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Articles by Darren Galpin
| Drained - Mon 17th Oct 2005 |
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The constructors' championship was decided by an unlocked manhole cover, not the first time that these have afflicted motorsport. They seem to be a particular problem in China, and have become more of a problem since undercar aerodynamics discovered ground effect. Ground effect sucks the car downwards by creating a low pressure area underneath the car. The corollary of this is that the cars also suck anything on the track surface upwards if they run over it, and any manhole covers which are not fastened down get sucked out of the ground. To get around this in Monaco, they weld the covers in place for each race weekend.
The danger of this situation was graphically demonstrated in a World Sportscar race at Montreal in 1990, when one of the manhole covers became dislodged, as it hadn't been welded in. Kenny Acheson's Nissan R90C hit part of it, as did the Spice SE90C of Fermin Velez, but without any problem. Following them was Denis Moran in a Cougar-Porsche C24S, which hit the manhole full on. The cars' underbody aerodynamics flicked up the cover, and sent it backwards and upwards.
Following behind was the Brun Porsche 962C of Jesus Pareja, and the manhole cover went through his windscreen, luckily on the "passenger" side of the car, while simultaneously another piece of debris ripped a hole in the bottom of the chassis. The combined effect of being ripped apart top and bottom ruptured the fuel rank, and the car ignited in a sheet of flame. The car then slammed into a wall, taking another Brun Porsche (that of Harald Huysman) with it. Everyone expected the worse, and Harri Toivonen, having stopped his car, ran to the stricken Porsche with Morin and Huysman, but Pareja got out dazed, but otherwise unhurt.
Although racing has taken part at Zhuhai in China for several years, to try and promote the upcoming Formula 1 race at Shanghai in 2004, a non-championship street race was held for the Deutsch Tourenwagen Meisterschaft series (German touring cars) in the Pudong region of Shanghai. Qualifying went well, but the first race had to be abandoned after a manhole cover was sucked up and punctured the floor of Bernd Mäylander's Mercedes (who is now the safety car driver for F1), and caused him to have a big accident. Racing was delayed for many hours while the track crew welded up every available track orifice, so that race 2 could eventually get underway.
And so to the Grand Prix. According to Herman Tilke, interviewed on ITV, there are locks on all of the drainage covers which should prevent this happening, and one of them was simply not locked properly. Thus one of them got lifted up, and although Fisichella and Räikkönen managed to miss it, the following Montoya who went slightly wider could not. It punctured his tyre, and punched a hole through the right front side of his chassis, taking the radiator and associated pipe work with it. The engine gradually pumped out its coolant, and eventually expired, taking McLaren's chances of the manufacturers championship with it. I'd be interested to know what the liability laws are like in China, and whether McLaren could recoup the cost of a damaged chassis from the circuit due to their negligence.
If McLaren went out with a bang, Ferrari ended the year with a whimper, Schumacher having an accident before the race even started. Desperate to save fuel, Schumacher crawled around the circuit on his way from the pit to the grid. Christijan Albers in his Minardi on the other hand was doing his lap at much nearer race pace, using it as an installation lap. There was thus a large speed difference when the Minardi came upon the dawdling Ferrari. Albers decided to pass on the left-hand side, just as Schumacher decided to go left to get out of his way. Albers creamed into the Ferrari's sidepod, being launched into the air, and removing the Ferrari's left front wheel. Both cars were out, but both drivers were able to start the race in spare cars, Schumacher receiving an official reprimand from the FIA. Coulthard also admitted to a couple of close calls on his lap as well. Perhaps some kind of minimum speed limit needs to be enforced on the installation lap to avoid such collisions in future. Schumacher eventually span out when under safety car conditions, low tyre temperatures and pressures catching him out as he disappeared into a gravel trap backwards. Barrichello also had a week race, stopping to have a flat spotted tyre replaced and finishing up in 12th, the last unlapped runner.
So Renault saw out the year with Alonso as race winner and world champion, and with themselves as constructors' champions. Alonso had started from pole, and with Fisichella acting as rear-gunner, he was able to motor into the distance, two sets of safety car periods not withstanding. Fisichella overcooked his role at one point, backing the cars up too much under the safety car as he came into the pits. Following McLaren's actions at Spa, the FIA brought in a rule which says that drivers must stay within 5 car lengths of the car ahead when under safety car conditions, and Fisichella was much further back than this. He received a drive-through penalty, which meant he missed out on a podium. But Renault didn't care, he had protected Alonso's position, and they were well clear in the championship standings.
What was noticeable when viewing the camera shots was the air quality, with a white haze in the air seriously affecting visibility, and it was especially noticeable on the long kilometre straight. Was it a result of pollution, or simple atmospherics? Whichever it was, the juxtaposition made for uncomfortable viewing for F1, and for what can be seen as one of the most polluting of sports racing in one of the most polluting and ecologically damaged countries. Formula 1 is all about image, and using its image to enhance carefully managed brands. It would only take one well conceived environmental protest to highlight what their brands are truly being associated with, and the resultant loss of sponsorship could be catastrophic. Let's take this as an early warning of what might be. |
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