Written by: TH on Saturday 24th July 2010, 20:21
The Woe of Mercedes Grand Prix
Mercedes’ reintroduction into the Formula One paddock quickly became suggested by many as the “coming of a new era”. The combination of Ross Brawn, Michael Schumacher and the German manufacturer had all the hallmarks of rivaling Ferrari’s success during the early-to-mid 2000s. But, although the hope that the re-pairing of the two world-renowned stars, Schumacher and Brawn, would immediately bring success, the results going into the 11th round of the 2010 Formula One World Championship are far from the quality of the Scuderia.
Immediately following the announcement of his return to the Formula One grid, any suggestion that Schumacher would be uncompetitive in the 2010 season was quickly discarded most of the media. Argued to be the “greatest of all time”, an overwhelming number of fans were disappointed with the relatively-uncompetitive performances delivered in the pre-season testing sessions. The German hero was expected of nothing less than 2002-like performances - an unreasonable expectation of any driver. The ensuing dominance of his teammate and compatriot, Nico Rosberg, over the master himself quickly resulted in violent media backlashes. In Rosberg, the team has been left only one driver who they are able to rely on to be consistently competitive. Mercedes’ plan to form the strongest team Formula One could offer had seemed to fail its first test.
Whilst the debut of the “MGP W01” (Mercedes’ 2010 challenger) in Bahrain disappointed many, the knowledge that a season is not won, nor lost, in the first race was held firmly in the hearts of many MercedesGP fans. The development of the 2009 Mclaren MP4-24 was used as a prime example of the massive turn-around possible when development is focused and organised. This, like many actions taken by the Mercedes team, has yet to be fruitful. The ineffective updates for the Mercedes chassis have left the team slipping down the order at almost every race of the year. The direction taken by MercedesGP chief designer, Kevin Taylor, has brought little success on the race track. More so than any other reason, the development (or lack thereof) of the MGP W01 has been a large factor in the disappointment that has been MercedesGP’s 2010 season.
Known as a “strategic mastermind” by the Formula One media, Ross Brawn’s tactical decisions throughout the 2010 Formula One Season have done little to back-up the popular claim. A slow-reaction to the emergence of the far-superior “dry” compound of tyre at the Australian Grand Prix, the decision to keep Schumacher out on an already-“graining” set of “prime” tyres for the whole second-half of the Canadian Grand Prix and a failure to capitalise on the safety car’s emergence at the European Grand Prix – leaving Schumacher in 17th position – are just three examples of Brawn’s failure to be as efficient as in previous years. All three are amateur decisions which have cost the German team valuable points. Should the team look to take a step forward in the 2011 season, it is necessary for Brawn to regain his reputation for strategic brilliance.
Returning to the Formula One grid as a constructor for the first time since 1955, Mercedes’ highly-publicised target of the 2010 World Championship has once-again shown the ignorance of large-scale manufacturers that enter the paddock and expect immediate results. The decisions of motoring giants Toyota, Honda and BMW to leave the Formula One community due to claims that their commitment was “unjustifiable” were testament to the challenge of Formula One. Success in this particular series does not come immediately – nor does it come easily. Large-scale success takes time, commitment and (inevitably) occasional disappointment. The 2010 season should have been accepted as a “learning year” for the squad. Instead, the team has embarrassed itself with an uncompetitive former-star, poor chassis development and numerous unacceptable tactical decisions.
TH
