THE
LONG
INTERVIEW
a funny old time in Formula 1:
of transition. F1’s owners,
y Media, at the start of
econd year in charge, are a
me fresh face, centred on ever
ambitious marketing and
tional plans.
s are faster than ever and
powerful than any since
the fully boosted mid-80s turbo
monsters. In Lewis Hamilton,
Formula 1 can boast a genuine
global sporting icon – a rival in
eminence to the likes of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton
Senna before him, while his team, Mercedes, are arguably
more brilliant than even the greatest superteams of the past:
’80s McLaren; ’90s-era Williams; Ferrari at the turn of the
millennium; and, latterly, Red Bull.
Yet turbulent undercurrents swirl beneath these
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motorsport’s premier echelon are frighteningly elevated.
And the contentious issue of ‘who gets what’ from the sport’s
commercial rights holders remains a tinderbox in search of a
spark – where’s Bernie Ecclestone when you need him?
All told, there’s quite a bit that could kick off this year, both
on and off track, and it seems certain that the ‘F1’ tray in FIA
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to consume all of his attention.
So a good time, some might argue, to have a grandee
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2009, is steeped in the sport, having authored championship-
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then, more famously, with Schumacher, Ross Brawn
and co at Ferrari.T
JEAN TODT