DANKE, SEB
THE NEW GENERATION OF GRAND EFFECT CARS
MATERIAL BY COURTESY OF PIRELLI AND RED BULL
If you turn the steering wheel left, the car goes into left direction and if you turn it right, it goes right side - Kathrin Mueller-Hohenstein, Germany`s top sports presenter at Europe´s biggest broadcasting company ZDF, could not believe, what she just has heard on a live show from a 19-years-old high school graduate being her special guest. From a young school boy at BMW Sauber to a matured husband and father of three children of Aston Martin, Sebastian Vettel has gone a remarkable way showing a profound philosphy of life. Especially for this reason: Danke, Seb.
Verstappen and Red Bull had been the dominating figures of the 2022 season, because of their own top performances and not only by the silly mistakes Ferrari had made. Honda is back on the blue cars and shortly before Christmas there had been a big re-shuffle of the team bosses after the expected retirement of Binotto at Maranello. Dragoni, Tavoni, Lini, Schetty, Forghieri, Nosetto, Arrivabene and others - the list of Ferrari directors made reponsible for missing successes of the ungovernable Gestione Sportivo is long. Jean Todt from France was the untypical exception. We sadly miss Mauro Forghieri and Patrick Tambay. Carlos Sainz needed 150 Grandes Prix to win his maiden one; a psychological advantage in the struggle with his team rival Charles Leclerc being younger than the son of twice rally champion Carlos sen., who still is competing in the Dakar Rally. Like Chiron and Beretta, Leclerc is a original citizen of Monaco and there is a certain simularity with late Jules Bianchi.
Audi with new CEO Andreas Seidl is ante portas for 2026, but the plans of Honda, Red Bull Power Trains and Porsche are not very clear at the end of 2022. After two difficult Corona year Formula One is a fast growing business for Liberty Media. But the rules are much too complicated and expensive; 25 Grandes Prix, many of them held in wealthy dictatorships, are not good for an exclusive sport having it`s historic base in the centre of Europe. Uncontrolled expansion cannot be good for a healthy development of the sport, but FIS and Alpine Skiing are on the way to make the same mistakes Ecclestone had started during the seventies. Who wants to be involved in corruption, that belongs to the system of FIFA and IOC, has to go on.
Sporting director Ross Brawn leaves the business and the return of the ground effect cars gave the competition a very positive development. But nonsense things like DRS, sprint races or possible wheel covers for wet races, bring Grand Prix Racing too far away from it`s traditional roots being the base of the sport.
Dietrich Mateschitz was Austria`s top business personality and one if the most famous enterpreneurs in the world. He had made so much more than a soft drink company out of the brand Red Bull. In a world of crisis pioneering spirit is more essential as it had been in the decades from the end of the Cold War on. The Andrettis and Calvin Lo from Hongkong are not welcomed by everybody involved in Formula One, but new inspirations are needed to secure the future of the sport. Grand Prix Racing traditionally needs both: The big car makers and the private entrants. More simple and transparent rules can create a better competition on much lower costs for a CO2-free base.
Mick Schumacher became third driver at Mercedes for 2023, because of his name, as Roger Benoit pointed out in Swiss tabloit newspaper Blick. Marc Surer qualified Mick`s 2022 performance as not sufficient. Only George Russell scored a win for Mercedes. Since entering Grand Prix Racing in 2007 Sir Lewis Hamilton has not won a single race in 2022. For 2023 FIA has strictly forbidden the drivers to make personal political statements on Human Rights, Enviromental Protection or Sexual Minorities. At the end of the year the Lorenzo Bandini Trophy was given to Kevin Magnussen, who will take part in the 2023 Daytona 24 Hours partnered by his father Jan, also a former Grand Prix driver.In November 2022 Sebastian Vettel was honoured by the Gregor Grant Award, named after the founder of AUTOSPORT. Among the winners in history were Sir Jack Brabham and Niki Lauda and the first ever one was legendary John Webb.
Klaus Ewald
This was my last report on current Grand Prix Racing after twenty-two years. It was a great honour and I will be back on my traditional sector of portraits and documentaries. Thank you for everything.
