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This weekend’s return to Hockenheim comes at a critical time in contract negotiations for a good portion of the F1 field. (LAT photo) » More Photos
Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends…
Quick, name the busiest job in the pitlane as we head into this weekend’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, kicking off the second half of the 2008 Formula 1 season. Is it the engineers, splitting their time between the never-ending development of this year’s cars and preparation for the radical changes coming in 2009? Or maybe the drivers, cycling extra miles and lifting a little more in the gym as we enter the final nine races of the closest title fight in series history, including a three-way tie for the world championship points lead? Or is it perhaps the sponsor-hunters who look for the millions of dollars that make the cars go ’round?
To me, the most harried people in the grand prix paddocks at this time of year are the driver managers, the agents who make their money by getting their clients into the best possible drives for the season to come. Or, conversely, paddling furiously to keep their man in the front-running ride he already has. Because now is the time for every driver to justify his place on the grand prix grid. And Hockenheim this weekend is, to paraphrase the old expression, the first day of the rest of a lot of drivers’ careers.
We are deep into the silly season,
In F1, what we know right now is that 37-year old David Coulthard will retire at the end of the season, his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber has signed a one-year deal to stay put next year, and Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock will be back with Toyota. A couple of the top stars, including two of the drivers tied for the points lead, Lewis Hamilton at McLaren and Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari, are highly unlikely to be going anywhere. That’s about it. Others may have contracts in place, but contracts mean little in F1, the thinking being that if a driver isn’t happy, why would you keep him on, contract or no contract? Make no mistake, in the next nine races grand prix stars and scrubs alike will be like kids playing musical chairs, eyeing the available seats and hoping to have a place to sit when the music stops.
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