F1: Getting to the point – when a lead is not a lead
Posted: July 31, 2011 Filed under: Formula One | Tags: drivers championship, F1, Formula One, jenson button, Sebastian Vettel Leave a comment »
"How many did we take from Vettel?" (Photo: McLaren)
“It shrinks?” – Elaine, “Seinfeld”
One minute you’re sitting pretty in the driver’s championship, and then it all goes pear-shaped. Much has been made of Red Bull’s slight drop-off in form between the last two races in Britain and Germany, and again this weekend in Hungary. McLaren and Ferrari have raised their game, threatening Red Bull’s massive advantage. Button’s victory at the Hungaroring (his 200th career race) emulated his first GP victory at that same circuit. Sebastian Vettel’s commanding lead has now been reduced to just 85 points with eight races left – i.e., enough time for things to go horribly wrong.
That shine you see is sweat forming on Seb’s brow. Titles that were sewn up can be just as easily lost. Jenson Button’s 2009 championship is instructive. Button won six out of the first seven races and seemed to have it in the bag. Thereafter, he failed to win another race and was chased hard for the title by Lewis Hamilton and his own teammate, Rubens Barrichello. After a sixth in Britain, Button had a 23-point advantage before the German Grand Prix. He finished third at the Nurburgring, seventh in Hungary, and seventh at Valencia. At Spa he retired. Button’s huge lead had diminished to 16 points by Monza.
This is where Button clenched his gut and held station, finishing second in the Italian Grand Prix, fifth in Singapore and eighth in Japan. He clinched it in Brazil, and became the 2009 driver’s champion by only 11 points. Some wondered if Button had simply gone into title-protection mode.
Is the same thing happening now? We weren’t there, but it sure seemed like Sebastian Vettel was driving a bit more cautiously in Hungary than we saw earlier in the season. Is it simple prudence and good management to let Hamilton through, rather than risk a crash? Points from second are a healthy cushion against a surging silver car.
It may – will – go down to the wire. Suddenly it feels like deja vu all over again.
