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Is the Wolff at the door? The Australian grand prix disappoints

3/16/2015

3 Comments

 
This weekend saw the new F1 season get underway; I had been really looking forward to it but came away feeling rather despondent. The Australian grand prix started with only 15 cars and ended with 11; Mercedes was totally dominant and lapped the field up to position five and the Williams team annoyed me to the point of writing this post.

It was a shame that Valtteri Bottas couldn’t compete because of damage to a disc in his lower back; that wasn’t what made me angry – what did though was Williams’ willingness to run just one car instead of put Susie Wolff in the other.  

The only female driver in F1, tests for Williams and yet wasn’t given a chance when Bottas was out of action and when the prospect of points for her were high, not to mention constructors’ championship points for Williams.

Williams in employing Wolff has just been exposed for executing what amounts to a poor taste PR manoeuvre  – if they are not going to let her race, even when the team is a driver down, then the only reason for having her on the books is to look progressive…

...and it’s all bollocks (literally when it comes to racing seats)!

So much for changing the face of F1, there is nothing game changing going on at all. If I was a Williams sponsor, I’d be extremely frustrated. The positive news coverage that would have been generated by Wolff’s participation has been lost and so has a chance to start shifting the dynamics of F1’s fan base.

The female deputy team principle Claire Williams, who should be ashamed of herself for letting her sex down, stated "Susie Wolff is our test driver not our reserve driver"; the reserve driver, if Bottas is incapacitated for longer, the BBC reports may be someone from the Mercedes team.

Bearing in mind that Susie Wolff’s husband is Toto Wolff, the team principle for Mercedes, I hope that he’d tell Claire to get lost if Williams approached him for help.

I wonder what Susie Wolff will do next? Head for the door probably and find a better employer.

Sunday’s grand prix was dull, the result a forgone conclusion from the beginning; I was pleased that Hamilton won it but the biggest highlight for me was seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger do the post-race interviews. Arnie was/is as cool as they come and Hamilton, despite his fame and fortune was as excited to see him as the rest of us mere mortals.   

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3 Comments
Karen Wilkes
3/16/2015 06:47:20 am

Good read!

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Adrian
3/17/2015 04:20:49 am

Thanks Karen, glad you liked it. I hope that you are well. Kind regards Adrian

Reply
Chris Williams
3/23/2015 10:13:47 am

Very good point. I had forgotten that Williams' 3rd driver was a lady. Missed opportunity for everyone. Cheers Chris

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