In the high powered world of Formula One, you hear many different noises.
The roar of the engines, the cheering of the crowd, the tapping of keys as another writer thinks up an even more clichéd introduction than this one.
But if you listen very closely, underneath all of this is another noise: The sound of David Coulthard moaning.
As one of F1's "senior" drivers (and that's putting it politely!) these days, if David has something to say, people will listen. He gives good copy, as they say in the world of journalism.
And since the ban on Traction Control was first mooted towards the end of the 2006 season, DC (as lazy journalists pretend he likes to be called) hasn't exactly been keeping his opinions to himself.
Any time the political hot potato of safety comes up, DC is right there moaning to anyone that will listen that the ban on Traction Control will make Formula One cars unsafe, particularly in the rain.
Ahh yes, the rain.
After F1 managed to have a race in near-torrential conditions at Fuji last year with no more serious an incident than could happen in a dry race (honestly, Alonso's crash, while big enough, didn't compare to some of the stuff we saw in dry conditions) those within F1 must've thought they'd set the bar higher of how bad the conditions can get yet still stage a professional motor race.
But was that the end of it? Of course not.
Coulthard began harping on about how if conditions like Fuji or Nurburgring happened again under 2008's regulations, there would be no one left after 10 laps to finish the race.
Say WHAT?
But then any time wet-weather racing comes up for discussion, David is there, offering his opinion that it'll be too dangerous under 2008 rules.
Apparently David would rather see the acceleration of his car controlled by a bunch of computer boffins rather than his right foot.
Perhaps David is rightly worried. After all, he is "senior" enough to have "enjoyed" the previous era of traction control-less wet-weather racing.
And during such times he managed such feats as managing one corner, before throttling it too soon and wiping out two-thirds of the field. Not to mention, coming back for the re-start and hitting anything that moved, including the championship protagonist who was ready to usurp his teammate's lead in the world championship.
Oh there was also that time when he slid pathetically off the road while leading under no pressure at the Nurburgring in 1999. Oh, and Silverstone in 1998. Oh and...well, you get the picture.
Is it not possible then that DC has another agenda, rather than just worrying about the amount of money ruined when cars hit walls in wet conditions? Perhaps he realises he's never been good in the wet, and as one of F1's elder statesmen he is at a further disadvantage as his poor reactions cannot compare to that of the 15-year-olds bussed out from school that F1 teams have hired recently?
So to David, I say this: Traction Control is a criminal thing to have on a racing car. In a sport that is as much about driver competition as it is about engineering superiority, having the throttle response controlled by a computer removes one of the key weapons in a driver's skill set.
In the wet, you have your friend Charlie Whiting to moan at to keep the field behind safety car or even red flags if you shout loud enough. He demonstrated at both the wet races last year he's not going to let things get unsafe.
So, will you please just shut up moaning about traction control, and get used to driving without it?
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about 1 month ago
This isnt usually my thing but I am going to have to disagree with you completely here ...
When you get a job at a company, you keep your head down and get on with things so as to make a good impression ... The longer you are there the more experience you get and the more people get to know you and you can become yourself more and more ... Finally there gets a point where you move up the rankings or you just become part of the furniture ... At that point am I wrong in saying that you dont mind having the odd moan about your working conditions, if someone moves a water cooler 5 steps further away from your desk, you will moan ? If someone turns the air con too high or too low ... Will you moan ? ... If someone tells you that the wheels on your chair will start going at 150 MPH with-out traction control ... WILL YOU MOAN ? Stop me if im wrong ?
So then we put ourself in DC's shoes ... This is his job, his car is his office ... He is risking his life for your entertainment, I am bloody sure I would moan, there has to be resistance to these kinds of things or the FIA dont change anything ... The drivers are the front line and they need to have an input. Okay DC is fairly outspoken, but maybe thats just his nature.
Just look at Jackie Stewart and his endless work to improve safety ... Do you think he didnt come under fire nearly every day of his life for the work he was doing ... BUT it worked ... With the help of big Max they made things the way they are today !
I say fair play to DC ... you spout off as much as you like, I personally think he is wrong on the whole traction control thing because I think it adds a little pazazz to the whole affair and gets the cars closer to be the raw machines of yesteryear ...
Also ... Just as a side note, you have to remember DC isnt that far from retirement from the racing side of things and ur not telling me that will be the end of the line for him ... I dont think so ... I am predicting that if he doesnt go into some position of power within the FIA or somewhere in Formula 1 then he almost certainly will be working behind the scenes with some kind of consultancy just like Schuey to become outspoken now will start to show to the big wigs that he is passionate and wants to make changes.
Rant over, apologies if I have caused you any offence but please keep the articles coming !
from about 1 month ago
I'm all for improving safety but as Martin Brundle is sometimes caught saying in his commentary, you'd be hard pressed to injure yourself at some of these F1 tracks if you set out with that as your priority, let alone get injured in an accident.
And why suddenly is traction control the be all and end all to safety?
F1 drivers (DC included) coped without it in all conditions until 2001, they should get used to doing it again.
The bottom line is if the conditions become too dangerous the organisers will stop the race or at the very least scramble the safety car (since stopping the race doesn't seem to happen these days to please the TV broadcasters, but that's another rant for another time!)
The organisers won't let the drivers race in conditions best suited to motor boat racing, traction control or not.
So where's the safety concern?
In every other weather condition, the racing is improved due to the lack of traction, and not at the cost of safety.
I respected David for voicing his concerns...the first time. The fact he kept harping on at the same issue while his fellow drivers moved on to things like how to prevent Hekki's accident from happening again etc etc DC kept on at the same thing, leading me to think he had more to lose than the others..
But anyway, thanks for your comments (Micheal underneath me too!). Everyone has a right to an opinion, even DC!
about 1 month ago
I think you have to prove yourself in conditions like rain with no TC. We went plenty of years with no TC in torrential rain and granted, some moaned, but many loved the thrill.
about 1 month ago
Hey Paul ... I agree with you completely ... I can be quoted as saying "I personally think he is wrong on the whole traction control thing because I think it adds a little pazazz to the whole affair and gets the cars closer to be the raw machines of yesteryear" ... I agree with you completely and I dont see any immediate danger ... I was merely trying to get you to see things from maybe another perspective ? Thanks for feedback though mate !
about 1 month ago
Yeah I know, despite the ranting I can see both sides, I just have to vent sometimes and well Coulthard presented me with a prime target.
I can't wait for Monaco now, if it rained there we might have more Coulthard fodder to debate over, but I doubt it'd be much of an issue as under wet conditions the cars run about 10mph anyway!
Thanks for being a loyal...commenter!
about 1 month ago
Its good to vent ... Makes feel better !
As for rain I think that would be a nightmare situation, think that would be end of the excitment ... Suppose we could always take bets as to who is actually left at the end of the race ?
As for the comment ... No worries ... Its good to get feedback on board ... Makes for a better community on this thing for people like me and you who take it seriously !
about 1 month ago
I don't think there's anything wrong with what David is saying. I for one agree with him. You simply cannot trust the officials to stop the race. The officials trust drivers to give feedback when they're out there, to analyze the situation. If the officials are gonna be keen on keeping the drivers out during bad conditions similar to Fuji, then we have a huge problem. They waited for a bunch of cars to slide off the track in order to call for a red flag. Now there is a great chance that next time around, when there is no TC, officials might keep the cars out until a horrific crash occurs, in which case the damage would be already done.
Besides, David is not asking for TC to be kept, he is simply asking for a revision of the regulations so that it can suit the new challenges. He said it himself, he has no problem with driving without TC, his only concern is if the officials will be able to control a situation similar to Fuji.
about 1 month ago
I think the officials are smarter than you're giving them credit for...
The trouble is when they ask the teams via team radio if it's safe or too dangerous, no-one gives them a straight answer.
Its the old adage of the teams in F1 doing what's right for themselves.
Giving just one example, in Malaysia 2001 there was a HUGE rainstorm which led to them putting the safety car out. The majority of teams put on wets except Ferrari who gambled on intermediates.
When it came time to remove the safety car, the teams on wets said "yes, fine, it's ok we can handle the conditions..." but Ferrari said "oh, no no no no! It's too dangerous, keep the safety car out"
As a result the safety car remained out until the conditions were right for intermediate tyres and Ferrari took a decisive victory.
So what you are seeing as the officials being slow to react is actually the teams in built selfish nature confusing them.
It is not rocket science to work out that when asked about the conditions, those teams on low fuel and soft tyres that need to maintain a gap before pitting will say "no no no, conditions fine, safety car not needed" even under monsoon weather, whereas teams on high fuel and hard tyres will demand the safety car after two drops.
It's a side effect of the compettitive nature of F1 and I don't think the Traction Control ban should be dragged into this continuing problem....
Bottom line: it's gone, and that's the way it always should be! :-)
about 1 month ago
Two words : Rain ... Senna.
about 1 month ago
Ouch, after what happened to DC in qualifying today I felt I'd jinxed David into a big accident.
Thankfully what happened to him A)Didn't happen in the wet and B) Happened under breaking so wasn't anything to do with traction control!
Still a nasty incident though, hope he is ok!
about 1 month ago
we went so many years without tc, so why do we need it now?
from about 1 month ago
They need it because the cars are so much faster and more powerful and harder to control. I am not saying it is necessary but with how fast the cars are it makes it easier. I agree with not having it but I can see why some people would want it. I think not having it will separate the men from the boys.
about 1 month ago
You want safety in F1?
Bring back slicks, which they are doing. More grip means more control.
Reduce the engines to six cylinders and 1.5L, which they aren't doing. Smaller engines would mean less power and speed, without limiting the technological advances.
Here's another side benefit of smaller engines: lap times are longer, which means more time on the straights, and thus more passing opportunities. How anyone can call that a negative is beyond me.
And one more thing: ban in-car "adjustments" by the driver or the computers. Set up the car for the race, then let the driver work with it.
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