PASTOR Maldonado pulled off an unexpected win for the WilliamsF1 team at the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix held at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The WilliamsF1 team tasted victory after a long wait of 132 races – their last win dating back to the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix!
Maldonado won ahead of local hero Fernando Alonso and a late charging Kimi Raikkonen. This result means that we have seen five different drivers, driving for five different constructors, win the first five races of the season! If you’ve not tuned into the Formula1 season yet, the time to do so is now.
While Williams and Maldonado had reasons to celebrate in Barcelona, the same can’t be said about India’s lone driver, Narain Karthikeyan. Karthikeyan’s weekend was one to forget after he failed to qualify his car in Saturday’s qualifying session due to a car problem. He was granted special permission by the Stewards to race after checking his laptimes from the earlier practice sessions.
Karthikeyan was one of the five drivers who retired from the race after his second tyre stop lead to a problem with a screw. However, I bring back my earlier discussion about Karthikeyan’s desire to race with a lowly Formula1 team that has failed to build a fast and competitive car. As a result, he is unable to showcase his talent to the world at large and more so, damaging his brand of being the ‘fastest Indian in the world’.
In the week leading up to the Spanish GP, there were media reports that Karthikeyan is still seeking sponsors to fund the remainder of his season. While there could be interest in partnering with the driver, sponsors wouldn’t be too keen to partner with the ‘slowest’ team on the Formula1 grid. So does this mean Karthikeyan’s days in the HRT cockpit are numbered? Possibly, yes!
Sahara Force India’s driver Nico Hulkenberg finished 10th in the race earning the team a single championship point taking their tally to 18 points. The team has much catching up to do as their nearest competitors, Sauber and Williams, are more than double points ahead in the Constructors’ Championship. This mid-field battle will be interesting to follow as the season progresses.
The other battle that is heating up as well is the one between the engine manufacturers, Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes. Both Mercedes and Renault have two wins each whereas Ferrari has managed only one. Mercedes is also involved in its battle of negotiations with the FOM for the up-for-renewal Concorde Agreement. There were rumours that should the German car manufacturer not be assigned equal status as the other marquee teams in the sport, they could quit Formula1 altogether!
However, Ecclestone diffused much of this tension at the Spanish GP weekend when he announced that ‘80% of the deal has been agreed upon’. While these could be pressure tactics from both parties, Formula1 does need manufacturers to stay in the sport!
Spain is also one of the few countries that plays host to two Grand Prix rounds in the Formula1 World Championship. Barcelona and Valencia are the two venues that host the races and it is widely believed that this arrangement is to cash-in on Fernando Alonso’s popularity! However, considering Spain’s economic woes, organisers have been unable to fill fans in their stands with reports claiming that only 80,000 fans visited the Spanish GP as opposed to 140,000 in 2007. Reports also state that with one in four unemployed in Spain, the ticket prices for Formula1 (ranging from Euro 120 to 450) seem unaffordable!
This news might not be the best news for the local organisers in Barcelona, but could work perfectly well for Ecclestone who needs to make space in his annual calendar to add the new GPs expected in France, New Jersey and Russia! From next year, we could well see the Spanish GP alternate between Barcelona and Valencia.
And last but not the least, the Sunday Times’ report on Michael Schumacher being the second richest sportsman in the world after Tiger Woods in total career earnings. Schumacher’s earnings totaled to $820 million as compared to $869 million of Woods’. The other Formula1 drivers who featured in the list were Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, who at about $161 million apiece were way down in the top twenty.
Just goes to show what a career in Formula1 spanning nearly 20 years with 291 Grand Prix starts, 91 victories, 154 podium finishes, 68 pole positions and 76 race fastest laps can lead to. However, do I think Schumacher will win this season? Most certainly, yes!
