Over the last few months, it seems that either the autosport media is getting more interested in soaps or the F1 drivers have become drama queens. I read on an international autosport site the following quote's: "He was racing on the limit and didn’t respect the gentlemen’s agreements on how to act on the track." and another “He didn’t apologize to me, I also didn’t demand to do so, but he should I think" and another, "I still think it's wrong. It doesn't matter how quick he is. It's wrong.”
And for some reason these comments in the media always seem to come for a selected group op drivers. And typically they are not the ones that are on the top of the sheet during qualifying. Over the last few months, Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado and even former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve all had comments on other drivers. And the autosport media is happy to publish any of their comments to start a conversation among the drivers in the paddock. They probably hope to create a big fuss so they can spin the stories in their magazines to get more attention. In the end they need to sell their subscriptions and advertisements online, I know but still. So a small riot in the paddock is always nice when you need to write a story, but it seems they have lost focus on what is really important.
Luckely, Bernie Ecclestone knows better. He appreciates racing on the cutting edge, on the limits and over it. He knows that a parade of cars around the track isn’t racing, and that in order for people to watch and visit the races he needs real racing drivers; excitement and not drama queens. Drivers who aren’t scared of crossing the limits of what is considered ‘common practice’ and 'accepted behaviour'. And also drivers that have the guts to take a different approach.
He invited Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) for a private talk during the Austrian GP weekend. He was complementing the young driver on his performance and also on the way he is racing. And more important, he urged him to keep driving and acting this way. A true racer is welcome to the F1 show and he already has caught a lot of attention from the public because of it. And Bernie knows, if they talk about F1 it's good for the show. So stop whining in the paddock, let your track performance talk for you, and stop hiding in press quotes about what others should do I would say.
And for some reason these comments in the media always seem to come for a selected group op drivers. And typically they are not the ones that are on the top of the sheet during qualifying. Over the last few months, Felipe Massa, Romain Grosjean, Pastor Maldonado and even former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve all had comments on other drivers. And the autosport media is happy to publish any of their comments to start a conversation among the drivers in the paddock. They probably hope to create a big fuss so they can spin the stories in their magazines to get more attention. In the end they need to sell their subscriptions and advertisements online, I know but still. So a small riot in the paddock is always nice when you need to write a story, but it seems they have lost focus on what is really important.
Luckely, Bernie Ecclestone knows better. He appreciates racing on the cutting edge, on the limits and over it. He knows that a parade of cars around the track isn’t racing, and that in order for people to watch and visit the races he needs real racing drivers; excitement and not drama queens. Drivers who aren’t scared of crossing the limits of what is considered ‘common practice’ and 'accepted behaviour'. And also drivers that have the guts to take a different approach.
He invited Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) for a private talk during the Austrian GP weekend. He was complementing the young driver on his performance and also on the way he is racing. And more important, he urged him to keep driving and acting this way. A true racer is welcome to the F1 show and he already has caught a lot of attention from the public because of it. And Bernie knows, if they talk about F1 it's good for the show. So stop whining in the paddock, let your track performance talk for you, and stop hiding in press quotes about what others should do I would say.