Wurz It All About?
As a quick recap of the tale we all know so well, Alex Wurz used to be a racer, then he was pushed aside in favour of Jenson Button and became a test driver.
For many, many years.
2007 saw his return to driving in anger, but he called it a day one race before the end of the season. So where does that leave us now? With Wurz returning to the safety of test driving with perennial grid-struggler’s Honda.
I like Alex Wurz and I was really happy with him getting a seat for 2007. The same way I felt good for Anthony Davidson, all that hard work wasn’t for nothing after all. You couldn’t exactly call it a stellar season for Wurz, but it wasn’t one of the worst either. I was surprised when he announced he was retiring from racing, even more so when he couldn’t see it through to the end.
In an interview recently, Wurz said he didn’t think he had the energy to complete another F1 season.
You must know that the thing we drivers love, which is of course driving these cars and pushing them to the limits, is about 10 percent of what we really do.
Which is all well and good, but this leaves me in a bit of a quandry. Wurz has spent the best part of a decade testing out cars. He is really good at what he does, and he’s bound to make a difference at Honda. But is it really fair?
He’s happy to admit that he doesn’t want to race, yet he’s signed as a reserve driver. We assume that if one of the main drivers was sick, he would have no objections to racing in their place - but he wouldn’t really want to, would he?
With opportunities for new drivers in such short supply at the moment, is it fair that a guy who has admitted his racing days are behind him continues to hold a top position. What about all those young rookies that could do with a leg up into the pinnacle of motorsport? God knows, they could use the experience.
I’m not saying Wurz shouldn’t be there, because he’s bringing all that wealth of knowledge to the team. But at the same time, I’ve always assumed that the test role is more the predecessor of a race drive. Weren’t we all a bit shocked when Hamilton jumped into a race seat without testing first?
Without really being able to come to a conclusion, I shall therefore turn it over to my good friends and blog readers. So, should he be testing or stepping aside for a younger driver?
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:20 pmme said:
do i count as a friend?
my first thought is, how come every time honda debut a new car it looks like a brick? where’s the detail in their aero work?
anyhow, to answer your question. the guy has bundles of talent / experience so it’s good that he’s still involved in racing. maybe he’s being a bit selfish sitting inside a cockpit but ultimately the team employed him, so blame them
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 pmChristine said:
It does look a bit Lego.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 pmOllie said:
I have a post lined up about how testing has changed for some teams, from young drivers gaining experience and loyalty to older drivers giving better feedback. Tough call, I guess; work for the future of your driver line up, or work for now with the car?
Regarding Wurz, I’m pleased he’s still hanging around. He has talent and deserves the role. Hopefully he’ll get along well enough with everyone and push Honda nearer to the front.
And to avoid confusion, the photo is of the old car, isn’t it? Not that you can really tell though, being a white brick ‘n all.
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 pmme said:
clearly i can’t!
the new one doesn’t look any better mind you. it’s like they designed it with nothing but a metre rule.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:39 pmdoctorvee said:
I don’t know the ins and outs of Wurz’s deal with Honda. But in the past being a test driver hasn’t necessarily been a guarantee that you will replace a race driver should he be unable to race. The example that sticks in my mind was the time Mika Salo got the nod over Luca Badoer when Michael Schumacher broke his leg in 1999.
Perhaps in the event of a mishap Honda will just play it by ear and hire someone who feels right at the time. After all, as you say, there is no shortage of reasonably talented drivers waiting in the wings. Klien perhaps?
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 pmDon Speekingleesh said:
DrVee beat me to it with the Salo/Badoer example (although at the time Badoer was already racing for Minardi, so not quite identical).
But yeah, being test driver doesn’t necessarily mean having to step up to race if a problem arises with one of the race drivers.
Maybe it’s the all-white colour scheme that makes every new Honda look like it was designed in 1998.
January 24th, 2008 at 12:33 amSteven Roy said:
Michael Schumacher is still occuppying a test seat albeit that Ferrari have Badoer and Gene as well.
The point of F1 is to win so you put whoever can help you win in the car regardless of age or ambition. Clearly Honda need people from outside of the team with experience to sort the mess out. Barrichello and Button have been living with the problems for so long that Honda need a fresh pair of eyes. A young driver is not going to be able to sort out the mess.
Haven’t Honda signed up Rossiter as a test driver as well?
January 24th, 2008 at 12:42 amOllie said:
I think Rossiter moves between Honda and Aguri. He started out at the beginning of ‘07 in a Honda, but at some point found himself in a Super Aguri. Maybe he just got confused and sat down in the wrong car!?
January 24th, 2008 at 8:04 amme said:
was it white and shaped like a brick? cause if it was i can see that being an easy mistake to make.
i kinda assumed the team would want wurz’s input at race weekends, therefore he’d be designated 3rd driver?
January 24th, 2008 at 8:50 amDon Speekingleesh said:
I think Rossiter may ended up in SA colours, because he was testing a Honda as a way around the testing limits…
January 24th, 2008 at 10:31 amF1Wolf said:
I think Wurz was signed up mainly for the testing and development duties. He has done good job for McLaren and for Williams (they rewarded him with a race drive) and good testing and development job is what Honda really needs
Yes, he may end up racing if Rubens or Jenson dislocate shoulders playing tennis or racing bikes just ahead of a race. But if a longer term stand in driver is needed Honda may not turn to Wurz but to one of the up and coming youngsters they keep testing, or they may even poach Sato from SA for the old times sake
January 24th, 2008 at 3:31 pmClive said:
It may be that a part of the reason for Wurz’s retirement from F1 racing was that he had forgotten the pressure it puts the driver under. I am sure that, when Frank offered him the job, there was an unspoken understanding that Wurz was getting the drive, not to embarrass Nico, but to be a solid back up to the rookie, while still providing invaluable feedback on the handling of the car.
In the event, there was so much criticism of Alex’s qualifying performances that even Frank started to mutter about them. But Wurz was racing well and scoring points occasionally - in truth, it mattered not that he didn’t qualify particularly well. I’m sure he began to feel unappreciated, even though Nico was saying how much he valued Wurz’s input, and eventually decided that, sod it, he didn’t need this.
Wurz is a rare creature that every F1 team should desire: a man who recognises his limitations but has a wealth of experience and understanding of the car so that he probably provides the race drivers with even more than Alonso’s fabled 0.6 sec. He is what Luca Badoer became - the perfect test driver and that is where he’s happiest. Good on Ross for knowing a good thing when he sees it.
Thus far, it looks as though the Honda brick for 2008 is another dog. But Alex will be an important part of solving the problems it may have. Perhaps Jenson might have cause to thank his lucky stars for Wurz as well as Brawn this season.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:44 pmClive said:
Hmmm, got carried away and forgot the point of what I was saying. And so here it is:
The aim of an F1 team is to win races, not to give young wannabes a leg-up to the big time. It makes much more sense to put experienced drivers in as testers than it does for rookies to take the job. And it may even be that the youngsters would be fools to take a testing role, especially now that testing is so limited. If they don’t prove as quick as the race drivers (and why should they be, given their lack of experience?), they run the risk of never breaking into F1 proper. Look at Gary Paffett - has he had a decent chance to prove himself? No, he gets the occasional day here and there and has to share the car with Pedro even then. He has more or less guaranteed that he will never race in F1 - I even saw a comment the other day that he was too old to be given a chance now!
I think Wurz is the pointer towards the future - test driving will become a recognised profession completely separate from race driving. There will be no expectation that the test driver will ever race and he will have the job because of his understanding of what makes the car tick. Team managers will have to go back to the task they had before Minardi made it easy for them: taking a gamble on new drivers coming up through the ranks. That’s what Peter Sauber did with Raikkonen, after all.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:31 pmme said:
ahhh shoot!
anyone think rubens may struggle to see the season through to the end? maybe get his “most experienced driver” badge and then head for the hills?
especially if this car isn’t any quicker.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:28 pmlou said:
Im not sure he will quit during a season. i mean racing is racing. Maybe at the end of the season if the team show no improvement? or just look for a drive elsewhere. You never really know till the season is in full flow.
You never know the new Honda could be ok. We don’t know what they where trying in testing. But i do agree it does look like a brick and does not appear to have the aero of the other 2008 cars. As you say it could be the white. Maybe it may look abit better in its new livery. Which wil hopefuly be nicer than last years.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:47 pmlou said:
Just seen the testing times for today, and even though the RA108 was second to last only beating the RA107(again), its alot closer to the Williams of Hulkenburg only 3 tenths rather than a second like it was yesterday. Its not a big improvement and could just be the change in driver, Button rather than Barricello, but its testing. You never know what different teams are concentrating on/testing. You never know who is running light and who isnt. We will just have wait till Australia to see where the teams stand.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:57 pmme said:
tis true, and mr. fry seems keen to show the man some support.
i have high hopes that lessons have been learned from last year and it’ll be a lot better in ‘08.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:11 pmlou said:
It’s nice that they are showing him support. He may feel better in the team as he knows Ross Brawn well. Lets just hope that Honda have a good livery and good car this year. As a honda fan i am really hoping 2008 is a MUCH better year for the team. They have a good test driver, lots of new people and of course Ross. Fingers crossed!
January 24th, 2008 at 10:30 pmJiji said:
I look back at Rhubino’s career and i thought (earlier on) that he always had the talent to be a consistant winner, if not a champ. He drove some stellar races for Jordan and Stewart. For me his demise came at Ferrari. Having to play 2nd fiddle, and how many times did we see him outrace MS, but then have to pull back because of the “though team mate shalst not race me” clause of MS.
Surely this would have serious repercussions on Rhubino’s mentality. For me F1 is 2/3’s mental.
I honestly think his days are numbered and we will farewell him at sometime this year. Expect a japanese driver at Honda at some point this season.
January 25th, 2008 at 6:57 pmbrendan stallard said:
“how many times did we see him outrace MS”,
Jiji,
How many times was that?
brendan
January 26th, 2008 at 2:43 pmSteven Roy said:
He outraced Schumacher just about every time they wen to Austria. I would love to understand why such a simple little track caused Schumacher problems in relation to Rubens.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:59 amme said:
me too.
i often wonder if he had anything to do with it being removed from the calendar? in the same way that he had a hand in re-designing certain tracks (or specifically certain corners) to suit his driving style.
January 29th, 2008 at 4:37 amAlenyaa said:
My first thought was that the world of F1 isn’t about being fair towards others. Wurz has a true gift in his abilities and an ace up his sleeve with his experience, and it’s up to him to decide how he wants to put them to use.
I also think that what Wurz means to say is that he can’t see himself completing a full season’s worth of racing.
Plus, due to an abysmal last season, I reckon Honda will really want to work on their present car currently rather than to work on their more distant future with young drivers.
Put Wurz’s toughts/feelings and Honda’s current ambitions together and I think this is why things have gone the way they did. Wurz’ experience will provide better input and feedback compared to younger drivers, and he’s got way more F1-racing experience than they do in case something goes wrong with the standard driver line up.
January 29th, 2008 at 4:47 amAlenyaa said:
Conspiracy theory, anyone?