F1 man of the year

[Ciro Pabón]

This is one of those threads that's in need of a poll... If I'm not mistaken, there is a division of opinions: either Brawn or Newey.

There was so many changes to regulations and, thus, so many changes in the pecking order, that it was the year of the cars, there is not doubt in my mind. We could do like Times did many years ago, when they named the PC the man of the year.

So, we could say that the man of the year was the 2009 F1 car. All drivers were their humble servants and no driver in particular can say he won a race without profusely saying thanks to the team: make no mistake, they are saying "Thanks, Man, for this chariot", it's not like they were acknowledging the hard work of the right rear wheel mechanic. Most of the winners know, in the bottom of their hearts, that it was all about what team you were driving for!

If I had in mind to create a Formula One Car Designer Association, this would be the moment.

The lesson for me is this: let's pray for large and frequent changes to regulations: in the name of the forum, I say thanks to the Gods of Moderation (Sophrosyne) becausee there weren't so many fights about the dominant team.

After all, everybody here seems to love Brawn in one way or another. There is a large party that doesn't complain about Button, our flamant WDC: they seem to despise him. Anyway, I was expecting more enthusiasm about the Champ from the briton contingent.

It will be amusing to watch what happens with Vettel next year, he has the car and the talent to become some kind of successor to Schumacher. He has been adorable up to this moment. Fox Latin America anchor keeps calling him "Wonder Boy". Will he become next year's wonder man? That's for Fate to decide.

[Mr Alcatraz]

Max Mosley Esq. And I mean it!

[lebesset]

sophrosyne , ciro ?

can't we leave max mosley out of it for once ?

and tazio , from what I read in the newspapers , I don't think greatness is what max had thrust upon him !

[lebesset]

well , no name , easy to integrate the merc engine ?
perhaps you should read this which I have just stumbled across

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson ... brawn.html

I admit I had been told it was a bodge up long since ....I admit I didn't know to what extent !

hardly a classical engineering solution !

[Mr Alcatraz]

I don't think greatness is what max had thrust upon him !

You brought it up!
In the area of motorsport Max in deed achieved a definable level of greatness!
JMVHO Bro!

[deus1066]

well , no name , easy to integrate the merc engine ?
perhaps you should read this which I have just stumbled across

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson ... brawn.html

I admit I had been told it was a bodge up long since ....I admit I didn't know to what extent !

hardly a classical engineering solution !

That's pretty amazing. Surely, by just integrating the engine into the chasis and onto the gearbox better for next year, they'll have a decent amount of performance gain.

[tarzoon]

How can Max Mosley be even slightly mentioned as F1 man of the year? Essentially, he represents everything an engineer hates: a half-political businessman defining rules and regulations and sticking his nose in the hard work people develop.

Kimi could have been that guy for managing so many points with such a bad car. But Massa was doing a better job until the accident.

Piquet could have been that guy for destroying the big bully's image and integrity. But he's not good enough for F1.

Newey could have been that guy, if it wasn't for his already great background designing imensely fast cars.

Button could have made it, yet his credit comes greatly from his boss.

Brawn could have made it, yet his credit comes greatly from the generosity of Honda.



In my modest opinion, Honda should be given the title of man of the year. Although it is not technically a man and more of an institution/company, it showed that even when times are adverse, there is still space for an act of generosity in this profit-minded times. It was a gentleman's act to give enough money for the team to run and avoid laying off so many qualified people.
Independently of the titles, what matters is the people behind the team and car.

[ISLAMATRON]

There was not one iota of generosity in it, it was under British law that they had to fund the team and save the jobs, if they had it their way the would have disappeared like a thief in the nite.... and many many of the former Honda staff are without their jobs because of the pull out.

[Ray]

And what was Honda supposed to do? Keep spending money they didn't want to?

[Mr Alcatraz]

How can Max Mosley be even slightly mentioned as F1 man of the year?

He had the opportunity to remind the Motor racing world that he is the King.

Personally I think he has made a lot of decisions that were not in the interest of us commoners.
I don't like him! But make no mistake about it, he is an absolute ruler!

[megz]

Quick point, the RB5 was the only car to win a race without a DDD. That's impressive given the amount of performance the DDD allegedly offers.

[WhiteBlue]

Since we do not have the poll I put may vote in for Newey as well. The DDD was too smelly for me. It was completely against the spirit of the rule and what the OWG had set out to do. It completely ruined that work of two years in terms of limiting down force. It marginalized KERS for the first 10 races while all development was focussed on DDDs. In my mind it was the worst technical decision taken for purely tactical political reasons. The only good thing that came out of it was a shake up in the order that allowed many drivers to win. So we didn't really see an exceptional driver dominate over the season. Those early DDD wins for Brawn in my view were windfall profits and not deserved. Without doubt the most advanced car was the Newey design and so he deserves the title man of the year.

[ds.raikkonen]

Jake Humphrey

What? He struts around like he s the defending champion....such arrogance. Jonathan Leggard, DC and Eddie are the people i really listen to while watching the race on BBC. Humfrey sucks....THey should replace him for next year.

[Ted68]

I think Ciro has an excellent point of view here (as usual...), and the cars were the stars this year.

However, if we must give the accolade to an actual human, I would vote for a joint nomination of Max Moseley and Flavio Briatorre. It is because between the two of them, with their arrogance, capriciousness and gaul flying out into the great wide open this year that they have marked an end to a decade and a half of degradation of the sport. Regardless of who becomes the next President of the FIA, we will see a return to race oriented sport rather than the media circus events we have now. Luca de Montezemola's recent statement about pulling Ferrari out of F1 after 2012 strongly hint that he wants seriuos change in this direction. So to Mad Max and the Flavinator, thanks for killing the glam years. Let's go racing again.

[andartop]

For me man of the year can only be the guy who won the Driver's Championship, so I have to go for Button.

I'd also like to nominate though K.Kobayashi for rookie of the year: in one single race he managed to shame quite a few Japanese drivers of the past, Alquersuari, Grosjean, Badoer and Fisichella by pulling out a decent performance with a car he'd never raced in before.
=D> =D> =D>