Poking above the parapet… May 14, 2008
Posted by Seb Patrick in General F1, Meta.5 comments
Hi folks,
Just a quick note – as I can see from my blog stats that there are some of you still checking the site – to apologies for the quietness lately. So far it’s not been much of a season for keeping track of livery changes, as there have barely been any! But I’ve got some new material to come soon, including an article looking at all the drivers’ helmet designs this year, and also some more of the “classic liveries” stuff I’ve been promising. So, stick around!
Also, I’d just like to say how saddened I am by the collapse of the Super Aguri team. It’s intensely frustrating that in a year where we were supposed to have had 24 cars on the grid, we’ve now ended up with only 20 – and I can’t help but wonder where all those people were who supposedly had the money to compete with Prodrive for a slot back when it went up for grabs. Was there really nobody who fancied getting hold of an F1 team who could have bought Aguri out? As someone whose favourite era of F1 was a time when pre-qualification was necessary (those frantic, chaotic early ’90s days), I’m disappointed to see so few teams competing – and I can’t help but wonder if a drastic overhaul of the sport (such as, allowing in customer teams, but having a separate championship for them in tandem with the proper constructors’ championship – but still allowing all drivers to compete for one title) isn’t necessary in order to get competitor numbers up. F1 participation has never sunk beneath 20 cars in the modern-day era – but with Red Bull looking a bit edgy about the idea of keeping Toro Rosso going, manufacturers such as Toyota not getting a decent return on their investment, and Force India the latest iteration of a team that has changed hands too many times to count – well, let’s just say the future’s looking a bit worrying…
And, of course, it means we lose Ant Davidson, one of the most promising drivers on the grid (despite his late start in the sport). Still, if he’s not racing, perhaps ITV or the Beeb could snare him up for some punditry – in his appearances so far, he’s looked like the next best thing to Martin Brundle…
