Half time is over… The kickoff to Formula 1’s second half is just hours away. We’ve all had time to eat a meatball sandwich, use the facilities, catch a smoke, even run out for more beer. Kickoff is officially at 8 AM EST August 28th, tomorrow morning, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
The Haas F1 Team has not failed to disappoint at any point of its development. The team is fairly well seated in the F1 constructors championship in 8th position with 28 points. They follow McLaren who holds 42 points and leads Renault in 9th position with 6 points. McLaren and Honda are not relenting to develop their engine for this year. They are in a points battle with Toro Rosso who only leads McLaren by 3 points, with 45. So it was not surprising to learn that the Haas team will commit all new development activities to the car they will campaign for the 2017 season. As the emphasis on the teams opportunities fade, an opportunity for the drivers emerges. They can define a meaningful purpose to the racing… now it’s personal!!!
The 5 position grid penalty on Esteban Gutierrez can be seen in two ways. As Tevye (Father character in “Fiddler On The Roof”) would say… in his deep baritone voice…
On one hand, he is a good boy! He does not break my car, too much. He does not earned his keep but, he also has finished 11th place… 4 times! He does not embarrass me! I sell lots of hats in Mexico, and I like him. He’s a good boy!
On the other hand… I’m not so sure. The accident in Australia, Alonso could have been killed. Now a 5 spot penalty… for what.. forgetting you are in a race car, on a race track, and there are other cars? We shall see…
But on the other hand… he has been doing better than my other boy… but still no points…
Starting from 18th position may be too difficult for Gutierrez to over come. Even if he can pick up a few positions at the start, it seems that points are an unrealistic expectation for him. I sure hope I’m wrong. and I might be.
Drivers are complaining that Pirelli’s tire pressure requirements are too stringent. Many feel it is making the tires too hard, resulting in higher temperatures and premature degradation. In this motorsport article, Jensen Button explains his frustrations with the tires. It’s worth reading, but not me repeating! 🙂
But the tire pressure could play into Haas’s hands. Now I admit my logic may be a bit loosely fitted, but all indicators are in the teams favor. In a fantastically written article on the Haas F1 Team web site, Romain Grosjean says this,
“The car was fine in qualifying. We made a good step before the summer break, so I’m more happy with the car. There are still a few things we can improve but, generally, it’s not a bad place to be after qualifying. For the race, I don’t think we’ll be as challenged as some of the other teams. Hopefully, we can have a good, aggressive strategy and try to make it work to get some points.”
Romain does not tell us what their advantage is, but they definitely must feel that they have one. Execution of their strategy will need to be perfect for the team to over perform. The combined design and execution of the race strategy could significantly improve the Haas Team’s performance, and it’s their greatest strength.
At the beginning the 2016 season the Haas team had no experience with their new car. The team had never worked together. Their front wing was shit and Esteban could not find the bathroom. Yet Haas F1 scored in three of their first 4 races. Perhaps I’m beating a dead horse, but Gene Haas bring race craft! It does not matter if he’s racing Chevy modifieds on a dirt track, wrenching on Indy cars, or writing history in the NASCAR record books, he knows what he’s doing.
If ever there was an opportunity to win a race on strategy and execution, it will be the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.
Both Romain’s and Esteban’s primary purpose, in life tomorrow, is to get a great race start and through turn 1 unscathed. The unscathed part is the most important thing. Jumping ahead then having to pit is not really jumping ahead… so… you listening Esteban? For Esteban this race is a bit of a trial. For Romain, an opportunity.
Romain Grosjean is starting in 11th position. The Haas car does not have the giddy up to run with Williams or Force India. And as mentioned before, the McLaren will only get faster. Attrition at the front of the pack never hurt the feelings of the mid pack contenders, and if that happens Romain will be the first to benefit.
No one has any idea how the race will play out. We’ve seen similar tire life expectancies from both the medium ands and soft tire compounds. But the Ardennes is taking its tole. The heat is tearing and blistering the tires in rates disproportionate to previous races. In that gap is where the fortunes lie for the Haas F1 team. An opportunity will present itself and they will be ready!
I do believe that Romain Grosjean will score points. Esteban, 11th position? For the 5th time? Seems reasonable.
and on a personal note…
“If I were a rich man”… twitter follower @EauRouger would we watching this race from La Source. Keep fighting Chester!