a less dominant way, making more attractive the outcame of each race (like Indycar). I know that still is going to be the big 4 on front, but if they are not careful you may see some leaks. I'm writing from Venezuela, where people is very interested in motorsports, and there is people from all over Europe (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, England) which makes F1 the number 1 motorsport event of the year to follow, as you can see my favoritism for a driver is not influenced or affected because I'm from certain Nation, but because of the true skills of the driver, that's why I would follow closely the performance from Villenueve, Frentzen, both Schumachers, Hakkinnen and especially Hill (not because he is one of my favorites but because he stills have to prove that indeed he is a True champion). So I can't wait for 1997 season to start.
Ricardo Chang Hi guys, Here in Montreal F1 fans got really worried last week with rumours that the GP could be cancelled if the new federal laws restricting tobacco ads would be put to work. I sincerely hope that the government decide to keep up with its plans and, why not, include F1 races too. Tobacco companies in Canada (and specially here in Montreal) are so powerful, I doubt they would be affected financially by the new regulations, on the other hand, more and more teenagers are getting addicted to something that is sold to them as a really "cool" thing to do. I have nothing against people who smoke, this is a free world after all, but their rights may be interfering with other peoples'. And, please refresh my memory: isn't the British GP also "smoke" free? did that kill the tobacco industry in Britain? I am shure it didn't. Is Wimbledon, or the British Open (golf) in any way deprived of money because of that? Nope! Well, lets leave that to the politicians, and hope this year's Canadian GP is as good as last year's, only with Jacques one step higher...I think he's the one to watch this year (even with my fellow countryman Barrichello now in a fresh new team...). Au revoir!
Marcio Oliveira I totally agree with article from Russia. Maybe You in AtlasF1 can give an E-mail address of somebody who is responsible for this situation (Mr. Ecclestone, FOCA) and then all Formula 1 fans can do somethink like an "eletronical block" of their E-mail. As you can read nearly everyday on usenet (rec.autos.sport.f1) somebody is asking about Eurosport. I live in Poland, in Gdynia, I'm 21 years old, when I was small boy my hero was Niki Lauda (still like him very much) even if I can't remember many of his carreer, now I'm Formula 1 fan. Last year after nearly 2 years of trying to get Gradn Prix ticket (in Poland) I have been to Hungaroring, it was fantastic!!! Of course I watch F1 on Eurosport and it is very big shock for me and my friends. So HELP US !!!!
Przemek Sadlo Dear Atlas, I am one of those thousands of dedicated F1 fans to whom Winter is more than a cold season... Winter is the time of the year when we are deprived of the excitement of watching F1 machines running in "anger". Winter it is a season empty of the beautiful images of great drivers racing to the extreme limit, controlling quasi-perfect aerodynamic machines... Now imagine a forever Winter season!!! I am residing in The Netherlands where until last year we were pampered with a great "Weekend Coverage" from Eurosport or could choose from three broadcasting’s choices came racing day (Eurosport, BBC or RTL). With a single stroke we are limited most probably to the race day coverage, broadcasted by RTL. I don’t speak a single word of German… It’s going to be a lean F1 Season !!! F1 popularity has been greatly enhanced thanks to the likes of Eurosport and BBC. I got the feeling that a few "brilliant" F1 masters are shooting themselves in the foot… Greediness can be a "deadly" sin!
A very sad F1 fan… Five reasons why to get a new sopnsor:
I'm not writing this as a speach for tobacco industry, but as a free advise for all Team bosses to get new sponsors... Tyrrell is heading just for a right direction!
Juha Kuronen This following message is an open reply to Roy Glikin's article America's Lost Generation in Atlas F1 Winter Issue 2: Dear Roy, I've been F1-fan ever since I started to understand why any adult would want to drive let's say like 70 laps around a circuit. The first real boost to my growing interest was to see compatriot Keke Rosberg win the Championship back at '82. Now, there is one point in your article that got me to the point of writing this message. You mentioned that Michael Andretti did not get fair treatment from McLaren, so much so that Ayrton Senna himself would abandon the team. That's just about as ridiculous as it can get!! Andretti got to drive 12 races, but where were the results? Now I have to rely on my failing memory on this one but wasn't it so that in those 12 races Andretti scored 7 points, where as in the remaining 3 (three that is) races Mika Hakkinen scored 6 points in that very (well, almost) same seat? When we keep that fact in mind, as well as the fact how Senna was scoring at that time, your point of Michael getting an unfair treatment from the team becomes a little absurd. Please correct me if I'm wrong about all this, but really I think that the real reason why Andretti ever got a seat from McLaren was because Ford wanted to have an American in a top team. And by the way, when you look at how Nigel Mansell was doing in '94 in the seat Andretti left in the Indy, it really helps to put Andretti's abilities to a respect. Thank you for participating in the best F1-magazine in the Net
Ilkka Sinisaari I look forward to the 97 F1 season and the introduction of Bridgestone tires to the field. Depsite initial hesitation, and being locked out of the "top 4" teams, they have managed to secure 5 of the 12 teams competing for the world championship (I am sure that many would argue that these teams will not challenge for the championship.) If the intial test times that they are running are an indication of the quality of their tires, I look forward to another side of F1 that will help to keep the action interesting. I am interested to hear what the thoughts of others are.
Mark Sturges Giancarlo Fisichella is on the edge of major stardom for 1997. Despite his lack of experience he out qualified Lamy in his first Grand Prix at Melbourne. Despite being in the 2nd worst car on the grid he has shown an ability to shine in such a car. This is something most of the current front runners have not done. Most have landed plumb seats on theitr arrival. For example Villeneuve (Williams), Coultard (Williams), Schumacher (Jordan, Benetton) and Hill (Brabham, Williams) Also Fisichella's testing peformances in 1995 for Minardi were outstanding breaking numerous records, then his benetton and Jordan test times have shown his speed. His ITC TOURING CAR experience must have helped -- especially learning how to set up such a complex car. Having racing experience must also be beneficiary and allow him to shine alongside his highly regarded team mate Ralf Schumacher. I think he will out perform Ralf. Fisichella has almost equalled Ralf's testing times despite having far less Jordan test miles. With the fortunes of Jordan probably improving on 1996 Fisichella could be looking at some impressive results with less than a full season under his bealt. PS: I agree about the amount of pomp which has surrounded Hill's World Championship victory. However, remember Silverstone 1992. Despite Mansell having the most superior car by a long distance, the crowd went crazy. Sure Britain likes a winner, but perhaps it should be put better into place by comparing it to other achievements. Next year is Hill's real test. If he then does outstandingly well in comparision to the cars ability, he should get applause he desevres. I'd just like to help Nuno Ferreira Becker understand why we here in England have enjoyed Damon Hill's victory so much over the last few months. No he his not the worlds most talented driver althought he is quick. Yes there are other drivers on the grid who are better racers than Hill, which probably explains why Williams have dropped him this year. The main reason is that we here in England see Damon Hill as very much an ordinary guy, who throught shear hard work and dedication has achieved his dream of becoming F1 world champion. If Ruben Barrichello won the World Championship in a Williams would you not celebrate? after all Ruben is by no means the best driver or racer on the grid - I think you would celebrate and I for one would not begrudge you that. As to the pride in the victory, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the best car by a huge margin was engineered by a British company, why shouldn't we be pround of that, yeh it had renault engines but so did the Bennetton and it did not help them much. I hope this clears up Nuno Ferreira Becker's understanding. Nationality issues aside, the thing that made 1996 so enjoyable for me was watching the genius of Michael Schumacher wringing every last ounce of speed out of that Ferrari. P.S. Role on 1997 an go Heinz Harrold Frentzen!!
Dave Holden Let us wash ourselves of the 1996 championship, wherein we saw the crowning of perhaps the least talented title holder ever. Damon Hill has sullied a proud tradition. The title of Formula One World Champion has lost a bit of it's lustre. Yes, you say, but surely Damon was worthy of the title if Michael Schumacher said that Damon deserved it. Trust me, it was a matter of diplomacy. The mythical "Big Four" now have eight drivers who are quick and many of them given the Williams ride could easily win the championship. Do any of you doubt the complete and utter destruction that Michael Schumacher would have wreaked upon the opposition behind the wheel of the Williams-Renault? Even the Damon-lovers MUST agree that a lot of records would have been shattered by the REAL champion. I truly laugh when the Damon-lovers warn us (all of us whose minds are not clouded) that Damon will consistently challenge for pole position, and podium finishes. Wake up Damonites. He's not driving a Williams-Renault this year. A TWR ARROWS-YAMAHA. I dare say that Ayrton Senna himself would be hard pressed to finish well in the championship standings in this car. Thankfully, that windbag Murray Walker (an unashamed Damon-lover) will be reduced to a few "poor Damons" every once in awhile this year. No more can he "wax philosophical" about the supposed attributed of Damon Hill. Yes, this 1997 Formula One Championship will once again restore the lustre to the title of world champion, with the coronation of a real victor: Double world champion Michael Schumacher or the best rookie in Formula One history Jacques Villeneuve.
Keith A. Peterson I agree with Rob on the Williams criminal trial. But now, to a less unnerving subject, this year. It should be a goody, but a couple teams are in trouble. Tyrrell: Drivers Larini and Salo are capable, however, they only have the Ford works engine, hooray, and their chassis the past five years has only been average. What's worse, is that Tyrrell's sponsorship is still in trouble. I congratulate PIAA, but there's no one else. Mild Seven and Korean Air left. I would like to see another color or two on some sponsor decals on Tyrrell. Ligier: Although being taken over by Prost would bring sponsorship, until then, there's trouble. Parmalat left with Diniz, of course. Sponsorship is rarely solid with this team but Prost could help. They're still troubled though because they only are an average team that needs more funding, which could be solved soon. Minardi: This team never gets much real sponsorship because it never does anything to warrant it. Briatore's presence will help here. But Katayama and Trulli won't pilot the car above 20th in qualifying. The Hart engine, is as we know, underfunded. Hart is an engineering genius in my opinion. The car is rarely worth crap, and well, my favorite team is in trouble. I wish McLaren luck this season, and would enjoy to see Hakkinen in victory lane along with Coulthard. They've looked fast in testing so far. Arrows should move up to a decently competitive team, but I agree with Villenueve a lot here. Also, Eddie Irvine is due, and Jackie Stewart is already bluffing. They'll be decently competitive. Much more than Stewart has led us to believe. Lola beat Stewart? I don't think so. No matter how much money, Rosset and Sospiri are not drivers who will help you get into the top ten much, let alone points. In my opinion, Lola will be a back marker this season, no matter how good their chassis. They haven't worked together as much, their F1 chassis is new, it's not the same as the Indy Car chassis, and their Ford V8 to start with only sets them back and how good could their own engine be at the very beginning. In the years to come Lola's reserve should really help, but you have to have the drivers to win also. This can go the other way too. Put Schumacher in a Tyrrell, and he won't qualify above 10th. If he does, than Tyrrell's drivers are not that great, as F1 goes of course, or Schumacher is a god. Ligier, Tyrrell, Minardi, and Lola will never be any better than midpack at any race. Well, maybe Ligier will get a few points, Prost can only help. Tyrrell has the worst engine in F1, and their drivers are only average, and their chassis are normally average. Why any better now? Minardi only has the Hart engine, better than the Ford V8 though. Minardi's chassis are also average, but their drivers are also only average, or maybe below. Katayama rarely is competitive. Trulli is a rookie. Lola I've already explained. Arrows, Stewart, and Jordan also have no shot at a podium. Arrows will be close. Hill is a good driver, and TWR always makes teams better. Yamaha's engine is an improvement too. It won't be enough though. Look for some points of course. Stewart is of course new, and Barrichello Magnussen are only average so far. Ford has yet to prove they are great, but good. They will struggle to race into the top ten. They may get a point or three from attrition. Jordan: Two young drivers, a team that is only average really, with a good engine, but the chassis is never as good as the Peugeot engines, and Fisichella and Schumacher are not proven yet. Jordan will probably get a few points, but much like Stewart will not race into them. You may wonder why I did not include Sauber. Well, Sauber's chassis may only be average, the engines they have are decent, from Ferrari, with help from Petronas, huge backing there. Plus Sauber has a great set of drivers. Herbert and Larini. Both are underrated. Look for them to race into the top ten and stay in there most of the time. The possible winners? Any driver from Williams, Ferrari, Benetton, and McLaren. Those four, will provide the best competition, and if any of those eight cars don't qualify in the top ten at any race, then that team should be disappointed. The year should be good though. Every team will make the 107% rule every race! Kevin Wey As a non-Briton, I can't understand all the joy and pride that takes over England after Damon Hill's winning of the 1996 World Championship. After all, it's a title he was unable to achieve in 1994 -- even driving a car far better than the others. And, with "a little help from his friends" Max Mosley, Bernie Eclestone, The FIA Guys & Co. (all brits), afflicting doubtful punishments on Schumacher. In 1995, again Hill was inapt to get it by himself. Finally, last year the "big bosses" found a way to put Schumacher in the lousy Ferrari, leaving the path free for Hill (nevertheless, he was almost beaten by the novice Villeneuve -- a guy that's never been in F1 before). The achievement wasn't due to Hill's superior driving skills, but to the overwhelming technical superiority of the Williams car. Schumacher was the best again, followed closely by Villeneuve. But Hill was only the fifth or sixth. At least that seems to be the opinion of such guys like Lauda, Prost, Piquet or Jones.
Nuno Ferreira Becker "A Uniquely Italian Problem" The Italian justice system will be heavily scrutinized in the next few months from their current charges brought against Williams. It's more than likely that no member of the Williams team will recieve anything more than a slap on the wrist, but the indictments themselves have sent a shockwave through F1. Currently, Ken Tyrell, Flavio Briatore, and even Max Mosley have expressed concerns regarding racing in Italy. It's hard to imagine the FIA imposing fines for teams skipping a GP in Italy when the head of the orginization itself expresses concerns about racing there. The most ludicrous charge was brought against Adrian Newey. Newey was only guilty of designing a car that went extremely fast. Yet, because he redesigned the front wing of the car before Imola he faces these unjustified charges. If the reports of a faulty weld are to be believed, then why is Newey culpable? The Italian prosecusion's shotgun approach to charging as many people as possible for this tragedy leaves this writer both bewildered, and disappointed. Personally, I don't buy the faulty weld theory. Many people are quick to forget that that chassis was shunted at Aida. The car got the once over after that crash and the steering colomn was checked and passed for the race at Imola. Of all the teams in F1, Williams is the least likely to miss something like a sloppy welding job on a component as important as the steering shaft. Secondly, Williams has stated that they have tellemetry that will back up their side of the story. Finally, the storing of the evidence also left alot to be desired. Williams technical director Patrick Head stated in Autosport some months ago that the car has been left exposed to the elements, with little more than a tarp covering it. Hardly the kind of treatment that the major piece of evidence in what will undoubtedly be a highly technical trial should be afforded.
Rob Paterson |