Burning Rubber: The Extraordinary Story of Formula One

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Burning Rubber: The Extraordinary Story of Formula One Page 25

by Charles Jennings


  Piquet’s strategy may yet backfire. On the one hand, pushing Flavio Briatore into the frame hasn’t actually done Nelsinho’s standing much good with other players in Formula One. And, on the other hand, Briatore is well armed and extremely formidable. Painting him as some kind of titan of fallibility and blaming him for ‘The lowest point I had ever reached in my life’ is a risk. At the time of writing, we have no idea what evidence Briatore will adduce in the course of his appeal. But, by God, it ought to be interesting.

  After this, the graceless removal of Max Mosley from the Presidency of the FIA came as something of an anti-climax. This had nothing to do with the recent newspaper revelations about his sporadically off-beat private life; nor, specifically, was it a riposte to the hand-in-glove, two-headed autocracy he had run for so long with Bernie Ecclestone. But it was to do with Mosley’s not altogether unreasonable attempts to shrink the costs of Formula One and reduce the amount of money hurled at technical problems, mainly by the larger teams. He saw budget caps; he saw a sensible use of resources at a time of international financial strain; he saw a slightly more level playing field; he saw new teams being able to afford to come into F1; he saw himself getting his own way.

  The trouble was, instead of creating consensus, he managed massively to alienate most of the big F1 players – who announced that Mosley (due to retire from his job at the end of 2009, anyway) could go whistle, and that they were prepared to set up their own breakaway F1 series if he didn’t come to his senses.

  Mosley had been around too long, was what it came down to. His writ no longer ran. His ability to get things done was now being seen as mere bossiness. Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo called him ‘a dictator’. Seething, Mosley let it be known that perhaps he wouldn’t pack his job in, but instead seek re-election, just to see who really had the power: ‘There was no need for me to involve myself further in Formula 1 once we had a settlement,’ he told di Montezemolo, but, ‘I now consider my options open.’ The summer wore on. Then, suddenly, he capitulated. He gave up on the budget question, leaving the teams to assure the world that they’d try to cut back, somewhere. His job at the FIA came up for re-election. He didn’t stand – but he did have the satisfaction of seeing his preferred player, Jean Todt, take over from him. Was it age getting to him (he was sixty-nine, after all), or had he decided that life was complicated enough, without the headache of Formula One to deal with?

  Whatever the cause, the era of Max Mosley ended, just like that – a figure from the days of Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Gilles Villeneuve, Ayrton Senna, just gone. Change was in the air. And when the last race of the season took place at Abu Dhabi, on a man-made island, under artificial light, overlooked by an immense futuristic hotel building that electronically changed colour in the night sky, and was won by a Red Bull, with another Bull second, and a Brawn third, you couldn’t help but wonder where the sport would be in another ten years’ time. Perhaps Mosley reckoned that at last the scenery was changing too fast for him too keep up.

  We will see, indeed.

  Appendix I

  GRAND PRIX CHAMPIONSHIPS

  (Note: Constructors’ Championships began in 1958)

  1950

  Drivers’ Championship

  Nino Farina

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Luigi Fagioli

  1951

  Drivers’ Championship

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Alberto Ascari

  Jose Froilan Gonzales

  1952

  Drivers’ Championship

  Alberto Ascari

  Nino Farina

  Piero Taruffi

  1953

  Drivers’ Championship

  Alberto Ascari

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Nino Farina

  1954

  Drivers’ Championship

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Jose Froilan Gonzales

  Mike Hawthorn

  1955

  Drivers’ Championship

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Stirling Moss

  Eugenio Castellotti

  1956

  Drivers’ Championship

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Stirling Moss

  Peter Collins

  1957

  Drivers’ Championship

  Juan Manuel Fangio

  Stirling Moss

  Luigi Musso

  Appendix II

  TOP TWENTY-SIX GRAND PRIX DRIVERS BY RACES WON

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Allsop, Derick, Formula One Uncovered, Headline, London 1998.

  Botsford, Keith, The Champions of Formula One, Stanley Paul, London 1988.

  Collings, Timothy, with Sykes, Stuart, Jackie Stewart: A Restless Life, Virgin Books, London 2003.

  Dodson, Mike, Nelson Piquet, Hazleton Publishing, Richmond, Surrey 1991.

  Donaldson, Gerald, Fangio: The Life Behind the Legend, Virgin Books, London 2003.

  Donaldson, Gerald, Gilles Villeneuve: The Life of the Legendary Racing Driver, Virgin Books, London 2003.

  Donaldson, Gerald, James Hunt, CollinsWillow, London 1994.

  Donaldson, Gerald, Teamwork, CollinsWillow, London 1998.

  Dymock, Eric, Jim Clark: Racing Legend, Motorbooks, St Paul 2003.

  Edwards, Robert, Stirling Moss: The Authorised Biography, Orion, London 2005.

  Fangio, Juan Manuel, with Carozzo, Roberto, Fangio – My Racing Life, Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northants 1986.

  Hamilton, Duncan, with Scott, Lionel, Touch Wood!, Barrie and Rockliff, London 1960.

  Hamilton, Maurice, Frank Williams, MacMillan, London 1998.

  Henry, Alan, Jochen Rindt, Hazleton Publishing, Richmond, Surrey 1990.

  Henry, Alan, The Power Brokers, Motorbooks International, St Paul, MN 2003.

  Hill, Bette, with Ewart, Neil, The Other Side of the Hill, Hutchinson, London 1978.

  Hill, Graham, Life at the Limit, Patrick Stephens, Yeovil 1993.

  Hilton, Christopher, Alain Prost, Partridge Press, London 1992.

  Hilton, Christopher, Ayrton Senna: The Whole Story, Haynes Publishing, Yeovil, Somerset 2004.

  Hilton, Christopher, Michael Schumacher: The Greatest of All?, Haynes Publishing, Yeovil, Somerset 2002.

  Hilton, Christopher, Nigel Mansell: The Lion at Bay, Patrick Stephens, Yeovil, Somerset 1995.

  Ireland, Innes, All Arms and Elbows, Pelham Books, London 1967.

  Lauda, Nike, with Völker, Herbert, To Hell and Back, Stanley Paul, London 1986.

  Lawrence, Mike, Colin Chapman: Wayward Genius, Breedon Books, Derby 2002.

  Lovell, Terry, Bernie’s Game, Metro Publishing, London 2003.

  Ludwigsen, Karl, Emerson Fittipaldi, Haynes, Yeovil, Somerset 2002.

  Monkhouse, George C., Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Racing 1934–1945, White Mouse, London 1984.

  Moss, Stirling, with Purdey, Ken, All but My Life, William Kimber, London 1963.

  Neubauer, Alfred, Speed Was My Life, Barrie and Rockliff, London 1960.

  Nye, Doug, Jim Clark, Hazleton Publishing, London 1991.

  Nye, Doug, Racers: The Inside Story of Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Arthur Barker, London 1982.

  Nixon, Chris, Mon Ami Mate, Transport Bookman Publications, London 1991.

  Prost, Alain, with Moncet, Jean-Louis, Life in the Fast Lane, Stanley Paul, London 1989.

  Roebuck, Nigel, Grand Prix Greats, Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, Northants 1981.

  Rendl, Ivan, The Chequered Flag, Weidenfeld, London 1993.

  Stewart, Jackie, with Dymock, Eric, World Champion, Pelham Books, London 1970.

  Tipler, John, Graham Hill: Master of Motor Sport, Breedon Books, Derby 2002.

  Watkins, Professor Sid, Life at the Limit, Macmillan, London 1996.

  Williams, Richard, Enzo Ferrari: A Life, Yellow Jersey Press, London 2001.

  Williams, Richard, Racers, Penguin, London 1998.

  Williams, Richard,
The Death of Ayrton Senna, Bloomsbury, London 1999.

  INDEX

  Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

  Adelaide

  AGS

  AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus)

  Ain Diab

  Aintree

  Aix-les-Bains

  Albers, Christijan

  Albi

  Alboreto, Michele

  Alesi, Jean

  Alfa Romeo

  and Enzo Ferrari

  and Fangio

  All American Racing (AAR)

  Alonso, Fernando

  and Ferrari

  and McLaren

  and Renault

  wins Championship 2005

  wins Championship 2006

  Alpine Rally

  Amon, Chris

  Andretti, Marco

  Andretti, Mario

  Andretti, Michael

  Anglo-American Racing

  Argentine Grand Prix

  1955

  1956

  1958

  Argetsinger, Cameron

  Arnoux, René

  Arrows

  Arsenal

  Ascari, Alberto

  Ascari, Antonio

  Aston Martin

  Atteberg, Orjan

  Australian Grand Prix

  Austrian Grand Prix

  Auto Union

  Avus

  Bahrain Grand Prix

  Balestre, Jean-Marie

  Bandini, Lorenzo

  BAR

  Bari

  Barnard, John

  Barrichello, Rubens

  BBC Sports Personality of the Year

  Beaufort, Carel de

  Belgian Grand Prix

  1925

  1947

  1966

  1982

  1991

  1992

  2004

  Beltoise, Jean-Pierre

  Benetton

  Benson & Hedges

  Bentley

  Benz, Karl

  Berger, Gerhard

  Berthon, Peter

  Birkin, Tim

  Blash, Herbie

  BMW

  Boavista

  Bondurant, Bob

  Boutsen, Thierry

  Brabham

  FanCar

  and Piquet

  record

  and turbo technology

  Brabham, David

  Brabham, Gary

  Brabham, Geoff

  Brabham, Jack

  appearance

  on Clark and Stewart

  as engineer

  record

  taciturnity

  wins Chamionship 1966

  Brabham, Matthew

  Bradshaw, Ann

  Brands Hatch

  Brauchitsch, Manfred von

  Brawn, Ross

  Brawn-Mercedes

  Brazilian Grand Prix

  1972

  1981

  1990

  2006

  2009

  Bremgarten

  Brenton, Howard

  Briatore, Flavio

  Bristow, Chris

  British American Racing

  British Empire Trophy

  British Grand Prix

  1949

  1950

  1951

  1955

  1976

  1986

  1999

  2009

  BRM (British Racing Motors)

  and Hill

  sponsorship

  unreliability

  Brooke Bond Oxo

  Brooklands, Surrey

  Brooks, Tony

  Brown, David

  Brundle, Martin

  Brunner, Gustav

  Buenos Aires

  Bugatti

  Burton, Richard

  Button, Jenson

  and Brawn-Mercedes

  and Honda

  wins Championship 2009

  Byrne, Rory

  Cabianca, Giulio

  CAD technology

  Caldwell, Alastair

  Camel Cigarettes

  Campari, Giuseppe

  Campbell, Donald

  Can-Am series

  Canadian Grand Prix

  Canon

  Carraciola, Rudolph

  Carrera Panamericana

  cars

  active suspension

  constructors

  ground-effect

  safety

  technology

  turbos

  twin-chassis

  Castellotti, Eugenio

  Castro, Fidel

  Catalunya circuit

  Cevert, François

  Champion Spark Plugs

  Chapman, Colin

  and Clark

  death

  and Rindt

  and sponsorship

  Charade

  Cheever, Eddie

  Chinese Grand Prix

  Chiron, Louis

  Clark, Jim

  appearance

  background and character

  and Chapman

  death

  indecisiveness

  and Lotus

  record

  technical ability

  Collins, Peter

  character

  death

  and Fangio

  and Ferrari

  Coloni

  computer technology

  Concorde Agreement

  Connaught

  Constructors’ Championship

  Cooper

  models

  Cooper, Charles

  Cooper, Henry

  Cooper, John

  Cordier, Louise

  Costin, Frank

  Cosworth Racing

  Coulthard, David

  Courage, Piers

  Cranfield College of Aeronautics

  Crombac, Jabby

  Crystal Palace

  Cunningham, Iain

  Daily Express International Trophy

  Daimler, Gottlieb

  Dallas

  Davis, Cliff

  Davis, Joe

  de Angelis, Elio

  de Cesaris, Andrea

  De Dion

  De Lorean

  Delage

  Delaunay, Arnaud

  Delauney, Jaqueline

  Dennis, Ron

  Depailler, Patrick

  Detroit

  Digital Equipment Corporation

  Dijon

  Domenicali, Stefano

  Donington Park

  Driver of the Century

  drivers

  appearance

  culture of deference

  income

  interchangeability of

  sons of

  strike

  Drivers’ Championship

  drug abuse

  Ducarouge, Gérard

  Duckworth, Keith

  Duetsche Post

  Dundrod

  Dutch Grand Prix

  1967

  1968

  1970

  1973

  1975

  1979

  Eagle

  Ecclestone, Bernie

  Edwards, Guy

  Eläintarhanajot

  ELF petroleum

  engines

  and minor teams

  power of

  Ensign Racing

  ERA (English Racing Automobiles)

  Ertl, Harald

  Espinosa, ‘Beba’

  Esso

  Estoril

  Étancelin, Philippe

  EuroBrun

  European Grand Prix

  Fagioli, Luigi

  FanCar

  Fangio, Juan Manuel

  and Alfa Romeo

  cars driven by

  character and background

  and Ferrari

  German Grand Prix 1957

  and Maserati

  and Mercedes

  record

  retirement

  universal admiration

  Farina, Nino

  Farina, Pinin

 
fatalities

  Ferguson, Andrew

  Ferrari

  and Alonso

  and Ascari

  and Collins

  deaths

  and Fangio

  and Lauda

  lean years

  loyalty to

  models

  and Moss

  and Pironi

  and Prost

  and Raikkonen

  record

  relations with McLaren

 

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