The 3-Stop Strategy: Front Wings, Merry-Go-Rounds and a McLaren Mess-up
3) Hispania’s merry-go-round of drivers for cash means they will struggle to make the grid next year
philracer: GO! Hispania should have kept Senna who has been loyal and relatively competitive in the smallest team currently on the grid. The teams decision to drop Senna before the British GP and replace him with Sakon Yamamoto was a mistake and betrayed the loyalty of Senna to the Spanish team. Although Yamamoto had more experience than Senna in F1, he was making a return after a long absence from the sport. Hispania need to stop picking and choosing drivers just because one has under performed, if they don’t they will drop out of the sport before the end of the season.
Glen: GO! A new team needs some continuity in every department. Dropping drivers for something as trivial as the money they bring in from sponsors is wrong. They should have picked the two best drivers at the start of the year and stuck by them, barring extremely poor form. Neither driver has disgraced the team. Everyone there should be looking to develop the car together so next year they can consistently make the grid and maybe challenge the mid-field. By chopping and changing drivers, sure it brings in more cash, but the differing feedback from drivers will hurt he progression of the car. Plus, if someone comes in for Chandhok or Senna in the winter, they’ll jump at the chance having been treat the way they have at Hispania.
DaveMethold: STOP! Driver swapping due to funding issues is a common place in Formula One so I don’t think Hispania will be affected too much. A prime example of this is Minardi. How many times did Minardi pick their drivers purely based on money?! Even Vitaly Petrov for Renault this season is driving because he has the funds to do so. Can you really see Renault struggling for money? As a new team in the sport, Hispania were always going to have some money issues so I think it’s just a case of trying to make the best of things.
Some interesting thoughts I’m sure you’d agree. It’s a unanimous thumbs-down for Horner’s handling of the Red Bull’s front wing in which he didn’t cover himself in glory, but McLaren would have struggled to win even with their upgrades. The jury seems to be out on whether Hispania’s driver swapping for funds should be frowned upon. What do you think about the three issues discussed here? Have your say in the comments section below and in our Fans Forum and look out for another edition of the 3-Stop Strategy very soon!




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