There are several “winners” this week in the Ferrari team order incident… have we decided on calling it TeamOrdergate? Massagate? Smedleygate?
First up on the winners list is Red Bull, from which the focus of Formula 1 attention has turned. I’m very interested to see if a quieter week leading into the Hungarian Grand Prix pays off for the team with a 1-2 finish.
But a close second is HRT. I suspect if it weren’t for the Smedleygate there would be a lot more focus on the team’s finances, or lack thereof.
And word comes today that — the ultimate, truest team order that tells a driver, “Don’t even bother going near that car” — Sakon Yamamoto will again drive in place of Karun Chandhok this weekend. This time, the team isn’t touting the news as they did before:
Sakon: “I can’t wait to go back to the Hungaroring as I know the circuit already very well from my Formula 1 races with Super Aguri, Spyker F1 and with ART in GP2 series. The races there are always very tough because there is no big gap between the corners. You need a good braking stability and good traction on the car. I keep on pushing for another challenge and I hope that we are luckier than in Hockenheim.â€
I suppose as I think about it, there could be another big winner from all this. And so I will start the campaign: Karun to Ferrari ’11!!!
