October 14, 2004

by Anthony Underwood

All right, I have failed. I had promised myself that I would wake up or stay up to watch live either China or Japan. I did not make either one of those Grand Prix dates. Not only that, but here I am a whole week late sending in a column about China. So I will pack a whole three weeks worth of fabulous Formula One in at once.

After Italy and China, it seemed as if our hero and World Champion had lost his lucky rabbit’s foot. Italy was an awful race for him, and spinning in qualification at China was even worse. I had expected Schumacher to go out and blister the place much like he did Bahrain earlier in the season. It is a good thing I did not place any money on that, because Ruben won the race in a very convincing fashion. If you were a conspiracy theorist, you might think the number one driver in our sport slacked off and allowed his teammate to solidly take second in the championship standings.

Between the races, the "silly season" went into full swing. No one really knows where Jenson Button will be until the Contract Recognition Board gives their verdict. If they rule against the Button-Williams deal, it comes down to who will pay more for the driver’s services. If Frank Williams really wants him in his car, then he will not let anything get in the way for that to happen. If Frank is not ready to pile on the cash, then he will still be driving for BAR.

Jacques Villeneuve has finally convinced someone that he still has what it takes to compete and win in Formula One. Villeneuve is currently driving in a substitute role for Renault, and as a 2005 driver for Sauber. It is still not clear where he will truly be in 2005. If he impresses the French team, they are sure to make an effort to keep him then Pete Suber is sure to release him for a small sum. It seems that some of the smaller teams fund their program like this, by selling off their drivers. Jacques brings a lost element back to Formula One. He went wheel-to-wheel and toe-to-toe against Schumacher with no fear. Given the right car, I believe he can do it again. Sadly Sauber does not provide that opportunity.

There are still great drivers without a secure ride as of yet. David Coulthard, a driver who can still get it done, is seeking a home. His name has been tossed around for BAR and Toyota. David has spent the best years of his career with McLaren. When they phased him out, it left little for him to do, but move along to a mid-tier team. That might be a bad thing, but if next season is anything like this one, we will all be shocked as to who is and who is not fast. I am sure none of us thought that BAR would be faster than BMW-Williams or McLaren. A team who needs the technical input and knows how Coulthard will take away from McLaren would do well to sign him and do so quickly. Toyota might do well to sign Coulthard, using Ralph Schumacher and David Coulthard’s knowledge from the better teams. Surely they can pick up something.

With Ford Motor Company pulling the plug on Jaguar and Cosworth, it has left many teams wondering if they will be here next year at all. Minardi and Jordan rely on the Cosworth engine to race, and there is no foreseeable replacement for them. Flavio Briatore is rumored to be in talks to buy Cosworth and run it at the end of his contract with Renault. That would place him in the position to influence the smaller teams in the sport. If you could use this man’s talents to improve the performance of the back row teams; that would do nothing but improve the show for all involved. Everywhere he's been, Briatore has done wonders and brought significant changes. There is no reason to think he would not or could not do the same at Cosworth.

As we close out the season, I think that Brazil will offer us the very best race of the season. Everything important is already settled, except for forth and fifth in the Drivers and Constructors Championships. Many on the grid will be able to race carefree, having had a successful season. Others will be driving hard hoping for that open seat and career birth or rebirth. It would be great to see Jaguar win the last race of their last season, but if history has anything to do with it, Ferrari will win once more.

Now if I can only stay awake for that race.

You can contact Anthony Underwood at.. Speed News Now