A Malaysian deluge
It is not unusual to have the timing of sporting events dictated by the demands of a wealthy audience. Perhaps the most famous example of this was the “Rumble in the Jungle”. To fit in with prime time American television, the Muhammed Ali v George Foreman fight in 1974 was held at 4:00 in the morning in Kinshasa. Similarly, Bernie Ecclestone has decided that European audiences are so important – particularly now when everyone is peering into a huge abyss where all the money disappeared – that races must be scheduled with their convenience in mind. It is for this reason that the race organisers scheduled the Malaysian Grand Prix for a 17:00 start rather than its traditional starting time two hours earlier.
Unlike the ’74 fight, which worked beautifully for everyone, choosing a 17:00 race starting time in the Malaysian monsoon season was an act of madness. Rain in the late afternoon is virtually guaranteed in that part of the world. But the rain in Malaysia is no ordinary London afternoon shower; it is a deluge akin to that visited upon the earth in the time of Noah. I listened to Sir Jackie Stewart express incredulity at the timing of the race. In his view if everyone knew that the heavens would open half an hour into the race, somebody ought to have rethought the idiocy of a delayed start. It’s like driving along, seeing that you are guaranteed to drive off a cliff but motoring ahead because the sat nav tells you to. So, for the first time since I saw a woman fly out of a window because she had dared question Ayrton Senna’s driving ability at the Australian Grand Prix in 1991, we had a race terminated prematurely because of impossible driving conditions.
The omens weren’t good for this Grand Prix. When women catapulted themselves out of the ladies’ lavatories at the Sepang circuit at the sight of a large snake on Thursday, the organisers should have gone back to the drawing board. They should have realised that the God’s of Sepang were in a bit of a bad mood.
Sure enough, half an hour into a race which Jenson Button was leading after having made a poor start from pole position, the Gods turned on the taps. By the time the safety car came along, you could see that it was pointless carrying on with the Malaysian Grand Prix. Within minutes the Sepang circuit became a lake. It was impossible to carry on – everybody could see that. Still, the race organisers had the drivers sit soaking in their cars for an entire fifty minutes while they contemplated what to do. Barmy. Eventually, the race was discontinued. Because it had not gone beyond the three quarter distance full points could not be allocated and the top drivers received half the points they would have received on a normal day – exactly what happened in Adelaide eighteen years ago.
While everybody sat pointlessly waiting for the inevitable, Kimi Raikkonen – a chap for whom behaviour is never dictated by rules and regulations – abandoned his Ferrari and could be seen eating a chocolate ice lolly in the Ferrari garage. Even in adversity the man has some style.
Yesterday’s extraordinary result means back-to-back wins for Jenson Button – a man I had long considered to be yesterday’s man. Button is the Lazarus of Formula One. I am sure he wakes up each morning and rubs his eyes in disbelief. Ferrari are yet to score a single point. McLaren have only one point and are in disarray since the stupid shenanigans in Australia. And the two Brawn GP drivers are first and second in the world championship battle. The only negative (if that is the right word) aspect is that Button and Barrichello received only half their allocation of points for coming respectively first and fifth yesterday and are, therefore, not as far ahead in the championship as they would otherwise have been.
Before I get carried away about Button and Brawn GP, I must remind myself that there is a real risk of him being stripped of every point he has earned this year. The other teams have protested that Brawn and Toyota (first and second yesterday) have exploited a legislation loophole in the design of their rear wing which has allegedly given them an unfair performance advantage. We shall have to wait and see what the decision of the FIA will be in Paris next week.
Meanwhile, one can only sit goggle-eyed. What a strange season this is turning out to be…
Gitau
06 April 2009
Unlike the ’74 fight, which worked beautifully for everyone, choosing a 17:00 race starting time in the Malaysian monsoon season was an act of madness. Rain in the late afternoon is virtually guaranteed in that part of the world. But the rain in Malaysia is no ordinary London afternoon shower; it is a deluge akin to that visited upon the earth in the time of Noah. I listened to Sir Jackie Stewart express incredulity at the timing of the race. In his view if everyone knew that the heavens would open half an hour into the race, somebody ought to have rethought the idiocy of a delayed start. It’s like driving along, seeing that you are guaranteed to drive off a cliff but motoring ahead because the sat nav tells you to. So, for the first time since I saw a woman fly out of a window because she had dared question Ayrton Senna’s driving ability at the Australian Grand Prix in 1991, we had a race terminated prematurely because of impossible driving conditions.
The omens weren’t good for this Grand Prix. When women catapulted themselves out of the ladies’ lavatories at the Sepang circuit at the sight of a large snake on Thursday, the organisers should have gone back to the drawing board. They should have realised that the God’s of Sepang were in a bit of a bad mood.
Sure enough, half an hour into a race which Jenson Button was leading after having made a poor start from pole position, the Gods turned on the taps. By the time the safety car came along, you could see that it was pointless carrying on with the Malaysian Grand Prix. Within minutes the Sepang circuit became a lake. It was impossible to carry on – everybody could see that. Still, the race organisers had the drivers sit soaking in their cars for an entire fifty minutes while they contemplated what to do. Barmy. Eventually, the race was discontinued. Because it had not gone beyond the three quarter distance full points could not be allocated and the top drivers received half the points they would have received on a normal day – exactly what happened in Adelaide eighteen years ago.
While everybody sat pointlessly waiting for the inevitable, Kimi Raikkonen – a chap for whom behaviour is never dictated by rules and regulations – abandoned his Ferrari and could be seen eating a chocolate ice lolly in the Ferrari garage. Even in adversity the man has some style.
Yesterday’s extraordinary result means back-to-back wins for Jenson Button – a man I had long considered to be yesterday’s man. Button is the Lazarus of Formula One. I am sure he wakes up each morning and rubs his eyes in disbelief. Ferrari are yet to score a single point. McLaren have only one point and are in disarray since the stupid shenanigans in Australia. And the two Brawn GP drivers are first and second in the world championship battle. The only negative (if that is the right word) aspect is that Button and Barrichello received only half their allocation of points for coming respectively first and fifth yesterday and are, therefore, not as far ahead in the championship as they would otherwise have been.
Before I get carried away about Button and Brawn GP, I must remind myself that there is a real risk of him being stripped of every point he has earned this year. The other teams have protested that Brawn and Toyota (first and second yesterday) have exploited a legislation loophole in the design of their rear wing which has allegedly given them an unfair performance advantage. We shall have to wait and see what the decision of the FIA will be in Paris next week.
Meanwhile, one can only sit goggle-eyed. What a strange season this is turning out to be…
Gitau
06 April 2009
posted by Gitau at 3:32 pm
1 Comments:
i tell you the events of this year grand prix have left me copletely flat footed..everything is a surprise
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