- This man should really have checked the dates he was travelling before jetting off to Singapore. Shame he didn't manage to enjoy what turned out be an amazing race -
Poor travel plans aside, the Singapore GP is fast becoming one of my favourite events of the season. It never ceases to provide all sorts of drama. A few questions it managed to raise however were:
Should Schumacher c
ontinue into 2011? Firstly I don't want this to be taken as a Schumacher-bashing session, this is a question only the man himself can answer and time will tell as to what he decides. Clearly the 2010 Bridgestone tyres have not been to his liking, and his preference for a pointy car has not been suited to the W01 Mercedes which has resulted in his struggles. There is no doubting his ability given his record, but at 41 his racecraft has looked frayed at times, Canada, Hungary and Singapore in particular, where he openly admitted he did not enjoy his experience. His collision with the returning Heidfeld's Sauber showed little of the man who dominated the sport in the early 2000s. Teammate Nico Rosberg has been comprehensively faster all year, so the answer to this question probably lies in the 2011 Pirelli tyres which Schumacher will first get to sample after the Abu Dhabi GP at the end of the season, and the 2011 Merc. My guess is that Schumacher despite his denials has already considered the options, and is waiting on how the Pirelli tyres and new car compliment his driving style before he makes his mind up for certain.
Who owns the rights to 'Team Lotus'?
Another interesting development over the weekend was that Tony Fernandes announced that 1Malaysia Lotus Racing will next year take over the famous moniker of 'Team Lotus', a move which seems to have irritated the top brass at Proton back in Malaysia who claim ownership over the name. Rumours however have claimed that Proton are merely now trying to cash in on a name and venture now that the brand has been re-established in motorsport. However, given that in previous legal disputes they have acknowledged no control over the name, which was sold to David Hunt (brother of 1976 champion James) after the collapse of the original team at the end of 1994, the ground they are basing their argument on is looking cracked and fragile. The Lotus Racing F1 team run by Fernandes also has the blessing of the Chapman family who founded the name, and to his credit Fernandes has attempted to respect the history and tradition of the old team whilst quietly plugging away at improving the team, entering into an engine agreement and technial partnership with Renault for 2011. It was noteworthy nonetheless that Proton entered amongst other motorsports ventures into a GP2 agreement with ART to run as 'Lotus' whereas Fernandes' entry to GP2 will be known as 'Team Air Asia'. It would seem that Lotus will be granted permission rightly to use the 'Team Lotus' banner in 2011 though the legal wrangle may be arduous and damaging to Proton's image.
Should Schumacher c
ontinue into 2011? Firstly I don't want this to be taken as a Schumacher-bashing session, this is a question only the man himself can answer and time will tell as to what he decides. Clearly the 2010 Bridgestone tyres have not been to his liking, and his preference for a pointy car has not been suited to the W01 Mercedes which has resulted in his struggles. There is no doubting his ability given his record, but at 41 his racecraft has looked frayed at times, Canada, Hungary and Singapore in particular, where he openly admitted he did not enjoy his experience. His collision with the returning Heidfeld's Sauber showed little of the man who dominated the sport in the early 2000s. Teammate Nico Rosberg has been comprehensively faster all year, so the answer to this question probably lies in the 2011 Pirelli tyres which Schumacher will first get to sample after the Abu Dhabi GP at the end of the season, and the 2011 Merc. My guess is that Schumacher despite his denials has already considered the options, and is waiting on how the Pirelli tyres and new car compliment his driving style before he makes his mind up for certain. 
Who owns the rights to 'Team Lotus'?Another interesting development over the weekend was that Tony Fernandes announced that 1Malaysia Lotus Racing will next year take over the famous moniker of 'Team Lotus', a move which seems to have irritated the top brass at Proton back in Malaysia who claim ownership over the name. Rumours however have claimed that Proton are merely now trying to cash in on a name and venture now that the brand has been re-established in motorsport. However, given that in previous legal disputes they have acknowledged no control over the name, which was sold to David Hunt (brother of 1976 champion James) after the collapse of the original team at the end of 1994, the ground they are basing their argument on is looking cracked and fragile. The Lotus Racing F1 team run by Fernandes also has the blessing of the Chapman family who founded the name, and to his credit Fernandes has attempted to respect the history and tradition of the old team whilst quietly plugging away at improving the team, entering into an engine agreement and technial partnership with Renault for 2011. It was noteworthy nonetheless that Proton entered amongst other motorsports ventures into a GP2 agreement with ART to run as 'Lotus' whereas Fernandes' entry to GP2 will be known as 'Team Air Asia'. It would seem that Lotus will be granted permission rightly to use the 'Team Lotus' banner in 2011 though the legal wrangle may be arduous and damaging to Proton's image.
* Pictures courtesy of Autosport at http://www.autosport.com
* Video taken from YouTube. Original source here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwthZnF8iZQ&feature=youtu.be
All material copyright of respective owners.
* Video taken from YouTube. Original source here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwthZnF8iZQ&feature=youtu.be
All material copyright of respective owners.
