Q: I’m still trying to figure out why Massa is challenging Hamilton’s first championship. I can’t believe it hasn’t already been thrown out of court. As I remember that race, after Piquet’s crash, intentional or not, Massa still had a pit stop to make. When he made the stop, Ferrari blew it by allowing him to leave the pits with the fuel hose still attached. It seems to me that if he had a clean stop, he would have been no worse than third in that race, picking up the necessary points for his championship. He didn’t, so he and Ferrari are to blame for that loss.
While F1 is currently being dominated by a superior driver in a superior car, it’s not boring, as the TV production is fine, keeping one informed with intervals, strategies, and no commercials. I like to see the teams trying to improve their cars each race, sometimes making considerable improvements over the course of the season, as McLaren did last year. Red Bull probably wouldn’t be as dominant without Verstappen, although any Newey-designed car is going to be the class of the field. Even with spec engines, the cars are designed by the teams, and car racing, to me, isn’t just about the drivers, but also about the engineering involved to build the best car. If one car is superior, it’s up to the competition to catch up.
Bill Kennamer, Fayetteville, AR
CHRIS MEDLAND: On Massa, the legal challenge isn’t designed to overturn the result, but he wants acknowledgment and damages because he believes if that race had been voided he’d have won the title and been entitled to much greater earnings opportunities as a world champion. But there’s part of me that sides with you, Bill, not only on the pit stop but the fact that if that race is voided at the time then the three following rounds are likely to play out differently, and who knows the final outcome? Massa would have been in a much stronger position, sure, but is not guaranteed the title if the race result had been annulled there and then.
The pit stop error did come amid a hectic pit lane caused by the Safety Car that Piquet Jr. triggered, so I can see where Ferrari would feel there was a direct correlation, too, but you’re also right that without that error Massa also has a chance at a much better result.
I like your feedback on the current season, too. Obviously a proper title fight and regular close battles for victory are what everyone wants to see, but there is plenty that’s still good about the quality of the current grid and the journey that some teams are on. I do think a reminder of how quickly it can all go wrong even for Red Bull and Verstappen in Australia was a good thing, though, as it also highlights how impressively that partnership has been executing for so long.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, April 4, 2019
Q: Growing up on CART in the ’90s, I knew the heroes from the bums. Watching your tough guys series is great to hear about the heroes from years before me but what about the bums? You’ve never been one to mince words. Who were some of the flops, jerks, goofballs, buttheads, and bums of yesteryear?
Kevin S, Lindenhurst, IL
ROBIN MILLER: Oh my God, we don’t have enough space for that answer. Let’s just say there were some guys like Steve Barclay, Judge Harry Sauce and Tony Turco a “little” out of their depth in an IndyCar, but it might make a good wintertime read to revisit some of these categories.