The 2007 German Grand Prix held at the Nurburgring shall be remembered for a few things; being red flagged a half dozen laps in due to torrential rain, rookie driver, Lewis Hamilton, storming through the field to finish one place out of the points, and the wheel-to-wheel battle between Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso for the win with a handful of laps to go...but for the Red Bull team, it shall go down in the history book as their best ever result thus far.
David Coulthard and Mark Webber both finished in the points; 'DC' in fifth while 'Webbo' scored only his second ever Formula 1 podium.
This wasn't the first time a RBR car had visited parc ferme though...David finished third in last years Monaco GP, but it was easily the teams' most convincing performance to date. Several people raised eyebrows when Adrian Newey announced that he was leaving McLaren to go to Red Bull, and the 2007 car was the first he had designed for his new team.
Some people also questioned Mark's move from Williams to Red Bull, thinking he would have been better off going to Renault, taking the place of the double World Champion, Alonso, who left the team for McLaren in 2007. I think Newey's arrival swayed his decision...his track record is mighty hard to beat.
"So Michael, when I come up behind you to take the lead, you just pull over for me, ok?"
Newey has a reputation of producing the goods when it comes to F1 design; he was responsible for the Williams and McLaren domination of the 1990's so both David and Mark were eager to get behind the wheel of his latest creation.
Alas, there were a few teething problems as the team switched from Ferrari to Renault power and also went with a seamless shift gearbox; Webber in particular has had a torrid time with reliability.
But the racing Gods smiled on them in today's race...and they were one of the few that it did.
It's times ike this I'm glad I'm not an F1 driver...keeping it on the track in those conditions?No thanks!
Webber's last (and until today, only) podium came in the 2005 Monaco GP when he was in his first season with Williams. His teammate was current BMW driver (and the vastly underated in my opinion) Nick Heidfeld who outfoxed Mark in the pitstops to get in front of him. Both drivers were then caught behind the Renault of Alonso who was struggling with his tyres.
Nick was the first to dive past Fernando under braking coming out of the tunnel, with Mark following suit a couple laps later. Alonso didn't give it to him very easily though...he shot across the chicane and went back in front of Mark but didn't have to give up the spot since Mark overcooked the corner as well. However, that didn't bother Mark as he tried the same move on the next lap and barely managed to keep it in the 'lines' so Alonso had to yield to him.
Since then it has been a rather frustrating time for Webber; frequently showing how quick he can be by planting whatever car he drives consistantly in the top 10, he just couldn't turn his Saturday pace into Sunday results. Many a time has Mark been running strongly only to be let down by the gearbox...or the engine...or the electronics, you get the idea.
Considered by many to be the fittest guy on the grid, Mark must have started to wonder if his hard work would ever pay off. But the Red Bull does have raw speed and they do say that it's easier to take a fast car and make it reliable than the other way round...Webbo will certainly be hoping so as the season goes into its second half.
The hopes of a nation...Webber is Australia's only current F1 driver.
He certainly had a good result (almost punted it late though, yes?). He certainly performs better than the U.S.'s only F1 driver, although it's hard to gauge level of performance in the dog Scott Speed is driving.
NASCAR may be more popular, but there ain't nothin' in the world like a Formula 1 car coming out of a turn and lifting up when the driver gets on the power band. It's like the difference in going to bed with Pam Andersona or Rosie O'Donnel.
Dave; yeah, I have a soft spot for Scott...but when he was in the A1GP he wasn't the fastest either. I like the guy since he always dreamt about F1 not NASCAR, not IRL, but F1....that takes guts for an American so I admire him hugely for that.
Outlaw; LOL, nice comparison! You're right though....that high pitched scream the F1 cars produce coupled with the sheer acceleration and braking....wow, they're quick, lol. I mean, under 10 seconds to go from 0 to 160 mph and back to 0? Strewth, I'd break my neck if I did that!
Steeler; cheers to both you and Outlaw for commenting....and you're right, seeing the onboard shot from a car at the back with just a wall of spray....incredible. The wet races always produce great racing....and it's a shame that NASCAR can't find a way to follow suit but I understand it from a safety aspect.
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
