Knowing when to stop.

Today sees the last race for Michael Schumacher in Formula 1 – his return has not been particularly successful, and one could suggest that perhaps some of the old magic isn’t there anymore. The Ricky Hatton fight over the weekend is a similar case in point. so is it a mistake for sports stars to come back for a second bite of the cherry – or can’t they help themselves?

Schumacher was a frighteningly successful driver – his years at Ferrari were the best that they have ever seen (a visit to their museum at Maranello confirms this in the trophy room). However this sport is not just down to pure talent, the car plays a massive part – Nigel Mansell was good, but the car helped, the same with Red Bull at the moment – great drivers but also a great package.

So in coming back for a second go I believe Schumacher has perhaps taken the shine off his legacy, yes the car wasn’t great, but his younger team member has regularly finished and qualified above him.

I really don’t think the likes of Schumacher and Hatton can help themselves  - to be at sport at that level you have to believe in yourself totally – you are the best, even if you aren’t anymore!

So Michael – thanks for the entertainment, but it’s now time to retire gracefully and start spending all that cash, and don’t what ever you do come back for a third bite of the cherry!

 

Last of the real F1 heroes?

I am a long-term fan of formula one, it is fair to say that it has changed hugely over the past 30 years – it is now a much safer sport, thankfully deaths are rare (and long may that continue). The last ‘bad’ period for deaths in Formula one was around the time that Senna was killed, (and just before him Roland Ratzenberger). I am not suggesting for a moment that the sport shouldn’t be safe or that it makes it any less exciting. But I do believe that the 1970′s and 80′s drivers were ‘a different breed’, they got in the cars in the knowledge that death was a definite possibility.

The reason I bring this up is that it is 30 years next month that the late great Gilles Villeneuve was killed. He was one of Ferrari’s finest drivers at a time when they were in one of their successful periods. Villeneuve was killed a couple of years after they won the constructor’s championship and his team-mate Jody Schechter won the individual title.

When I visited the Ferrari museum in Maranello a couple of years ago (recommended for any petrol head) I was  reminded just how basic the F1 cars of the 70′s & 80′s were. There was no real protection for the driver, no fancy driver aids. It was as basic as a car could get – but strangely even more impressive than the current cars because of it. This photo gives an idea of the simple cockpit design – no protection above the hips, no forward crash areas – just an aluminum tub (and a real gear stick!). The car is to be run at Maranello on the 30th anniversary of his death, it will be driven by his son Jacque, a nice tribute.

So next time you watch Hamilton, Button and the rest of the F1 circus hurtling around a track spare a thought for those that went before and by their sacrifice made F1 as safe as it is today.

RIP Gilles Villeneuve – 8th May 1982

 

A Small Bit of Heaven in Italy

Being in Italy and also being ‘only’ a 90 minute drive away from Maranello it was going to happen – whatever the girls said! The tickets were booked before we left the UK – the Ferrari Galleria, (or to everyone else the Ferrari Museum) was going to be ‘the boys day out’ during the holiday.

We went yesterday and I have to say it totally lived up to my expectations. I am not a massive Ferrari F1 fan, and if I had the money I would probably get a Maserati – BUT – as a boy apart from the poster of a Lamborghini Countach on my wall, a supercar was a Ferrari!

The Enzo

Also my student years when I went and watched Grand Prix’s were the days of Gilles Villeneuve, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda, Jody Schechter, Nigel Mansell to name but a few – all who drove for Ferrari at some time. And sadly in Villeneuve’s case died in a Ferrari.

The museum is not vast, it holds a collection of cars from the entire history of the firm (not that long in reality). So there are cars driven in the 1950,s by the likes of Ascari (their first world champion) up to Schumacher’s cars. All displayed so that you can get right around them and touch them.

The Hall of Victories houses the cars from the recent golden years with Schumacher and has cars from the last decade.

The first floor houses the road cars, again just a small snap shot of the old to the new, F40, F50, Enzo, 458 Italia, Dino, plus more!

458 Italia - beauty or what!

This is not as I say a big place, but it is full of history, and is done for petrol heads. The cars are not hidden away, you can see everything easily. I would recommend it to anyone who loves cars.

My favorite bits?

Villeneuve’s ground effect car, the replica built on the 60th anniversary of Enzo’s first race car, and driving past the test track and the main factory gate.

Sad I know, but you can feel that Maranello IS Ferrari. Every shop and business is based around the factory. I now have a much better understanding of the Tifosi.

(More photos of the cars mentioned to follow once I am home – my linux netbook won’t compress my photos! So all I can upload are the photos from my iPhone.)