Formula 1: Review of the Week's News, Week of 14 May

The Formula 1 world continued to turn this week, with most of the attention focused on one man—Pastor Maldonado.

The Venezuelan's surprise win at the Spanish Grand Prix left many of us scratching our heads in disbelief as the most unpredictable season in recent memory became even more unusual.

Elsewhere, more pressure was being heaped upon an already troubled mind, the ownership structure of a team changed and the quest for safety produced a somewhat unattractive proposal.

Next week, we have the build-up to one of the most anticipated Monaco Grands Prix of all-time. 

But for now, let's have a look back at the news the last week has brought us.

Additional Head Protection Inevitable

Formula 1 will introduce some form of additional protection for the drivers' heads in the near future, says Charlie Whiting.

The F1 race director was speaking to BBC Sport about changes which could occur in the future:

"There has to be something to try to prevent a wheel hitting a driver's head. The research should be done first, so we are able to come up with something that works."

While ideas mooted in the past have included jet fighter-style canopies, Whiting believes a roll-hoop mounted in front of the driver—similar to a design recently tested by the FIA—is the most likely option.

My Take

One does not simply whack a baby roll-cage onto the monocoque of an F1 car. As Whiting said, research will be needed into the impact of such an addition. The perceived benefits of such a system need to be weighed against the problems it would cause.

And the most obvious one issue would be visibility.

Anything which sits in front of the driver is going to obscure part of his field of vision, and a roll-hoop would not be a flimsy piece of kit. To achieve the necessary structural strength, it would need to have some substance to it. 

In an ideal world, it would be made of a material which was easily workable, exceptionally strong in multiple directions, see-through and non-refracting. But in the real world, does a material with those properties exist?

I don't believe it does. So, loss of visibility would inevitably occur.

How much visibility loss is acceptable? Five percent? 10 percent? It may sound like relatively little, but even the smallest loss could cause an accident. What increased risk is worth taking?

And then we move on to the question of whether or not we should just have F1 races on a PlayStation and do away with the horribly dangerous idea of "driving" altogether. 

Certainly needs more thought, and won't be a reality for many years to come, if ever.

Peter Sauber Gives Monisha Kaltenborn a Third of His Team

Peter Sauber has transferred a third of the equity in his team to Sauber CEO Monisha Kaltenborn.

A statement on the team website said:

"

In the interests of continuity, Peter Sauber has taken the decision to transfer a third of the stake in the Sauber Group to CEO Monisha Kaltenborn.  Sauber, the Team Principal and President of the Board of Directors of all Sauber Group companies, will retain the remaining two thirds.

"

Peter Sauber said:

"

When BMW pulled out of Formula One in 2009, Monisha Kaltenborn was instrumental in the team’s survival and since then she has been doing outstanding work in her capacity as CEO. Transferring one third of the stake to her represents an important step for me in providing continuity. My desire is to ensure that the company continues to be led as I would want over the long term. Monisha Kaltenborn and my son Alex, who joined the company as Marketing Director in 2010 and has since also been a member of the Board of Management, both embrace this aim. It means we can offer our employees a positive outlook for the future.

"

Kaltenborn's statement added, “For me this step is a mark of the greatest possible trust, which I will do everything in my power to justify.”

The transfer was described by a Sauber spokesman as a "gift" and no money changed hands.

My Take

It's certainly an interesting one. Sauber won't have made the decision on a whim, so whatever reason he has for doing this, he must have been considering it for quite some time.

It was puzzling until I went over his biography and discovered Peter is 70 next year. He's always been a never-changing, ageless pit lane fixture to me, and for whatever reason, I thought of him as being around 50. 

But time catches up with everyone, and even F1 team owners need to slow down sooner or later. He has sons, but they probably lack the experience to move into the top seat, so his CEO is the best choice as a successor should he choose to limit his involvement.

Kaltenborn has been with the team for over a decade, and before becoming CEO, the law graduate was head of Sauber's legal department. She and Sauber have worked together closely for many years.

Peter loves the team he started and can't have enjoyed the uncertainty which followed the pull-out of BMW at the end of 2009. It appears he would rather give away a piece to a trusted friend than he would sell it to an outsider.

Handing Kaltenborn a part of the team probably felt like passing on a slice to a daughter.

Williams Team Member Back in the UK as Fire Inquest Continues

The Williams team member seriously injured in the pit lane fire after the Spanish Grand Prix, 50-year-old Martin Betts, returned to the UK on Tuesday, 16th May.

Chief operations engineer Mark Gillan told BBC Sport:

"

"One team member remains in hospital having suffered burns.

But he is in a stable condition and in good spirits and has returned to England for further care."

"

Betts, known in the paddock as Barney, is responsible for constructing the pit garage at each race. He suffered second-degree burns to 15 percent of his body, mainly his arms and hands.

The investigation into what happened, why it happened and how it can be avoided in the future continues. 

The response time of the emergency services at the track has also been called into question. 

F1 photographer James Moy, who had been taking pictures of the celebrations, was quoted in The Independent as saying:

"

I reckon it probably took any circuit staff or firemen at least 12 minutes to get there. The only people there at that time were mechanics, fighting a fire in shorts and T-shirts.

"

The fire crews on duty had left the track by the time the blaze started, and firefighters with proper equipment had to come from outside the track boundaries.

My Take

Having seen the sudden nature of the blaze and how quickly it filled the garage with acrid black smoke, it's a wonder that Mr Betts' injuries were the worst suffered. 

Everyone who helped in evacuating the garage and tackling the fire deserves the thanks of the whole sport. While every instinct will have told them to get to safety, engineers and mechanics successfully fought the inferno with wholly inadequate equipment and surely averted a far more serious outcome.

But they shouldn't be expected to do that ever again.

With so many hazards in the pit garages, professional fire crews with a full range of equipment absolutely have to be present at all times during the weekend when something like this could happen. A fire in the pit lane should be reachable inside two minutes, not 12.

F1 is the safest motorsport in the world. But gaps still remain in the protection given to the unsung heroes behind the scenes.

Ferrari Demand Massa Improvements. Again.

Ferrari put their old statement on repeat after Felipe Massa's less-than-exceptional performance at the Spanish Grand Prix. The release on the team's website said:

"

Felipe was very unlucky, both in the race and in qualifying, but everyone, he more than anyone, is expecting a change of gear starting right away with the Monaco Grand Prix.

"

Which is largely the same thing they've been saying since 2010.

Later in the week, a news piece on the team website featured an interview of sorts with Massa. When asked if he feels the team is behind him, the Brazilian had this to say:

"

Absolutely, yes, I feel the whole team stands by me. Obviously, they are not happy with the results and neither am I: we all want is to get out of this and return to normal. It’s possible and for sure it’s what I want and I know that with the team’s help we will manage it.

"

Monaco is shaping up to be the latest in a series of important races for Massa.

My Take

By now, it's blindingly obvious that Massa does not respond positively to public criticism and demands, but the team continue to dole out the same old "we expect, he expects" line whenever he has a particularly poor performance.

Massa is a confidence driver, and he cannot build confidence while he's being whipped like a lazy horse by a bunch of amateur sports psychologists.

One gets the impression that simply leaving him to get on with it might produce a better result. It surely couldn't make anything worse.

Jaime Alguersuari Set to Return in 2013?

Jaime Alguersuari believes his current role as TV pundit and Pirelli test driver will assist him in returning to F1 in 2013.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Alguersuari said:

"

I can now enter any team garage without a problem, they all welcome me.  When I was part of Red Bull as a driver, I lived in a bubble, and had never spoken with Martin Whitmarsh or the people from Lotus; so being a commentator has opened doors.

I'm in the prime of my life, I'm training like never before, but mostly I'm learning about the [current] cars—and learning much in general.

I'm 100 per cent sure that I will come back in 2013 and, when I do, I'll be much stronger than in 2011.

"

However, no mention was made of any specific seat he had in mind.

My Take

I certainly hope Alguersuari does return in 2013, as I feel his removal from Toro Rosso was slightly unfair—especially if he really had turned down a drive elsewhere.

He's hardly likely to become an all-time great, but Jaime could have a long and successful career nonetheless as a solid, dependable driver. 

He's still only 22, after all—far too young to retire.

Pastor Maldonado a Future World Champion?

Following his excellent drive at the Spanish Grand Prix, Pastor Maldonado has been touted as a future world champion by Frank Williams.

When asked if Maldonado had the potential to become a champion one day, Williams said, "Without a doubt.  He is very fast and makes no mistakes."

The next race is in Monaco, where Maldonado has always gone well. No doubt he'll be hoping to strengthen his championship credentials with a strong performance.

My Take

Oh, come on.

One supposes everyone has the potential to become a champion if they receive a good enough car and a bad enough teammate.

But realistically, Maldonado has not yet shown that he can consistently compete close to the front. Nor has he given any indication that he's even in the top dozen drivers on the grid.

And if dropping the car into a wall on the last lap in Australia wasn't a mistake, I'd love to know what is.

It seems even the most experienced team owners can get carried away from time to time.