Formula 1 2013 – Mercedes And Pirelli Embroiled In “Testgate” Controversy
From Behind the Glasses The tyre debate has taken a more controversial turn with the Mercedes test-gate incident unfolding this week, which is all part of F1. Long in the history of this great sport have all these political sort of incidents and rule bending gone on, and its an intrinsic part of the sport whether you love or hate it. Personally, I love to hate it, as sometimes these sorts of incidents wind me right up, but only serve to expedite my passion for F1 as I soak in every detail of it. It can go both ways, bringing me such heartache as seeing Felipe Massa so painfully miss out on the 2008 world title, arguably due to Renaults race-fixing Crashgate scandal at the Singapore Grand Prix earlier in the year, or satisfaction when McLaren were disqualified from the 2007 championship over the Spygate scandal (as a die hard Ferrari supporter at the time, though admittedly the penalty was harsh). But I digress; I hope Mercedes arent harshly punished, provided it genuinely was 2014 tyres being tested and they havent truly gained an advantage over others, besides the overall testing mileage. I dont really believe they have, as Monaco is the lightest on tyres and nobody was ever really concerned about it. For me, Red Bulls complaints can be ignored, as we know they would exploit a similar situation given half a chance and had absolutely no complaints about the tyres in 2011 when only they seemed to be able to get them to work effectively with their exhaust-blown diffuser, turning the championship into a pointless joke where first place was generally best ignored. Its just now that the boots on the other foot and they dont like it. I am pleased to see Pirelli refusing to adjust the compounds that would pander to them, leaving people with what they developed given the same winter testing data and the advantages of certain teams in place. Also, by adjusting the tyres only to prevent the delamination issues, it will help protect drivers should tyres fail, something that can happen so easily in Formula 1 by debris or contact. Whilst it is a dangerous, cutting-edge sport with everyone on the limit, we dont want any more black weekends like Imola 1994, so protecting driver safety is paramount. Lets look forward to the Canadian Grand Prix and hope for the kind of action it often brings us. Honestly, Im hoping the Wall of Champions claims the current one