Communication tricks in F1

Red Bull was in dominant form last Sunday.  Very fast, with a spectacular start and perfectly controlled finish which put them on top of the world. 

 

But enough of Felix Baumgartner.

 

Over in South Korea another Red Bull ‘pilot’, this time Sebastian Vettel, was showing Fernando Alonso and Ferrari that Adrian Newey and his design team at Red Bull Racing have lost none of their formidable ability to produce the fastest racing car in the world.  It may have taken them half a season to recover from the loss of blown difuser technology, but they have built a momentum in recent races that has seen them take control of the World Championship,  A third title beckons.

 

How surprising, then, to read on Monday that Vettel may move to Ferrari for the 2014 season. Rumours, of course, are nothing new in Formula One.  But the BBC in the UK is not known for dealing in rumours, and journalist Andrew Benson will not have published the story without first checking its accuracy. 

 

As expected Christian Horner said the story was rubbish, and Ferrari also appeared to discount it, but not fully. Something is going on.

 

This raises a key question; why would Vettel quit a team which has brought him two World Championship titles and looks set to bring him a third? Why also would he end a relationship with Red Bull which has supported him since he was a young teenager?

 

The answer is subject to intense speculation.  He may, like Lewis Hamilton, simply need a change of scene, and the lure of Ferrari is powerful.  Other reasons could be more dramatic.  If Vettel knew that Adrian Newey was going to retire, or move to another team, that might be one influence.  Another would be the potential for Red Bull to quit Formula One after a near-decade of achievement.

 

In my opinion, however, the timing of the story is probably the primary reason for its appearance.  Ferrari, with its back to the wall and facing the prospect of Vettel dealing Alonso yet another last-minute championship defeat, may be guilty of placing a story which is designed to upset the harmony within Red Bull Racing.  A little mis-information can cause problems even in the strongest of teams.

 

Whatever the position, the fact remains that Vettel and Red Bull Racing are now in pole position to win both the 2012 World Championship for Drivers and Constructors.  McLaren’s challenge has faded dramatically through a combination of inexplicable reliability issues and the crazy Lewis Hamilton soap-opera which must have wasted significant management time and focus. 

 

Ferrari, with a car which possesses reliability but lacks outright pace, faces a huge challenge if it is to give Alonso any chance of reasserting his championship assault.  For that reason the team in Maranello will not be wasting too much time on the stories about who will be driving for it in two years time.  It is the task facing them over the next few weeks that requires their fullest attention.