09/03/2005
FEATURE BY GUEST AUTHORS
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It's okay for minnows to swim with sharks, as long as you know your place and realize the danger involved. But when groupers encourage you to poke the shark in the eye with your fin, you'd better be aware of the consequences.
I've always cheered for Minardi, especially since being taken over by Paul Stoddart. His apparent love of the sport and the dedication by the team members, detailed several times in wonderful articles in Pitpass are a stark illustration of life as a minnow in the shark infested paddock of modern day Formula One.
This time the act has worn thin, the point not proven, the waters muddied further, and new life breathed into a ruler thought to be on his deathbed. For the 'Gang of 9', their handling of this matter, pushing Stoddart into the limelight to further their objectives, looks ill advised and transparent. Put the minnow out there to swing in the breeze (mixing metaphors, of course) while we get on with business. I can just see Ron Dennis and Ol' Flav laughing hysterically behind closed doors, fully cognizant that there's no egg on their face.
Paul Stoddart has been played as much as he's played us. In recent weeks, Max Mosley has looked like a doddering old fool, too arrogant to realize his stupid rules and arbitrary changes are making matters worse, creating a greater divide and pushing the on-track activities of a Formula One weekend further down the things-to-do list for the average punter.
Stupidly, Stoddart dropped Mosley back into his element, the courtroom. Legal mumbo-jumbo and double speak are what Mosley specializes in. Stoddart calling for Mosley's resignation now, after winning the court battle but losing the war is like calling for an autopsy on someone who had a successful defibrillation. It has breathed new life into Max, and all the while a certain man, small in stature but god-like in power, has stood in the shadows and gotten 30% of the teams into his corner. Stoddart has gone from being the darling of the underdog to the epitome of all that is wrong with society today. A publicity seeker eager to run to court when not getting what he wants, all the while playing the 'victim'.
What is extremely galling to common F1 fans across the globe is Stoddart's antics over the weekend. While he may have gotten away with claiming poverty, a legitimate defence when compared to the big fish, his 'alibi' about not being able to make his 2004 cars conform to the 2005 regulations broke down completely when Minardi magically transformed the cars overnight into regulation abiding steeds. Across the internet, fans are asking again and again, 'Why didn't you just shut your mouth, get to work, and modify the cars?'
Maybe his pigheadedness is what has kept Minardi afloat for the last few years, but the ultimate point of the exercise, to prove that Mosley's newest regulations were illegally implemented, is now lost in the roar. His champagne antics made him look like a buffoon. Champagne is saved for the end of the weekend, when all the hard work has been done. Had Stoddart won his point and been allowed to run the cars out of regulation, the champagne spray would have looked just as silly, out of place, and beyond farcical. Instead of a victory cigar for the chain smoking Aussie, his cigarettes touched off a flashover that could lead to a conflagration of epic proportions.
The Gang of 9 needed a public face. Certainly not a corporate type 'talking head' from the auto manufacturers, that would have portrayed them as they truly are. A suit and tie with as much allegiance to motor racing as to health insurance for their workers. As long as it helps the bottom line (keep workers healthy and at work/keep the manufacturer in the headlines and sell vehicles), it's worth investing in. When the going gets tough (premiums increase/race results are poor) then it's time to re-examine the cost to benefit. In steps Paul Stoddart. He gets fed lines such as 'Gee Paul you're getting the short end of the stick here, Ferrari is getting more, you're getting less'. 'Paul, how on Earth are you going to be able to get your cars to conform to these new specs so late in the game?' 'Paul we need someone to be our public face, someone who really cares about the future of Formula One. Paul you're our man'.
So while Ol' Flav', Ronspeak and Sir Frank are hard at work with their team, getting ready for the race weekend, Paul Stoddart, the man whose team can least afford it, is out cavorting to the press, into courtrooms, and into meetings with everyone but his own team. When zero hour arrives and Mosley threatens to cancel the race and hang Stoddart by his testicles in front of his home town public, Stoddart is forced to slink back to his garage, hacksaw in hand, and announce to his dozens, errr… dozen workers and mechanics; "Right, then boys. Let's make it legal."
So, as the fire continues to burn, what of Paul Stoddart and Minardi? He must weather the storm of very poor races in Malaysia and Bahrain before his new car takes to the track at Imola. If the new car doesn't show a hint of promise at Imola or Barcelona, he could be done. The big caveat is what happens if he now signs on with the little man in the corner.
Is Bernie offering a sweeter pot to the early signers and trying to isolate the big car manufacturers? If Red Bull and Jordan/Midland have indeed signed on, and Minardi was to follow, Sauber would be the only independent in the GPWC. Even though they are supposedly switching to BMW, Sauber are still junior to Williams in just about every facet and don't have the mass-market appeal of the very British Williams. The Gang of 9 would be reduced to the Gang of 6 led by Mercedes, Toyota, BMW, Honda and Renault. All of a sudden 6 vs. 4 doesn't look as powerful as 9 vs. 1 against Bernie.
Divide and conquer. The teams are whores, selling their soul to the highest bidder. Bernie has (presumably) opened his wallet at the right time and divided the GPWC house rather quickly. Is he ultimately looking to drive the big car companies right back out of Formula One as quickly as they came in? Another man with a lot of money who is involved in this is Kevin Kalkhoven, the ChampCar Czar who bought Cosworth.
Can Cosworth get ramped back up to the point where it can produce enough quality engines not only to compete with Ferrari, but also to supply most of the field? They're already supplying the entire field in ChampCar. Obviously the specs are different, with ChampCar being turbo, but if the specs for both series were more closely aligned, and with technical rules changes coming to Bernie's Circus one way or the other in 2008, Cosworth could return to prominence as a Grand Prix engine supplier.
Through all the mayhem, the little man stood by, and flashed a smile long enough for everyone to see several rows of teeth.
As always, hate mail may be sent to: Thomsonphilips@hotmail.com