Unpredictability is Fun. For a While.

Unpredictability is fun. Crazy stuff happens and we all think ‘wow that was some crazy stuff, amazing’! The majority of the classic F1 races throughout history are deemed classic because of their very unpredictability, because things that we didn’t think possibly could happen, did happen. That’s fantastic, that’s wonderful, that’s motorsport. At the same time, though, we need the other side in order for unpredictability to work, and indeed the predictable can be just as enjoyable.

Rain in Zolder caused excitement

These kind of realisations are hammered home when you’re standing in the commentary box at Becketts, commentating on some club racing. I’m lucky enough to be covering the FIA GT1 World Championship this year, and so far we’ve had two cracking rounds in Nogaro and Zolder, but both have been blighted by rain. I say ‘blighted’…it’s been epic. The mix-up of conditions has given us some massively exciting racing and three different winners from four races has proven just how open the championship is this season.

This weekend (26/7 May) we are off to Navarra in Spain for round three where the weather forecast suggests it’s going to be dry, and actually, I’m pretty pleased about that. As I stood at Silverstone shouting about an 11 car GT Cup race to eight men and their dog, it dawned on me that I was watching proper motor racing. Drivers on the limit, desperately gaining on their rival ahead by tenths of a second per lap and painstakingly attempting to create an overtaking opportunity; that’s what racing is about. Not DRS and nonsense tyres.

Olivier Panis winning at Monaco in 1996

Olivier Panis winning at Monaco in ’96, or Vettel’s superb drive at Monza in ’08 are remarkable for the very reason that they were surprising, and for them to be unpredictable you need to have the predictable races too. I fear that in this ungraspable F1 season, Pastor Maldonado’s win for Williams will be lost in the myriad of bizarre results that are sure to arrive later this season, when actually it should receive a lot more recognition.

Maldonado's win may be forgotten

And so in FIA GT1 this weekend, I’m hoping for something a bit more predictable. I’m sure it won’t be boring, the closeness of performance demonstrated in the opening rounds will see to that, but I cannot wait to see some of the world’s top GT brands, drivers and teams do battle at a proper race weekend with proper racing. So let's enjoy some fascinating, tense and enthralling motorsport with a bit of a break from unpredictability. For the moment, at least...

F1: Ruthless to Some, Forgiving to Others

Just how long do you give a driver in Formula One before it's time to give him the chop? How quickly should a driver be able to step up and show some form of potential, enough to give his team manager some vague hope that this kid is worth hanging on to? Toro Rosso and the Red Bull driver development programme have come under fire for their recent disposal of Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi - although the latter is still involved as a Red Bull test driver - but were these two given enough chance to shine?

Jenson Button leapt straight from British F3 to F1

Let us take a cross-section of the last few World Champions to examine this closer, working backwards chronologically. Sebastian Vettel impressed the moment he got in an F1 car, scoring points on his first outing whilst filling in for Robert Kubica at the 2007 US Grand Prix, before somehow guiding a Toro Rosso to victory at Monza in 2008. Jenson Button put in a ridiculous testing performance for Alain Prost's eponymous team at Magny Cours in 1999, prompting Frank Williams to sign him up months later, taking a 20 year old straight from British Formula 3 in to the deep end at Albert Park for the 2000 F1 season. Button proved his worth, scoring points on his debut. Lewis Hamilton's meteoric F1 career has been well documented, as have Alonso's miracle workings in a poor 2001 Minardi. Kimi Raikkonen was too plucked directly from the lower formulae with only a handful of races under his belt and went on to impress at Sauber. The theme goes on and on, through Schumacher, Villenueve, Senna and Mansell, they all set the F1 alight in their early days.

Alguersuari fails to impress

Buemi and Alguersuari have been in the Toro Rosso set up since 2009, and if truth be told have pulled off none of the heroics of those previously mentioned. Save for some solid performances here and there - Jaime's decent drive to 5th in Korea last season springs to mind - they have shown nothing of the spectacular or sublime required by the ruthless Red Bull development system.   Much was made of Alguersuari's move straight from British F3 to F1 and the inexperience that would surely bring, but as I mentioned earlier, that step didn't phase Button or Raikkonen. 


This ruthless driver performance criteria would be good and healthy for future talent if there wasn't some bizarre desire to hang on to perennially under-performing drivers masquerading as 'experienced professionals'. The likes of de la Rosa, Heidfeld and Barrichello (joyous as they are to have around) should all have been cast from F1 seats and shifted to the TV compound years ago, but each year teams fall for the same old sales pitch of 'bringing a wealth of experience', even if that experience is of lower top 10 finishes...

Robert Wickens has proven his talent in many series

So as it is, we've got a massive backlog of drivers with proven junior formulae credentials trying to force their way into F1. Drivers like Robert Wickens - runner up in FIA Formula Two, champion in World Series by Renault - must be wondering what on Earth they need to do to get a seat, having seemingly done all they can to convince F1 team bosses that they are worth a shot. Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport, and as such, only the pinnacle of talent should be tolerated. 

My 2011 Season

At the start of 2011, I thought I was making some decent progress with this commentary lark. At the start of my second season, I had a handful of dates lined up to do the public address commentary at club events across the UK, and was scheduled to work with my good friend Ian Sowman on some post produced Ma5da Mx5 racing TV coverage. But my year, and arguably my career, was about to take a huge turn.

On the 4^th April I was at Luton Airport with my girlfriend, heading off for a few days skiing in France. Having just put my liquids in an appropriate clear, resealable bag, I was standing in the slow moving security queue when my phone rang: “Hello, is that Jack? It’s Jonathan Palmer here, chief executive of Motorsport Vision. I’m wondering if you want to do the live TV commentary for the FIA Formula Two Championship at Silverstone in a few weeks?” Initially, it was quite hard to fathom what was going on. My first season of watching Formula One was 1996, when Jonathan commentated on Damon Hill winning the world championship, alongside my biggest hero of all, Murray Walker. The fact that he was now on the phone, asking me to be a live motorsport TV commentator, was quite surreal. Needless to say, I agreed in an instant.

The FIA Formula Two field at Barcelona

There was not one day, possibly not one hour, between that moment and the race at Silverstone that I did not think of Formula Two. If only I could apply myself half as much to my degree as I did to my preparation for that weekend. I rocked up to Silverstone on the Friday, where I spoke to the drivers and main F2 personnel. For the 45 minute practice session, I nicked a chair from one of the catering units by Stowe corner and sat on the bank with my notes, shouting each driver’s name and vital statistics every time he went past. I knew everything I could about the cars and drivers, it was just time for the race. My co-commentator was Jolyon Palmer, who had finished runner up in Formula Two the year before, but was also a live TV newcomer.

I have never experienced nerves like I felt during the 30 second countdown to live. It’s very difficult to describe, but it was as though my brain filled with cotton wool, and it became impossible to consciously think anything other than “Goodness gracious, this is live television” (or words to that effect). Luckily, the subconscious took over, so for the first few minutes I was on auto-pilot. Once I calmed down a bit, everything settled down and it became like any other commentary, and Jolyon was excellent. The great news was that Jonathan was impressed enough to offer me the rest of the season, which has too many fantastic memories to fit in to this short blog. Indeed, there are too many people in F2 that I have had the pleasure to work with this season to name, but working with Tom Phillips, James Gornall and Jonathan Kennard have been the highlights.

Vergne racing in World Series by Renault in Hungary

So Formula Two had become a mainstay for me, which combined with the club racing work I was doing kept me busy. My next big adventure was covering World Series by Renault for Eurosport. It was the first time I had done live off-tube commentary, which basically meant I wasn’t in Hungary where the racing was, but in a studio in London. It was very odd to be commentating on something live, but not being there and being able to soak up the atmosphere. Luckily, my co-commentator was Tom Gaymor, one of the best around. He knew exactly what was going on in terms of both Eurosport procedures, and the on-track action, and being broadcast on the biggest pan-European channel was a real buzz.

The FIA GT1 Championship in Ordos, China

My final adventure of the season was a biggie. The FIA GT1 World Championship were looking for a commentator whilst Ben Edwards was otherwise engaged covering the British Touring Car Championship. I got the call, and was told to get down to London tomorrow to apply for a Chinese Visa. In April, I was excited because I was going to be commentating at Pembrey for the first time, now here I was in August going to work in China. The excitement was astronomical, and only increased when I was told my co-commentator would be five time Grand Prix winner John Watson. It was the most incredible weekend. I flew out to Beijing alone, before meeting up with a few of the production team for the onward flight to Ordos. From the moment I met those guys in the airport, the whole GT1 team were amazing to work with. The actual races were fairly entertaining, and working with Wattie was exactly as you’d expect, ridiculously fun. Again, the team were pleased with my chatting, and I was able to work for them again at Silverstone and Zandvoort before the end of the season.

It’s a shame in some ways that I’ve tried to keep this blog short. There is so much more I could write on all these experiences, but I just wanted to give you an overview of 2011 from my perspective. Without sounding cheesy (but it will), it’s been the best year of my life, and has completely changed my career.

One man who hasn’t cropped up in my musings so far is Chris Hartley. This was the man who gave me my first chance to commentate on motorsport, at Mallory Park in 2009. It was my then girlfriend’s 19^th birthday, but I knew I could not let this opportunity pass, so thanks to you too actually Maddy! Chris was nothing but encouraging, and I owe him a lot.

For 2012? Who knows. We all know the musical chairs that go on in the winter, this year more than ever, but if I can have as much fun as I have had in 2011 then it’s going to be a good old year.  

2011 FIA Formula Two Season Review

“It’s a game of two halves” say the old, cockney football pundits, but never have I seen such a striking illustration of that cliché in motorsport until this year’s FIA Formula Two Championship.

Below, we have the top eight in the final championship standings listed, with their points total from the first eight races followed by their points total from the second eight races, ignoring the irritations of dropped scores.

                Rounds:          1-8    9-16

1. Mirko Bortolotti             159    157

2. Christopher Zanella       137     58

3. Ramon Pineiro               29     156

4. Miki Monras                  94      59

5. Mihai Marinescu            46      92

6. Tobias Hegewald           66      55

7. Alex Brundle                 59      53

8. Jack Clarke                  42      68 


There are a number of things we can pick up from these statistics. Firstly, the striking consistency of eventual champion Mirko Bortolotti leaps out. Scoring just two points less in the second half of the season proves the remarkable consistency of the young Austro-Italian, who was only missing from the podium on one occasion in each half of the year, in the first races at both Magny-Cours and Brands Hatch.  

Jonathan Palmer gives Bortolotti some tips before his win at Silverstone

Whilst I am in no doubt that Mirko was a worthy champion, this breakdown shows a slightly different story to the 121 point margin he held over Christopher Zanella after the final round in Barcelona. At the half-way mark, after the two races at the Nurburgring, Zanella was hot on the heels of Bortolotti. Less than one win separated the pair of them, but in that midseason break there was a notable shift in fortunes and pace between Zanella and Ramon Pineiro.

Ramon got his act together at Brands Hatch

Pineiro, as can be seen, had a miserable start to the season. The Spaniard had three first lap spins, one at Silverstone then in both races at Spa, and as a result had failed to gain a points total that even vaguely resembled his speed. But at Brands Hatch, things changed. Issues in his personal life were resolved, and on a circuit where he had enjoyed success in the past, Ramon flourished. A second place and a win that weekend were his first podiums of the season, but the Catalan racer would go on to score two more wins at the Red Bull Ring, climbing up the standings to claim a coveted GP2 test. Indeed, in the second half of the year, Bortolotti only scored one more point than him.

Brundle, Marinescu and Bortolotti on the Monza podium

 The opposite was true for Zanella. He would never appear on the podium in the second half of the season, as the form he had early on seemed to disintegrate. Other notable turnarounds were shown by Mihai Marinescu, as the Romanian made changes to his fitness regime, culminating in a win at Monza and a strong end to the season. Jack Clarke too found much more speed in the last eight races, after his maiden win at Brands Hatch, whilst both Tobias Hegewald and Alex Brundle will both be wondering how they didn’t end up on the top step at some point in 2011.

Bortolotti was unquestionably the class act of 2011 in his second year of Formula Two, but he was pushed hard at every race by a group of young drivers that I’m looking forward to seeing progress.

Zanella enters the title fight at Magny Cours

Foolish as it seems, I believed there to be a clear pecking order after the chequered flag fell in the second race at Silverstone. After duelling throughout 2010 in GP3, and only finishing one place apart in the final standings, it seemed that the fight for this year’s FIA Formula Two Championship would be an intriguing contest between Mirko Bortolotti and Miki Monras. And until Saturday morning it seemed that I was - for once - correct. Monras dominated Wednesday testing and then Friday free practice, looking unstoppable on his way to topping the time sheets. 

But Magny Cours saw the emergence of a third true title contender, in the form of the young Swiss driver Christopher Zanella. When he signed up for Formula Two he did so with much less pomp and circumstance than some of his rivals, whilst clutching a much slimmer CV. He won the 2008 Swiss Formula Renault Championship, but only took two pole positions and four wins along the way. A solid season in F3 Euroseries followed, heralding one podium and a 13th place finish overall, before another decent year saw him claim sixth position in the Italian F3 Championship. Not a disgraceful set of achievements by any means, but when his rivals are able to boast GP3 campaigns, Formula Renault 3.5 victories and Formula One test drives, it’s fair to say that Zanella’s experience is a little lacking. 

As a result, his excellent podium finish in the second race at Silverstone was seen by many as a fluke result, aided by spinners on the opening lap and Will Bratt’s disqualification. Indeed, after qualifying second for the first race at Magny Cours in a damp qualifying session, he was again not favoured to be in contention for the race victory, with much of the focus being placed on Brundle, Bortolotti and Monras behind. About ten minutes before the pitlane opened for the race, I put this to him, asking whether he felt the weather helped him qualify higher than expected. He glanced down for a moment in thought before looking me square in the eye, shrugging, and saying ‘no, not really. I always expected to be there or thereabouts’. Two things struck me. Firstly, the fact he had not even considered whether the weather had played a part in his qualifying session. Zanella, it seems, is not interested in the past, not interested in analysing every minute detail of a previous session and speculating about the ifs and buts, he is only interested in what’s coming up next and whether he can win it. His entire approach to Formula Two has echoed this; not getting intimidated by the looming achievements of his rivals, but just going about his work to make sure he gets faster and faster. The second insight was to that of his confidence in his ability. He seems to see his talent as a matter of fact, rather than a matter to opinion. He knows he is a quick driver, and doesn’t feel the need to constantly share that information with anyone who will listen. 



This refreshing attitude not only impresses those of us who come into contact with him, but also allows him to just concentrate on the driving, and in a series where that is the primary - and perhaps solitary - focus it could be a crucial factor when it comes to Zanella’s development as a driver. There are perhaps as many as ten of the current Formula Two field that I would have thought more likely to be leading the championship a quarter of the way into the season, but this is the nature of a true single car series; it allows us to really find out who is the quickest driver. So after his dominating lights to flag victory in race two, you can’t help but think this could be a season to add significant weight to Christopher Zanella’s CV.